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Meghalaya Govt files criminal defamation suit against TMC’s Saket Gokhale, Deputy CM calls him a ‘psycho’ : Read what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Meghalaya Govt files criminal defamation suit against TMC’s Saket Gokhale, Deputy CM calls him a ‘psycho’ : Read what happened

On Saturday, December 10, the Meghalaya government filed a criminal defamation suit against Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Saket Gokhale for maligning the reputation of the state government by making “deliberate, derogatory and malicious” claims against a state-owned tourism firm.

The action comes days after Saket Gokhale claimed that there was Rs 632 crore worth of financial violations in the Meghalaya Ecotourism Infrastructure Development Project by an IAS officer Dr Vijay Kumar.

Meghalayan Age Limited, a state-owned company, filed a lawsuit in the East Khasi Hills District Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate under Section 200 read with Section 190 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. The company sought Saket Gokhale to be charged with criminal defamation in accordance with section 499.

On December 4, TMC’s Saket Gokhale said that the Meghalaya Ecotourism Infrastructure Development Project had anomalies of Rs 632 crore. According to Saket Gokhale, “These irregularities have happened under the company Meghalayan Age which is spearheaded by CM Conrad Sangma’s top aide IAS officer D Vijay Kumar.”

‘He has become like a psycho’: Meghalaya Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong slams the TMC leader for spreading fake news

The Meghalaya government had hit out at the Trinamool Congress leader terming him a ‘psycho’. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong slammed Gokhale saying that the TMC leader intended just to spoil the government’s image.

“This man keeps making such allegations about the functioning of the state government. I personally feel he has become like a psycho. Now we have no more patience. By tomorrow, we will have filed a defamation case against him,” said Tynsong.

Refuting all of the accusations levelled against the government, the deputy chief minister asserted that all records are accessible and that even the tendering procedure was conducted online.

Lambasting the TMC leader Tynsong told the media that the allegations should be substantiated with documents but “this man it seems he just knows from here and there and ultimately he puts it in the public domain and brings out the allegation in the form of a statement, which is totally wrong.”

He said the government can no longer tolerate such irresponsible acts.

“We have no more patience. The allegations made by him are baseless and wrong. By tomorrow, we are going to file a defamation case against this man, who unfortunately last night or today morning was also picked up by the Gujarat police because of the allegation he made against the Prime Minister. So you can understand the credential of the so-called national spokesperson of the AITC”, Tynsong said.

TMC’s Saket Gokhale sent to two-day police custody for spreading fake news relating to Morbi bridge tragedy

Notably, on December 7, an Ahmedabad court remanded Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale to two-day police custody after he was arrested by Gujarat Police. The former ‘RTI activist’ was arrested over his tweet endorsing a fake news report about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Morbi visit. 

Gokhale was apprehended in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Jaipur, Rajasthan, by officials from the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell and brought to Ahmedabad in the afternoon, where he was formally arrested.

Gokhale had shared a fabricated news report about an RTI query and its response that does not exist. He had claimed that ₹30 crore was spent on PM Modi’s Morbi visit, sharing a news clipping from an unnamed Gujarati newspaper, which was claimed to be Gujarat Samachar. But BJP has said that it is fabricated and no such report was published and there is no such RTI reply, and Gujarat Samachar also clarified that they have not published such a report. 

Twitter Files 3.0 confirms what we knew all along: Employees vindictively targeted conservative voices, showed leniency towards leftists

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter Files 3.0 confirms what we knew all along: Employees vindictively targeted conservative voices, showed leniency towards leftists

The third tranche of ‘Twitter Files,’ released on Friday (December 9, US local time), confirmed what we knew all along – The personal bias of top Twitter employees determined what form of speech was permissible on the social media platform.

The internal communications exposed how Republicans and conservative voices were censored, based on the whims and fancies of Twitter’s top executives. They revealed how a small group of Twitter employees controlled political discourse on the social media platform and sided with the Democrats.

The ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ also showed how the content moderation team came up with one excuse or the other to justify their vicious attempts at censorship.

Independent Journalist Matt Taibbi, who covered the story, emphasised that former US President Donald Trump was targeted on multiple occasions by the same group.

