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Can you get jailed for staring woman for 14 seconds or more? NGO posts misleading tweet

Anurag
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Can you get jailed for staring woman for 14 seconds or more? NGO posts misleading tweet

On November 27, National Crime Investigation Bureau (NCIB), an NGO, published a tweet claiming that if a man stares at a woman for 14 seconds or more, he can be booked under Sections 294 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code. The verified Twitter account, which uses the name NCIB Headquarters, posted a tweet in Hindi that translates to, “Important information: Seeing at any girl / woman for more than 14 seconds can lead to jail. Because knowingly or unknowingly or jokingly, staring at a familiar or unfamiliar girl / woman for more than 14 seconds is a serious crime under sections 294 and 509 of the IPC. Such cases come under molestation”.

NCIB’s name, Twitter handle NCIB Headquarters and its red and blue logo gives the impression that it is part of a police department. The description of the Twitter account also does not mention that it is an NGO. This is revealed only when one clicks the URL with .in domain given in the bio, as the website states that National Crime Investigation Bureau is actually a Non Government Organisation. Therefore, social media users were confused and surprised at the tweet, because nobody heard of any such provision in the IPC, as claimed in the Tweet.

Therefore, we investigated the tweet published by them and checked if there is any provision in the law under the said sections that deal with staring at a woman for a specific time.

NCIB, an NGO, published a misleading tweet. Source: Twitter

Section 294 of the IPC

As per Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that deals with obscene acts and songs, whoever, to the annoyance of others, does any obscene act in any public place, or sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.

Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Source: legislative.gov.in

Section 509 of the IPC

As per Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that deals with the word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any words, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, and also with fine.

Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Source: legislative.gov.in

Both sections have provisions that deal with obscene actions and intend to insult the modesty of a woman, which may include staring in case it makes a woman uncomfortable, however, there is no specification of the time frame in any of the sections. If we go by what the NGO tweeted, a woman who feels uncomfortable with any action (in this case, staring) of a man for less than 14 seconds cannot file a complaint, which is not true.

Therefore, there is no such provision for 14 second limit for staring at women in sections 294 and 509 of the IPC, as claimed in the Tweet. Therefore, it is a fake claim published by the NGO. The claim also suggests that staring at women for 13 or fewer seconds is legal, which is not true. A woman can feel uncomfortable being stared at for a lesser duration, and there can’t be a limit of 14 seconds.

The 2016 statement of the Kerala Excise Officer

However, this is not the first time this 14-second claim has surfaced.

In 2016, Kerala Excise Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh became the first person to say that if a person stares at a woman for 14 seconds or more, he may face prison time. In his statement, the IPS officer said, “A case can be filed against men who ‘annoyingly’ stare at women for more than 14 seconds. The stare need not really linger for a full 14 seconds to make it an offence. It is an offence if it makes a woman uncomfortable, even for a few seconds. Womenfolk should come forward to register complaints against such offenders.” He mentioned sub-sections of Section 354 of the IPC to back his statement.

OpIndia checked the provisions added under Section 354 as sub-sections A, B, C and D as part of The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 that was brought in light of the 2012 Nirbhaya Rape Case, also known as the Delhi Gang Rape Case.

Section 354 of the IPC

As per Section 354, which deals with assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, or uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will be there by outrage her modesty, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Source: legislative.gov.in

Section 354A deals with sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment. It says, a man committing any of the following acts:

Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Source: legislative.gov.in
  1. Physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures; or
  2. A demand or request for sexual favours; or
  3. Showing pornography against the will of a woman; or
  4. Making sexually coloured remarks,

Shall be guilty of the offence of sexual harassment. Any man who commits the offence specified in clause (i) or clause (ii), or clause (iii) of sub-section (1) shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine or with both. Any man who commits the offence specified in clause (iv) of sub-section (1) shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, with a fine, or with both.

Section 354B deals with assault or use of criminal force to a woman with intent to disrobe. It says, any man who assaults or uses criminal force to any woman or abets such act with the intention of disrobing or compelling her to be naked shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Section 354B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Source: legislative.gov.in

Section 354C deals with voyeurism. It says, any man who watches or captures the image of a woman engaging in a private act in circumstances where she would usually have the expectation of not being observed either by the perpetrator or by any other person at the behest of the perpetrator or disseminates such image shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than one year, but which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine, and be punished on a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than three years, but which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Section 354C of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Source: legislative.gov.in

Explanation 1: For the purpose of this section, “private act” includes an act of watching carried out in a place which, in the circumstances, would reasonably be expected to provide privacy and where the victim’s genitals, posterior or breasts are exposed or covered only in underwear; or the victim is using a lavatory, or the victim is doing a sexual act that is not of a kind ordinarily done in public.