Taibbi shared that Twitter employees were keen on putting a ‘label’ on Trump’s tweet about the Ohio ballot mishap, thereby suggesting that the former US President was misleading the public about 50,000 incorrectly mailed ballots in the state of Ohio.

To the despair of the Twitter employees, the story turned out to be true, and plans to include a disclaimer to Trump’s tweet on the subject were abandoned. Soon, the opportunity presented itself again and they were able to restrict the visibility of the US President’s tweet (despite no particular violation of Twitter rules).

The top Twitter executives, including Yoel Roth (former Global Head of Trust & Safety), patted themselves on the back for quickly taking action against Donald Trump. When American actor James Woods pointed out how Twitter was suppressing the tweet of a sitting US President, the vindictive employees vowed revenge.

After it dawned on them that they could not censor him under any pretext, one employee announced, “…Can hit him hard in future vio with firmer basis.”

Matt Taibbi also pointed out that attempts were made to censor other Republicans, including Congressman Jody Hice, for simply tweeting that mailed ballots are vulnerable to fraud as compared to in-person voting.

Twitter had suggested that the tweet of the conservative leader, which is based on common sense, was somehow misleading by putting a label saying, “Voting by mail is safe and secure.”

In December 2020, the top Twitter executives announced the launch of a new tool named ‘L3 Deamplification’ to censor the tweets of US President Donald Trump. The new tool would imply the de-amplification of tweets, alongside warning labels underneath the original tweet.

“The significance is that it shows that Twitter, in 2020 at least, was deploying a vast range of visible and invisible tools to rein in Trump’s engagement, long before January 6 (US Capitol riots). The ban will come after other avenues are exhausted,” Matt Taibbi pointed out.

The independent journalist also highlighted how top Twitter employees used cryptic terms to describe censorship instead of stating it explicitly. These terms included “bot” (automated heuristic moderation rule) and “bounce” (putting an account under review for 12 hours).

Other terms included “Interstitial” (putting a label atop a tweet) and “Public Interest Interstitial/PII” (a covering label applied for “public interest” reasons). Matt Taibbi pointed out that the Twitter moderation team also employed multiple “bots” against Donald Trump in the run-up to his permanent suspension.

After studying the extensive internal Twitter communications, Matt Taibbi said, “Before the (January 6) riots, the company was engaged in an inherently insane/impossible project, trying to create an ever-expanding, ostensibly rational set of rules to regulate every conceivable speech situation that might arise between humans.”

He further added, “This project was preposterous yet its leaders were unable to see this, having become infected with groupthink, coming to believe – sincerely – that it was Twitter’s responsibility to control, as much as possible, what people could talk about, how often, and with whom.”

Taibbi stated how the top Twitter employees made rules on the go to rationalise their decisions. “The firm’s executives on day 1 of the January 6th crisis at least tried to pay lip service to its dizzying array of rules. By day 2, they began wavering. By day 3, a million rules were reduced to one: what we say, goes,” he concluded.

Leniency towards Democrats

‘Twitter Files 3.0’ also pointed out how the top Twitter employees let their personal biases, political preferences, and ideological inclinations cloud their sense of judgment and public responsibility.

While the second tranche of Twitter Files exposed that the Twitter content moderation team routinely censored right-wing journalists and conservative activists under one pretext or the other, the same treatment was not meted out to the leftists, liberals, and Democrats.

Matt Taibbi revealed that pro-Biden tweets, which openly cast aspersions about the integrity of US Presidential elections and falsely accused Donald Trump of hijacking the votes, were given a free pass by Twitter executives.

In one case, former Attorney General of the United States (2009- 2015) Eric Holder peddled the disinformation that Donald Trump “deliberately crippled” the US postal service to interfere in the electoral process.

The Twitter moderation team responded to the fake news with a generic warning label but was quick to remove it when Yoel Roth (former Global Head of Trust & Safety who justified the censorship of Hunter Biden story) insisted.

“Hey folks – Can we reverse the label on this tweet,” Yoel Roth asked. The other Twitter executives readily complied with his request. ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ also made it clear how the left-wing bias of the top executives determined who got to keep his/her views forward.

Donald Trump thanks Elon Musk for releasing the ‘Twitter Files’ 

Hours after the third tranche of ‘Twitter Files’ was released to the public, Donald Trump thanked Elon Musk for exposing how the FBI and the Justice Department colluded with Twitter officials to manipulate the 2020 US Presidential elections.

While taking to his social media platform Truth Social on Friday, Trump said, “ELON: The Twitter releases are a revelation in that they show, in a very powerful fashion, the FBI and “Justice” illegally colluding, proving conclusively, in one more very powerful way, that the 2020 Presidential Election was Rigged & Stolen.”

“What everyone is REALLY waiting to see, however, is the Twitter information and thought process leading up to the time of the so-called “Election,” and ultimately the “Deplatforming” of the President of the United States. Big moment in history. Thank you!” he further added.

While responding to his message on Twitter, Musk informed that transcripts of more internal communications will be released in the coming days.

It must be mentioned that Truth Social is an alternate social media platform, created by Trump Media & Technology Group, after the former US President was de-platformed from Twitter in the wake of the US Capitol riots of January 6, 2021. Last month, Elon Musk reinstated the Twitter account of Donald Trump after buying Twitter out.

NCP leader Amol Mitkari insults Hindu deities and rituals in the guise of criticising Narendra Modi and BJP government

OpIndia Staff
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NCP leader Amol Mitkari insults Hindu deities and rituals in the guise of criticising Narendra Modi and BJP government

On 9th December 2022, Nationalist Congress Party leader Amol Mitkari insulted Hindu deities and rituals in the guise of criticizing PM Modi and the BJP rule while addressing a public meeting at Bakshi Hipparaga village near Solapur in Maharashtra. Criticizing Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Amol Mitkari – an MLC from the NCP – mimicked Hindu Brahmins who read various Kathas and religious stories while performing different rituals. Amol Mitkari went on to take a jibe at Narendra Modi and his various schemes as he narrated the story.

Reciting poems like a ‘comrade’

Amol Mitkari’s address included leftist-style poetry that meant, “Who are these people? They are the companions of Hitler. They are the ones who participate in the funeral processions (ensuring genocides). They don’t ask who are you, instead, they ask what is your caste and religion. Identify them. Beware of them. Some of them are sitting in Delhi. Some of them are in Mumbai. Many others are there from the internet to jumbo jets. They are camouflaged in the color of Asaram. They are attending the Satsang of Ramdev. We just do voting. All they do is just setting.”

Amol Mitkari call Modi a copycat

Accusing Narendra Modi of copying radio announcer Amin Sayani’s style, Amol Mitkari said, “He is a copycat. In old times there used to be a program of Hindi songs on the radio and Amin Sayani was the announcer of the program. Amin Sayani used to say ‘Bhaiyo aur Behno’ (that is brothers and sisters) before announcing the new song in the program. All Modi has done is just bring the style of the radio announcer into politics.” Mitkari also mimicked both Amin Sayani and Narendra Modi at this time.

Questioning the Hindutva ideology of Eknath Shinde

Amol Mitkari said, “Eknath Shinde went to Guwahati and sought blessings of Goddess Kamakhya to form a government. Why did he choose that deity? Wasn’t there any Goddess left in the state? There are so many temples of Devi in the state. He says that he did it for Hindutva. Later, his wife visited Ajmer. What kind of Hindutva this is?”

Amol Mitkari again mimicked Hindu priests (Brahmins )

On 19th April 2022, Amol Mitkari mimicked Hindu priests (Brahmins) as he made fun of Hindu rituals like Kanyadaan at weddings while addressing a rally. This time he made fun of the ‘Vaibhav Lakshmi’ pooja rituals. For those who are unaware, ‘Vaibhav Lakshmi Vrat’ is a ritual held by Hindu women on Thursdays in the Margashirsha month. On the fifth Thursday, at the time of completion of the ritual, women do a grand pooja and it is believed that the deity bestows her blessings upon the worshipper in the form of prosperity.