Explanation 2: Where the victim consents to the capture of the images or any act but not to their dissemination to third persons and where such image or act is disseminated, such dissemination shall be considered an offence under this section.

Section 354D deals with stalking. It says any man who follows a woman and contacts or attempts to contact such woman to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest by such woman; or (ii) monitors the use by a woman of the internet, email or any other form of electronic communication, commits the offence of stalking provided that such conduct shall not amount to stalking if the man who pursued it proves that:

Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Source: legislative.gov.in
  1. It was pursued for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime, and the man accused of stalking had been entrusted with the responsibility of prevention and detection of crime by the State; or
  2. It was pursued under any law or to comply with any condition or requirement imposed by any person under any law; or
  3. In particular circumstances, such conduct was reasonable and justified.

Whoever commits the offence of stalking shall be punished on the first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine; and be punished on a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Again, in the case of Section 354 and its sub-sections A, B, C and D, there is no mention of the minimum time after which staring could be considered an offence. Furthermore, a woman does not have to wait for 14 seconds to decide if she feels uncomfortable with someone’s presence around her.

Verdict: The tweet published by NCIB, which is an NGO and not a government department, is misleading and fake. There is no provision for a timeframe in the Sections mentioned by the NGO or in the Sections that have been linked with such misleading statements previously.

Bihar: Poet Anamika Jain Amber stopped from performing at the All India Kavi Sammelan, BJP questions Nitish Kumar govt for ‘cultural policing’

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Poet Anamika Jain Amber stopped from performing at the All India Kavi Sammelan, BJP questions Nitish Kumar govt for ‘cultural policing’

On Saturday, November 26, a controversy erupted after prominent Hindi poet Anamika Jain Amber was stopped by the Bihar administration from reciting her poetry at the All India Kavi Sammelan at the Sonpur Mela. Jain was allegedly stopped by the Bihar administration officials at the directions of the Nitish Kumar-led government. 

Anamika Jain Amber alleged that the district administration told her that she would not be allowed to perform on stage, and she then was left with no option but to return to Delhi.

Speaking about the incident Anamika Jain said, “I am disappointed at having been deprived of the opportunity to perform in the land of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar.” 

Jain also claimed that even the officials looked embarrassed when they informed her about the “orders from above” to stop her from performing.

Reacting to the controversy, BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand demanded an apology from CM Nitish Kumar. He accused the Bihar government of ‘cultural policing’ and suppressing the voices of those opposed to their political ideology.

While speaking to ETV Bharat, Nikhil Anand said, “Renowned poets from across the country were invited to perform at the event. However, Anamika Jain was stopped from performing at the eleventh hour, after the officials received orders from the top level.”

Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain, when questioned by media about the controversy, said, “It is indeed sad that Anamika Jain was stopped from performing just because she read a poem in praise of Modi Ji and Yogi Ji. Other poets had to boycott the Kavi Sammelan in solidarity with Anamika Amber. Will the events like Kavi Sammelan be now seen through a political lens? I appeal to CM Nitish Kumar to punish those behind this insult of the poet, and stop defaming Bihar.”

Although the Bihar government and administration are now denying that Anamika Jain was invited to the event, the program schedule clearly states that Anamika Jain was invited and was scheduled to perform on November 25 at the Sonpur fair.

Sonpur Mela programme schedule (Image: ETV Bharat)

Taking to Twitter, Anamika Jain slammed the Bihar government and wrote, “The Bihar government was so scared that I was not even allowed to enter Sonpur, I was stopped in Patna itself since morning. The entire team of poets went to Sonpur and returned after boycotting the program.”

Anamika Jain’s ‘UP Mein Baba Ba’ song in Bundelkhandi dialect, in which she praised Yogi Adityanath during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, had gone viral on social media and was used extensively during the election campaign by BJP.

Indian presence at the FIFA World Cup – West Bengal exported 1000 KGs of mutton to Qatar ahead of the tournament

OpIndia Staff
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Indian presence at the FIFA World Cup – West Bengal exported 1000 KGs of mutton to Qatar ahead of the tournament

Before this year’s World Cup, 1.2 metric tonnes (1,000 kg) of mutton reportedly travelled from Bengal’s Nadia district’s Haringhata meat plant to Qatar. The two shipments of goat and sheep meat from the Haringhata brand, controlled by the WB Livestock Development Corporation, were flown to Qatar on November 3. Swapan Debnath, minister of animal resources development (ARD), flagged off the consignments.