Mocking this ritual, Amol Mitkari said, “Women are misled by these Kathas (stories) which are repeatedly read during these various Vrat Poojas. Now that the month of Margashirsha is started, Vaibhav Lakshmi Vrat will be in full swing. A Thursday has already passed. My mother reads the story of Vaibhav Lakshmi since my childhood. It is believed that the Goddess Lakshmi becomes happy only after completing the Vrat task of five Thursdays and ensures prosperity in your life. The story is also very entertaining.” Hereafter Amol Mitkari started analyzing the religious story on so-called modern parameters.

He said, “There was a town where lived a king The king had two queens. Look, here is a right for a man to keep two wives. Thanks to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar who wrote the constitution, there is no such ill provision now. Recently a youth from Akluj (a nearby town) married two twin girls. Isn’t he charged now for the offense? He had to go to jail. Because Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote the constitution, no Hindu can marry a second wife when the first one is alive. But the religious story says something else. It says there was a town where lived a king, he had two queens and the king liked one of the queens while he disliked the other. So, it does not end with two queens, but then there is a categorization based on like and dislike. See what else is there in the religious story.”

Amol Mitkari further said as he laughed and mimicked the priest, “And this storybook of ‘Vaibhav Lakshmi Vrat Katha’ is just for five rupees. If you want to do timepass buy these books. See what is written there. Shyam Baala was the beautiful daughter of the king. See what they write. They only write. We follow blindly. It has been like this for so many years. They write anything in these stories.”

Praising Sharad Pawar

Mitkari then quoted a Marathi saint Chokha Mela’s poetry that means sugarcane is rough but sugar is sweet, similarly, a devotee can be ill-learned but his emotions are pure. In the very next sentence, he said, “Don’t look at my external expression. I am loyal to Sharad Pawar and he only is our Lord Viththala. We are sons of farmers and we are most loyal. We are innocent people. We are descendants of Raja Bali who was deceived by Vamana. Vamana asked for three feet of land and Raja Bali agreed. He did not know that in two steps, Vamana will conquer the Earth and heavens. He did not know that he will put the third step on his head and will kill him. Today, these Vamanas are sitting in Mumbai and Delhi. They are killing the Bali Raja among us. See what kind of religious stories they have imposed on us.”

Throughout his talk, Mitkari continued various Hindu practices like Jyotish, Pooja rituals, etc. in the name of preaching progressive thoughts. He claimed that the government in Maharashtra will soon collapse after the cabinet expansion. Devendra Fadnavis is aware of it and therefore he is not expanding the cabinet. Besides, he also accused BJP of creating conflicts between the people of Maharashtra and Karnataka on the basis of linguistic differences.

Mukesh Agnihotri to be the Deputy Chief Minister in Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh

ANI
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Mukesh Agnihotri to be the Deputy Chief Minister in Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh

Congress central leadership on Saturday decided that Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will be Chief Minister and Mukesh Agnihotri Deputy Chief Minister in Himachal Pradesh.

The decision came a day after newly-elected Congress MLAs authorised the party high command to appoint the leader of the legislature party. “Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to be CM of Himachal Pradesh and Mukesh Agnihotri to be Deputy CM. The oath ceremony will take place tomorrow at 11 am,” Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel told ANI.

Agnihotri, a former journalist, is a five-time MLA and won the polls from Haroli in Una district of Himachal Pradesh. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the previous assembly. Sukhu, a former state Congress chief headed the campaign committee during the elections and won from Nadaun in the Hamirpur district.

AICC in-charge of Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Bhupesh Baghel were in Shimla to oversee the election of new leader.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu hailed Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for the responsibility given to him.

“I am thankful to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and the people of the state. Our government will bring change. It is my responsibility to fulfill the promises we made to the people of Himachal Pradesh. We have to work for the development of the state,” he said.

Earlier today, the supporters of Congress state president Pratibha Singh, gathered and raised slogans demanding the Congress state chief’s appointment as the Chief Minister.

Congress won the assembly polls in the state and got 40 seats.

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

Hyderabad: Police deny permission to the launch ceremony of the Telugu edition of the book ‘Halal Jihad’ by Ramesh Shinde

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Police deny permission to the launch ceremony of the Telugu edition of the book ‘Halal Jihad’ by Ramesh Shinde

On 10th December 2022, Hyderabad police refused permission for the launch ceremony of a book titled ‘An Attack on Indian Economy: Halal Jihad?’. The event was scheduled to take place on 11th December 2022 at Badruka college auditorium, in the Kachiguda area of Hyderabad. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti was going to organize this program to launch the Telugu edition of the book written by Ramesh Shinde.

In a statement, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti said, “The Police forced us to cancel the book launch for the Telugu edition. Whereas the same book, which speaks about threat to National Economy & nothing about any specific Religion, was already launched in English, Hindi, Marathi & Kannada languages, without causing any controversy across India.”

It is notable that the book addresses various questions like what’s the meaning of Halal, why the Halal economy is running parallel in a secular and democratic nation like India, why Halal products are up for sale in the Indian market, how to oppose the Halal Jihad, etc. The former chief secretary of the Andhra Pradesh government LV Subramanyam, former DGP of Telangana T Krishna Prasad, and Ramesh Shinde of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti were among the chief guests of the program.

Ramesh Shinde – the national spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and also the author of the book – wrote in a tweet, “Cancellation of ‘Halal Jihad’ book launch program in Hyderabad! Police have refused to grant permission for Book Launch & forced us to cancel the event. Book is available online.”

He further wrote in the next tweet, “All the guests for the book launch event were learned personalities of Indian Administrative system & no one is known for communal or hate speech. Still, Hyderabad Police forced us to cancel the event.”

An excerpt from the book says, “Halal is a case of creating an economy based on the Sharia law, which will certainly affect the secular credentials of India. The Indian Government should conduct an in-depth inquiry into the earnings of organisations that issue Halal certificates. What is the need for private organisations to issue Halal certificates, when the Government of India has its own ‘Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’ (FSSAI)?”.

It further states, “The purpose of compiling this book is not to question or insult the religious sentiments or religious rights of a particular strata of society. It has been compiled to honour the rights of the majority 1 Billion Hindus and to caution about the peril in store for the Nation.”

Pakistani YouTuber Azlan Shah gifts a baby donkey to his newly wedded wife as wedding gift, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani YouTuber Azlan Shah gifts a baby donkey to his newly wedded wife as wedding gift, video goes viral

Two Pakistani YouTubers, Varisha Javed Khan and Azlan Shah, had an intricately planned wedding that gained enormous popularity on social media. However, the bizarre present Azlan Shah gifted his newlywed wife, a baby donkey, was what made the wedding a talking point rather than any other aspect of it.

Sharing a picture of the gift on Instagram, he wrote in a post, “I always knew that Warisha loved baby donkeys, so this is my wedding gift”. He further clarified that the donkey’s child has not been separated from its mother, which is why he has brought her along.

Azlan Shah, the Pakistani YouTuber, and Varisha Javed Khan had already married to each other earlier. The Nikah was followed by the Dawat-e-Walima (wedding feast). At this reception party, Azlan gifted the baby donkey to his wife. Azlan posted a video along with pictures of the event on his Instagram handle. He explained in detail the thought behind gifting a baby donkey to his wife. Azlan was heard saying, “the question is why only a donkey in the gift? So the answer is that one you like it (donkey) and secondly it is the most hardworking and loving animal in the world.

Varisha Javed Khan also had a word of appreciation for her husband for gifting her the animal. She said, “I won’t let you become a donkey.” Azlan further said about this unique gift, “Even though some people may disagree, the donkey is my spirit animal, and I love them, so this is my gift to Varisha.”

After that, Azlan chuckles and urges everyone not to mock his decision. Azlan Shah also told the people that he had not separated the donkey’s child from its mother and that she has also come with the foal.

“I always knew that @warisha.jk loves baby Donkeys so here’s a wedding gift to her from my side. P.S: we didn’t separate this baby Donkey from his mother we brought her along,” the Pakistani YouTuber wrote as he shared some pictures of the duo with the foal.

According to reports in the Pakistani media, Azlan and Varisha’s wedding was one of the most expensive weddings in Pakistan. It was attended by a large number of YouTubers, TikTokers, and Pakistani celebrities. But what made it one of the most talked about events on social media was the bizarre gift the Pakistani YouTuber decided to give his newly wedded wife.