“Qatar is the host of World Cup Football this time and the meat is to be used during the tournament. This is the first ever Bengal government’s initiative in exporting mutton to foreign countries,” the minister said. The buyers for the meat are Dahiya Export and Import Limited, who has signed a long-term agreement with the Haringhata plant that would eventually guarantee a steady supply of mutton.

In addition to Qatar, the state supplied goat and sheep meat from the Haringhata processing centre to nations such as Kuwait, Hong Kong, and the Maldives, according to the animal resource development minister. The Commerce and Industry Ministry’s Central Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) approved the state government’s licence to produce 3.6 tonnes of meat per day.

Every day, 300 sheep and goats are butchered at the Nadia plant and sent to Calcutta, from where they are distributed to the 667 Haringhata stores spread over Bengal. Haringhata meat is halal-approved and very popular across Bengal.

Gouri Shankar Koner, managing director of the West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Limited (WBLDCL), said, “The first plant, set up in Durgapur, was a service slaughterhouse for goats. Farmers would get their livestock slaughtered in a scientific and hygienic manner there. The service was discontinued after a couple of years.”

A memorandum of agreement was signed between the WBLDCL, Dahiya Import and Export Limited, and the APEDA after it granted its approval in September of this year. According to an APEDA official, India is a significant supplier of sheep and goat meat to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the Maldives, with exports valued at over 60 million dollars in 2021-22.

As Gujarat Congress says Allah sits in Somnath and Mahadev sits in Ajmer, here is a look back at the Hindu persecution at both the places

Pallav
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As Gujarat Congress says Allah sits in Somnath and Mahadev sits in Ajmer, here is a look back at the Hindu persecution at both the places

On Sunday, Indranil Rajguru, the Congress candidate from Rajkot, created a stir ahead of the Gujarat state assembly elections by claiming that Allah and Mahadev are the same. “Whether I go to Somnath with Hindu pilgrims in a bus or with Muslim pilgrims to Ajmer in a train, it gives me equal happiness,” he remarked.

“In my opinion, there is Allah in Somnath and Mahadev in Ajmer,” the Congress leader added. He subsequently said that those who wish to divide will not prevail before saying Allahu Akbar. Given Rajguru’s comments, here’s a sneak peek at the horrific persecution history of Hindus at both places referred by him.

The desecration of the Somnath idol by Mahmud of Ghazni, the “believer” for whom all Hindus were Kafirs

One of the defining features of centuries of Islamic invasions in India was the intense animosity they harboured against Hindus, which expressed itself from time to time in their perverted desire to denigrate Hindus and force them to embrace Islam. To that aim, the Islamic invaders not only robbed the fabled wealth of temples to fill their bags but also tried to humiliate Hindus by demolishing temples and desecrating the idols that lived within them.

Perhaps no one personified this hate of Hindus and their deities more fiercely than Mahmud of Ghazni, who led 17 invasions against the venerable Hindu temple of Somnath and made no secret of his dislike for Hindu beliefs and statues of Hindu Gods. Mahmud of Ghazni was equally fanatical about conquering India in order to spread Islam, despite the fact that his main objective in invading India was to pillage its fabled wealth. He made his sixteenth trip to India in 1025, during which, he pillaged the revered deity of Somnath. “Somnath” is Hindi for “moon master.” One of the twelve jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva is the Somnath temple in Gujarat, India.

The subjugation of kafirs and the humiliation of their faith were the primary goals of the Islamic conquests in medieval India. In addition to leading many assaults on the Somnath Temple to plunder its legendary wealth, the Mahmud of Ghazni also attempted to demean Hindus by destroying the idol of one of their most revered deities.

According to historical accounts, during his 16th raid on the Somnath Temple, he smashed and broke the idol of Lord Somnath into four pieces. After successfully subduing defenders of the Somnath Temple, Mahmud of Ghazni entered the temple, where he saw the majestic idol of Lord Somnath. On seeing the idol, anger coursed through him and he lifted his mace and attacked with such ferocity that the reportedly five-yard-long idol of Lord Somnath was broken into pieces.