After Congress high command picks Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as Himachal CM, supporters of Pratibha Singh raise slogans demanding to make her the CM

ANI
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After Congress high command picks Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as Himachal CM, supporters of Pratibha Singh raise slogans demanding to make her the CM

Supporters of Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh raised slogans in her favour on Saturday soon after reports that the party high command had given its nod to the elevation of party leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as the next Chief Minister.

A large number of supporters of Pratibha Singh, wife of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, came out and raised slogans near the hotel where the central observers are staying. They said the Chief Minister should be like “Rani Sahiba”, a reference to Pratibha Singh as she is married into the erstwhile royal family of Rampur Bushahr. Virbhadra Singh, who passed away last year, had been chief minister several times and was a dominant political leader of the state. Pratibha Singh has said that the legacy of her late husband and his goodwill among people was a major factor in the Congress victory in the state.

“High command hosh me aao, Hamari CM kaisi ho rani sahiba jaisi ho. Rani sahiba zindabad,” were some of the slogans raised by Pratibha Singh’s supporters. They also raised slogans hailing Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi

A Congress worker, who was part of the gathering, said if Pratibha Singh is not chosen as the CM, Congress will not be able to win a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

“When the state was going through difficult days Rani Pratibha Singh was elected as the MP. Today when Congress has come to power with her as the party chief, she has not been declared CM. In the 2024 elections, Congress will not win a single seat if Rani is not chosen as the CM,” he said.

Congress sources had said earlier that Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, a former chief of Himachal Congress, is expected to be the next chief minister of the state with the party’s central leadership approving his name.

“His name will be announced by this evening after discussing it with other leaders,” a source said.

The decision came a day after the newly-elected Congress MLAs passed a resolution authorising Congress high command to select the next leader of legislature party.

The sources said Vikramaditya Singh, son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is likely to be given a big responsibility in the government.

They said Sukhu’s name was decided after consultations with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge who talked to members of the Gandhi family.

Congress had won the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh winning 40 seats. The BJP won 25 seats.

Sukhu is MLA from Nadaun and has held several organisational posts in the hill state.

Talking to reporters, Sukhu said that he was not aware of the decision of the High Command.

“I am not yet aware of the decision of the High Command. I am going to the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting,” he said.

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

Khalistani terror org SFJ claims responsibility for the rocket attack on police station in Tarn Taran, police suspect cross-border terrorism

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistani terror org SFJ claims responsibility for the rocket attack on police station in Tarn Taran, police suspect cross-border terrorism

Earlier in the day, it was reported that an attack by a suspected rocket launcher-like weapon rocked the Sarhali Police Station on the Amritsar-Bathinda Highway in Tarn Taran District. Now, as per the latest reports, the US-based Khalistani terrorist organization, Sikh for Justice, has 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 dread 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 found grenade appeared to have been brought in from across the border and that a case has been filed under The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2008 (UAPA), against unidentified suspects. Yadav added that the attack was a result of “cross-border terrorism”

“Preliminary probe reveals it should be military-grade hardware and could be a matter of cross-border smuggling. This a very clear indication that it’s a strategy of the neighbouring nation to bleed India by a thousand cuts,” said the DGP adding that the Punjab Police, with BSF and central agencies, will investigate the incident.

“As per our preliminary investigation, it has been found that last night at around 11:22 pm the grenade was fired from the highway using RPG which hit the Suwidha Center of Sarhali police station. Regarding this, we have registered an FIR under the UAPA and our forensic team has reached the spot. We are investigating it technically and forensically to gather clues from the scene of the crime to reconstruct what exactly happened.”

“The launcher and the propeller have been recovered. The preliminary facts which have come to the fore are that there is a possibility that the military-grade hardware is smuggled from across the border,” added the DGP.

The DGP further said that this year the Punjab police seized many drones, arms and ammunition. “It seems that the enemy country is feeling rattled and to distract us, a coward attack was launched at night,” he said.

NIA reaches the site

According to reports, an NIA team visited the police station following the attack today. The NIA team collected evidence from the site, including the remains of the rocket used in the attack. According to police, the rocket used is military-grade, which seems to confirm cross-border involvement in the attack.