Remains of Somnath temple in 1895. (Image: Wikimedia commons)

Two of the four fragments were taken to Ghazni (in Afghanistan), one was deposited at the threshold of the Jama Masjid of Ghazni, and the other at the door of his own palace. The remaining two fragments were sent to Mecca and Medina to be buried inside the mosques there.

In Tariki-e-Alfi, an account of historical work compiled by a committee appointed by Akbar, it is mentioned that after defenders of Somnath temple were subjugated, Brahmins offered Mahmud of Ghazni an unprecedented amount of wealth in exchange for leaving the ling of Somnath unharmed. However, Mahmud replied to them that he would love to be called Butshikan (destroyer of idols) instead of ButParast (lover of idols) in the court of Allah after he dies. He turned down the offer from the Brahmins and destroyed the idol of Somnath.

Tariki-e-Alfi reference.

Al-Beruni, an Islamic scholar during the time of Mahmud of Ghazni, reiterated in his body of work that the fragments of the Somnath idol were buried inside the Jama Masjid in Ghazni and under the entrance of the Sultan’s palace so that people would walk on it while visiting the mosque and the palace and continue to insult the idol worshippers.

The gory story of Ajmer Sharif Dargah

While the despotism of Islamic rulers and the atrocities perpetrated on innumerable Hindus is frequently mentioned, one facet of Islamic dominance in India is almost always overlooked. Instead, it is adored, venerated, and presented as the face of Islam’s tolerant, forgiving, and loving side. Sufism is that tool of Islamic rulers which was effectively used by them during their rule in India. Sufism is sometimes defined as a mystic, melodic Islamic doctrine in which saints and followers seek a direct personal encounter with Allah.

Though Sufism may have been tolerant at one time, it evolved in a violent manner. One of the most popular Sufi shrines is that of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan.

The history of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti is violent and not at all compassionate. The book ‘Islamic Jihad, A Legacy of Forced Conversions, Imperialism, and Slavery’ by MA Khan gives some information on the actual truth about the Sufi ‘saints’.

Book by MA Khan.

According to records, the venerated Khawaja of the Ajmer Dargah harboured a strong animosity towards Hindus. He was one of the earliest Sufi saints to arrive in India when Delhi was ruled by Sultan Iltutmish. When Chishti arrived in Ajmer, he supposedly spotted a number of temples surrounding the Anasagar lake and swore to demolish them.

Khan writes further that every day, Khwaja’s followers used to bring a cow and they used to slaughter it near a prominent temple where the local Raja and Hindus used to pray, and cook kebabs from the cow’s meat to eat, just to show contempt towards the local Hindus.

Chishti had come to India to fight Jihad on the side of Sultan Muhammad Ghauri against the Hindu King Prithviraj Chauhan. Chishti had credited himself for Prithviraj’s capture, writing, “We have seized Pithaura (Prithviraj) and handed him to the army of Islam.”

Moinuddin and forced conversions of Hindus

Khan writes that none of the Sufi saints had come to India with the idea of ‘peace and love.’ Instead, they had come as a part of invading armies or had participated in Jihadi wars against Hindu kings, aimed at capturing their kingdoms and wealth and enslavement of their people. While Moinuddin fought for Mohammad Ghauri, Nizamuddin Aulia fought for Sultan Alauddin.

From ‘Islamic Jihad,’ a book by MA Khan

Khan writes, Moinuddin and Nizamuddin were among the most revered Sufi saints. However, instead of adopting a missionary approach toward spreading Islam, they were the spiritual and moral supporters of the bloody Jihad waged by Islamic invaders. In Kashmir, it was the Sufis who had inspired the destruction of Hindu temples, the slaughter of Hindus, and their forced conversions.

Khan further writes that while Muslim rules were incessantly undertaking bloody wars against Hindus, calling it Jihad, resulting in the slaughter and enslavement of tens of thousands of Hindus, not a single Sufi saint ever objected to this cruel practice. They never asked the Islamic rulers to stop conversions by the sword and said that they can achieve it by peaceful means. Instead, they lent the rulers their unflinching support, and even actively participated in their wars.

It is said that Khwaja Moinuddin actively took part in Ghori’s war against Prithviraj Chauhan. Additionally, he is charged with supporting slavery, abduction, and forced conversions of Hindu women. One cannot overlook the other key details of slavery, brutality, and bloodshed heaped upon numerous Hindus in order to erect the edifices of this notion, even though Sufism has been successfully promulgated as a mystic, musical, and “cool” version of Islam with ideas sold commercially by music artistes and Bollywood.

Lucknow: Brawl between two student groups leads to death of 18-year-old Ansh Tiwari, usual suspects spread fake news, read details

OpIndia Staff
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Lucknow: Brawl between two student groups leads to death of 18-year-old Ansh Tiwari, usual suspects spread fake news, read details

On Saturday (November 26), a class 12 student of Lucknow Public School (LPS) died during a brawl between two groups of students. The incident took place outside the Royal Mount Academy in Gomtinagar’s Vibhuti Khand.

DCP (east) Prachi Singh informed that the deceased student has been identified as Ansh Tiwari, aged 18 years. The boy was badly injured and was rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The body has been sent for post-mortem. It is also not clear what led to the fight between the two groups. 

Three youths have been booked by the police in the case, identified as Abhay Singh, Swashat and Shivam, based on a complaint filed by the family of Ansh. The family members also said that there was an ongoing dispute between Ansh Tiwari and Abhay Singh, and Abhay killed Ansh under a conspiracy.

However, there seem to be multiple accounts of how the youth died. Some reports say he was attacked with a pot, some say he fainted during the fight, while some other reports say he was shot by goons.

According to most reports, during the clash between the two groups, someone hit Ansh with a pot on his head. He was seriously injured in the attack and started to bleed from his head. He fell down to the ground and lost consciousness. After that, he was taken to the hospital, but he had died by then.

The students who attacked Ansh fled the spot after seeing that he is seriously injured.

However, a different report says that Ansh was taken to the hospital after he fainted at the brawl, and no sign of any major injury was found on the body of the deceased. The report also says that the cause of the death has not been ascertained yet.

And a report by Aaj Tak gives a completely different story. It claims that Ansh Tiwari was shot by some people who were waiting for him after the fight between the two student groups. According to this report, when Ansh Tiwari along with his friend was going home from Krishna College, some masked men were waiting on a bike on the Bijnour-Muradabad highway. They shot at Ansh, and after being hit by the first shot, they started running. But the goons chased them on the two-wheeler and shot at Ansh several times, killing him on the spot

According to this report by Aaj Tak, the shooting took place after a fight between groups of students from Lucknow Public School and Royal Mount School. The report also states that the brother of deceased Ansh is in jail along with three others in a murder case three years ago, and police are investigating any possible link with that case.

A Twitter user named Alok Pathak (@pathakalok68), shared a video related to the incident, however, with a misleading context, claiming that the student who killed Ansh is the son of an IAS officer who is chief minister Yogi Aditynath’s secretary. The person also tagged Rohini Singh, a journalist associated with the left-wing propaganda portal The Wire. 

Subsequently, Singh amplified the misleading information shared in the tweet.

However, Lucknow Police clarified that the 3 accused have been arrested and contrary to claims made in the tweet, none of them is in any way related to any IAS officer. The police also appealed to them not to spread or amplify fake news. 

“Vibhuti Khand Police Station has registered a case against the three accused named in the relevant section based on a complaint lodged by the deceased’s father. The three accused have no relation with any officer. The facts stated in the tweet are completely untrue. Please refrain from spreading misleading information,” Lucknow Police tweeted.

Kathua ‘celebrity lawyer’ and Congress leader, accused by victim’s family of milking tragedy, attacks Union Minister Smriti Irani

OpIndia Staff
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Kathua ‘celebrity lawyer’ and Congress leader, accused by victim’s family of milking tragedy, attacks Union Minister Smriti Irani

Advocate Deepika Singh Rajawat, the lawyer who shot to fame after taking up high profile Kathua rape and murder case today took to social media to throw much on Union Minister Smriti Irani. Rajawat was accused by the Kathua victim’s family of milking the tragedy for her own personal gains and was removed as lawyer on account of her inordinate absence.

Deepika Singh Rajawat’s tweet

Rajawat shared image of Irani’s husband, Zubin Irani and his former wife and tagged Union Minister Irani and said ‘now it is okay’. This was after Irani mocked Rahul Gandhi for wearing a stole with “Om” printed on it such that it appeared upturned.

However, in her bid to mock Irani, Rajawat, a woman herself, dragged Irani’s personal life and her husband, a non-public figure and his ex-wife, also someone who is not related to politics.

Rajawat is Jammu Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson and she joined the party in October 2021.