CCTV footage of the attack from a nearby building has also emerged, and the investigation team is examining the same. The rocket first hit an iron gate and then entered the building through a wall. There was nobody in the building when the attack took place.

Police station attacked with suspected rocket in Tarn Taran, terror alert was sounded off only two days ago

It was reported earlier in the day that around 11.32 PM on December 9, a projectile hit the Sarhali Police Station on the Amritsar-Bathinda Highway in Tarn Taran District. Only two days ago, Punjab Police had been put on high alert after intelligence of a possible terror attack had emerged. According to reports, police stations in Punjab and other government buildings had been advised to be put on high alert and security had been beefed up. Essentially, the intelligence alert had put police stations and government buildings as possible targets of the terror attack.

According to PTC news, CP Ludhiana issued an alert to all higher officials and police officers to ensure the security of all police stations. Sources say that increased vigilance has been ordered in police stations located outside of the city or on highways because such police stations or buildings are easy to attack and flee.

CJI DY Chandrachud urges parliament to reconsider the age of consent for sex under POCSO, says there is a growing concern about it

OpIndia Staff
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CJI DY Chandrachud urges parliament to reconsider the age of consent for sex under POCSO, says there is a growing concern about it

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has urged the parliament to revise the age of consent for sex under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), saying this provision poses difficulties for judges. At present, the age of consent for sexual relationships is 18 years, and if an adult has sex with a minor even with the consent of the minor, it is considered rape.

Delivering the keynote address on a two-day national consultation on the POCSO Act organised by Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice and UNICEF, CJI DY Chandrachud said that there is a growing concern around the age of consent under the Act, and it needs to be addressed.

He said this during a discussion on romantic relationships among minors. When adolescents engage in sexual activity with consent, such consent is not considered valid under POCSO, and legal actions are taken in such cases. The CJI said that when such cases reach courts, they pose difficulties for the judges, and therefore suggested that the minimum age of consent should be revisited by the parliament.

The CJI said, “You are aware that the POCSO Act criminalizes all sexual acts among those under 18 regardless of whether consent is present factually among the minors, because the presumption of the law is that there is no consent among those below 18. In my time as a judge, I have seen that this category of cases poses difficult questions for judges across the spectrum. There is a growing concern surrounding the issue which must be considered by the legislature in view of reliable research by experts in adolescent healthcare. I should leave this topic right here, as this topic is very vexed as we see in courts everyday.”

However, the CJI suggested that parliament amend the law to reduce the age of consent, instead of suggesting a judicial order to make the change in the law. Recently the central government has been vocal on the issue of the judiciary encroaching on the domain of parliament, and the CJI might have kept that in mind on the issue.

There seems to be a growing demand from the judiciary to amend the POCSO Act to reduce the age of consent for consent. The CJI’s comments came just days after Madras High Court recently said that it is ‘eagerly waiting’ for the legislature to reduce the age of consent under POCSO.

While upholding the conviction of a man accused of kidnapping and forcibly marrying a 17-year-old girl, Justice P Velmurugan of Madras High Court recently said that the court “eagerly is waiting for the amendment in the Legislature as expressed by my learned brothers.” However, the conviction was upheld by the court as the age of consent is still 18 years under the law.

The accused had contended that the relationship was consensual and that a 17-year-old can’t be considered a child. The court agreed that it is a grey area for teenagers in the age group of 16 to 18, and teenagers above 17 but below 18 may not be punished under POCSO. But the conviction was upheld by the court as the age of consent is still 18 years under the law.

The comments of the CJI and the Madras HC judge came after two different High Courts ruled that POCSO overrides Muslim personal law, and declared the marriage of minor Muslim girls invalid even though it is allowed under the personal law. In October, the Karnataka High Court said that while the marriage of Muslim girls after the age of 15 years is allowed as per Muslim Personal Law, having sex with such girls still violates the age of consent provision of POCSO. The High Court said that as POCSO is a special act, it overrides the Muslim Personal Law.