Advocate Deepika Singh Rajawat became an overnight celebrity in media after she appeared as a lawyer for Kathua rape and murder victim. Kathua rape case was top news for several weeks in the country, and Deepika was hailed as a hero of the case. It was argued that if Deepika Singh had not joined the case, the victim would have never got justice. And she became a superstar after she got a thumbs up from Hollywood star Emma Watson. In April 2019, Watson tweeted “All power to Deepika Singh Rajawat”.

However, she was later accused of grandstanding by taking up the case the of Kathua rape victim’s tragedy but deserting the victim’s family during the court proceedings.

Deepika Rajawat was removed by Kathua victim’s family for not attending court proceedings

In November 2018, it was revealed that Deepika had attended only 2 hearings in the case that was being heard by Pathankot session court. Sessions Judge Dr Tejwinder Singh was hearing the case on a daily basis as per Supreme Court order, and a total of 110 hearings had taken place already in the five and a half months. But the celebrity lawyer, who was supposed to lead the fight for justice of the victim, attended only 2 of these hearings.

Subsequently, an affidavit was filed at the Pathankot sessions court by the victim’s father, who was also the main complainant of the FIR, saying that Deepika will no longer be his advocate in the case and he is withdrawing the power of attorney issued to her. According to victim’s father, Deepika Rajawat had said she has a threat to her life in Pathankot, that’s why she did not go there for hearings. In view of this, the victim’s father informed the court that he is removing Deepika Rajawat from the case.

After she was removed from the case, Deepika had posted a tweet, alleging that she stood with the family when no one else did and since the “rainy days had passed”, they had winded up with her. In a bid to push the blame on the grieving family, Deepika said that she does not blame the grieving parents for removing her owing to her lack of attendance. Because it is “the human tendency which travels in genes”.

Advocate Talib Hussain, who was a prominent activist demanding justice for the victim, was  later accused of rape by two women. He was also accused of domestic violence and attempt to kill his wife over dowry.

Gujarat polls: AAP worker nabbed for bribing members of Koli community to vote in party’s favours. Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat polls: AAP worker nabbed for bribing members of Koli community to vote in party’s favours. Here is what happened

A worker of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was apprehended for trying to lure voters with money in the Gariadhar assembly constituency in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.

As per reports, the accused was identified as Deepak Khunte. He gave ₹3 lakh rupees to 8 members of the Koli community in exchange for voting for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Deepak had tasked the 8 men to convince his community to vote en masse for the AAP, which is desperately trying to make in-roads in Gujarat.

They were identified as Rajubhai Khodabhai Mavatiya, Kanubhai Mathurbhai Mavatiya, Bhupatbhai Chhaganbhai Makwana, Jayesh Valjibhai Makwana, Kharabhai Vajabhai Zinzuwadia, Dhirubhai Veljibhai Parmar, Gordhanbhai Bachubhai Chauhan and Manjibhai Ravjibhai Zinzuwadia.

The 8 men, who are residents of Gundarna village, agreed to the nefarious plan. Reportedly, each of them took ₹75,000 as a bribe from Deepak to help garner votes for the Aam Aadmi Party.

They had camped at a hotel the Shetrunji Dam Chowk on Talaja-Palitana road to buy tea and biscuits. Pankaj Kumar Rathod, the assistant Development Officer of Gariadhar Taluk, was present at the same hotel and managed to ‘overhear’ their conversation.

He immediately informed the Jessar Police about the matter. While the 8 men were en route to the Gariadhar constituency, the Flying Surveillance or Squad Team (FST) of the Election Commission nabbed them near Jesar Chokdi.

They confessed to receiving the money from AAP worker Deepak Khunte. The development comes days ahead of the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls in the State.

Uorfi Javed is more popular than entertainers with ‘befitting’ PR teams like Taapsee Pannu, Richa Chadha, and Swara Bhasker: Read details

Anurag
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Uorfi Javed is more popular than entertainers with ‘befitting’ PR teams like Taapsee Pannu, Richa Chadha, and Swara Bhasker: Read details

Uorfi alias Urfi Javed, an actress and Instagram star popular for her unconventional fashion sense, is more popular than entertainers such as Taapsee Pannu, Richa Chadha and Swara Bhasker. As per google Trends, Uorfi, who recently made headlines for calling out author Chetan Bhagat for calling her a ‘distraction’ for young men, is searched many folds more than the three other entertainers.

We compared the trends from the last 12 months and found that despite of ‘befitting’ PR teams that Pannu, Chadha and Bhasker have at their disposal, Uorfi trended far more than the trio. Only Taapsee Pannu among the three managed to match the trending status of Uorfi once during the last 12 months in January this year. In August, she peaked twice but could not match Uorfi’s popularity. Compared to Uorfi, Swara Bhasker’s trend map was almost flat throughout the year, and Richa Chadha’s trend map only spiked once during October but could not match Uorfi’s trend map.

Source: Google Trends

Interestingly, Uorfi’s trend map matched Shah Rukh Khan’s popularity twice last year, once in April and a second time in October.

Source: Google Trends

Similarly, compared to the very famous South Indian actor Allu Arjun, the trend maps of Uorfi and Allu remained in tough competition for most of the year.

Source: Google Trends

Uorfi has 3.9 million followers on Instagram. Shah Rukh Khan has 32.7 million followers, Allu Arjun has 19.7 million followers, Swara Bhasker has 1 million followers, Richa Chadha has 2.5 million followers, and Pannu has 20 million followers on Instagram.

Unlike the movie actors like Swara and Tapasee, Uorfi does not have a PR team to handle her image. But despite that, she appears on news almost every week, thanks to her self-designed bold dresses which are made from extremely unconventional materials. She has the ability to convert anything to a dress, be it safety pins, audio tapes, photographs of herself, wires, or even steel wool. Uorfi Javed regularly posts photographs and videos of her wearing those bold and bizarre outfits, earning her both praises and cringes.

Uorfi Javed was seen in the music video Haye Haye Yeh Majboori by Saregama Music which was released last month. Earlier this month, she joined the Dating Reality Show ‘Splitsvilla X4’ on MTV as one of the contestants. The show is hosted by Arjun Bijlani and Sunny Leone.

Uorfi Javed calls out Chetan Bhagat, shares his #MeToo chats after Bhagat calls her a ‘distraction’ for the youth

OpIndia Staff
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Uorfi Javed calls out Chetan Bhagat, shares his #MeToo chats after Bhagat calls her a ‘distraction’ for the youth

On November 26, actress Uorfi Javed, who is popular for her social media presence and unconventional fashion sense, called out author Chetan Bhagat for his remarks where he called Uorfi a ‘distraction’ for young boys. In a series of Instagram stories, Uorfi lashed out at Bhagat for his remarks and shared his leaked chats from a few years ago that went viral during the MeToo campaign. Chetan Bhagat was accused of sexual misconduct by a journalist and later by controversial author and yoga instructor Ira Trivedi.

Uorfi Javed shared screenshots of leaked chats allegedly sent by Chetan Bhagat to a journalist. Source: Uorfi’s Instagram stories.

Chetan Bhagat’s remarks against Uorfi

Aaj Tak invited Bhagat for ‘Sahitya Aaj Tak’ as ‘Motivational Writer’. The channel streamed his interview during the event on November 20. At the beginning of the interview, he praised the audience for coming to the event and said instead of watching OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Ullu TV, people decided to listen to authors at the event. He mocked the OTT platform Ullu TV and pointed out that people who were laughing in the audience were aware of the platform.

Speaking about the content available on the internet, he said, “Phone has been a great distraction for the youth, especially the boys, spending hours just watching Instagram reels. They keep liking the photos. There are photos of Uorfi Javed. See, everyone knows who Uorfi Javed is. Why do you know? Is it going to be part of a course? Are you going to tell in an interview that you know about all the dresses of Uorfi Javed? It is not even Uorfi’s fault, as she is trying to make her career. There are many others.”

Comparing the followers of the likes of Uorfi with the soldiers on the border, he said, “One section of youth sitting on Kargil border and defending the nation. The other section of the youth is inside the blanket and watching photos of Uorfi Javed.” He further said that cheap data does not mean you keep scrolling reels on social media mindlessly.

Bhagat further added, “I do not want to become the ‘uncle’ who gives ‘gyaan’. This is why I talked about Uorfi Javed to mention ‘see we have also seen’. Today she wore a dress made of two phones. Have you seen it? Many have already seen it. It gets viral faster than the news.”

Uorfi Javed reacted to Chetan’s remarks

The remarks passed by the author did not garner many headlines or attract a reaction from Uorfi. However, following an op-ed in Firstpost where the author called out Bhagat for the remarks that were published on November 25, it seems to have got the attention of the actress. In a series of stories, Uorfi lashed out at Bhagat.

She wrote, “Guys, let’s not forget how so many women accused him during me too case!!.

Source: Uorfi’s Instagram stories.

Sharing a screenshot of the Firstpost op-ed, she said, “Jab apni aadhi umar ki ladkiyo ko Instagram or WhatsApp me msg kar rahe the tab un ladkiyo k kapdo ne distract kiya tha na?”