Last month, Kerala High Court delivered a similar verdict, saying that sex with minors is illegal under POCSO Act even if it is with a minor Muslim girl legally married. Justice Bechu Kurain Thomas said that if one of the partners in the marriage is a minor, offences under POCSO Act will apply, and the validity of the marriage would not be considered in such cases. The judge said that he can’t agree that an offence under the POCSO Act will not get attracted against a Muslim marrying a minor.

Like the Karnataka HC, the Kerala HC also said that although Muslims are allowed to marry minor girls under The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, as the accused was arrested under POCSO, the special stature will prevail over the sharia law. Moreover, the court also said it is questionable whether the Muslim Personal Law overrides the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. According to this act, the marriage of men below 21 years of age and women below 18 years of age is illegal.

Telangana: Man leads a mob to abduct 24-year-old woman from her house claiming she is his wife, victim rescued after video went viral

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: Man leads a mob to abduct 24-year-old woman from her house claiming she is his wife, victim rescued after video went viral

On Friday, December 9, a 24-year-old woman was kidnapped by dozens of youths in broad daylight from her home in the Adibatla area of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana. According to reports, the parents of the victim alleged that a group of around 100 young men, all carrying arms, barged into their house and forcibly took their daughter Vaishali away.

According to reports, M Vaishali Reddy, a student pursuing dentistry was abducted just hours before her engagement. 

The family members further reported that they too were attacked by the miscreants and the police refused to help. 

The visuals from the incident show hoards of men rushing inside a house while some on the streets were vandalizing the car of the family. Further, the men can be seen beating up who appears to be the father of the girl. The parents had filed a police complaint but accused the police of not taking immediate action in the case.

However, after the video of the incident went viral, the Telangana police launched a search operation and rescued the woman after six hours. The police also arrested sixteen accused on charges of kidnapping, attempt to murder, trespass etc under various sections of IPC. However, Naveen, who has been named as the main accused by the victim’s parents is still on the run. The police are trying to identify and arrest the others as well, they said.

Rachakonda Additional CP, Sudheer Babu informed that the accused have been booked under serious offences including 307 of the IPC. He confirmed that it was purely a kidnapping case. After the victim was kidnapped she was beaten up and threatened by the accused, he added.

The woman’s family claimed that Naveen Reddy, who had allegedly been pressuring the woman to be married, was responsible for organising the mob and taking the woman hostage. The parents further said that Naveen has a franchise for a branded tea store and had put up a glass-walled cafe right opposite her home.

Naveen claims that he had married Vaishali, but later her parents got her mind changed, and she left him and joined dental college. However, Vaishali has denied this claim.

On Friday, Naveen went with workers from his tea stall, claiming his ‘wife’ refused to live with him, and he wanted to take her home. As she refused to go with him, he forcefully abducted her. After the girl was abducted by Naveen, her family vandalised and demolished his cafe near their house.

According to Ibrahimpatnam police, Vaishali is the daughter of a former army officer. She had met Naveen on a badminton court and the two had become close. Naveen is said to have even bought her a car from the profits his multilevel marketing company had generated.

Vaishali’s father reportedly told the media, “They had met while playing badminton, and were on friendly terms. He (Naveen) then proposed marriage through some mediators, but she rejected the proposal. We refused through the mediators. He had been complaining about it to others, questioning the rejection.”

Victim’s family accuses Telangana police of being apathetic to the case

Vaishali’s father claimed that the family had also reported to the Telangana police’s SHE squads division about his alleged harassment on the day of the immersion of the Ganesh idol. “He then sent politically influential persons as mediators. We still refused. He held a grudge over this, and has kidnapped her now,” the father said. He said there were around 20 relatives in the house when the incident happened.

The woman’s mother claimed that they had previously reported him to the police for allegedly harassing them and that she had rejected his proposal of marriage. They had been trying to arrange for their daughter’s marriage, she claimed. The family had planned to meet a potential groom on Friday, according to a neighbour.

The victim’s family staged a protest on the Nagarjuna Sagar highway, causing a traffic jam. They also broke down and set fire to the tea shop that is reportedly part of a chain owned by Naveen Reddy after Vaishali’s abduction. They raised slogans against Adibatla Inspector of Police Narender for his alleged negligence in the case.

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