Source: Uorfi’s Instagram stories.

She added, “Men like him will always blame the woman than accept their own shortcomings!! Just because you are a pervert does not mean it is the girl’s fault or what she is wearing! Unnecessarily dragging me into a conversation, commenting on how my clothes are distracting young boys is such a f**ked thing to say! You messaging young girls isn’t a distraction for them, though?”

Source: Uorfi’s Instagram stories.

She further said it was not right to blame women for what they wear, and by giving such remarks, Bhagat was “encouraging men” to put the blame on the women and their clothing. She said, “Stop promoting rape culture, you sickos out there! Blaming women’s clothes for the behaviour of men is so 80s Mr Chetan Bhagat. Who was distracting you when you messaged girls half of your age? Always blame the opposite gender, and never accept your own shortcomings or faults! People like you are misguiding the youth, not me. Encouraging men to put the blame on the women or her clothing when they are at fault.”

Source: Uorfi’s Instagram stories.

She also uploaded a video on her Instagram stories where she said, “I do not understand the need of mentioning my name at a literature festival. I am not an author. Also, you said youth is getting distracted by watching my photos. Leave that aside. First, tell me why you, who is double the age of youth, were sending messages to girls half of your age? Was that not distracting? Were your marriage and your children not getting affected by it?”

‘My statement was taken out of context’ said Chetan Bhagat

In a tweet quoting Firstpost, Bhagat alleged his statement was taken out of context by Firstpost. He said, “I told guys to focus on fitness and their career and not waste their time on Instagram. Apparently, that’s not ok! So they cut my statement, say it out of context, the headline with adding things I never said, and do a click-bait piece with ageism thrown in too. Of course.”

MeToo allegations against Chetan Bhagat

In October 2018, a journalist leaked chats allegedly sent by Chetan Bhagat where he was “trying to woo her” and ignored her protest that he was married. Soon after, Bhagat released a statement on Facebook and apologised to the person. Later, controversial author Ira Trivedi also accused him. Chetan released a screenshot of an email sent by Ira in retaliation after which she sent him a legal notice.

Mangaluru Blast: Suspicious satellite phone was active in the area a day before the explosion

OpIndia Staff
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Mangaluru Blast: Suspicious satellite phone was active in the area a day before the explosion

In a major development in the Mangaluru auto rickshaw blast case, it has been reported that there was an active satellite phone in the area before the explosion. Suspicious phone calls were made from a satellite phone in the area in the lead-up to the blast.

According to local media reports, the satellite phone was active in the forest areas of Dakshina Kannada, Uttar Kannada, and Udupi. 

Reportedly, on November 18, a day before the blast, the satellite phone was active in the Kakkinje forest near Bantwal village. As Shariq reached the Bantwal area, the satellite phone was more active. Police and intelligence agencies suspect that Shariq went to the forest area to establish contact with other sleeper cells. The intelligence agencies have traced the satellite phone’s location.

Shariq was reportedly visiting forest areas in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and other southern states in the past few months in order to establish ISIS terrorist modules.

Interestingly, a lesser-known Islamist terrorist outfit Islamic Resistance Council (IRC) claimed responsibility for the blast in Mangaluru on November 19. The Islamist group has said that one of its ‘Mujahid brothers’ Mohammad Shariq attempted to blow up a ‘Hindutva temple’ in Kadri.

Days after the explosion in Karnataka’s coastal town Mangaluru was confirmed to be a homemade pressure cooker bomb, it has come to light that the accused in the case, Mohammed Shariq, utilized cryptocurrency to carry out the terror operation.

Reportedly, the probing agencies noted that Shariq and his handlers used cryptocurrencies and the dark web to make financial transactions and received funds online to execute the blast. Shariq traded in bitcoins and received funding online from the Middle east for the terror operation.

On November 19, an auto-rickshaw exploded in Mangaluru, Karnataka’s coastal town. The accused terrorist Mohammed Shariq was carrying a pressure cooker, and police found that there was an improvised explosive device (IED) inside the cooker which exploded. Shariq had hired the auto-rickshaw posing as a passenger.

Gelatin powder, circuit boards, tiny bolts, batteries, mobile phones, wood power, aluminium multimeters, cables, mixing jars, pressure cookers, and other components required to build explosives were found by the FSL team from the room rented by Shariq. One mobile phone, two fake Aadhaar cards, one fake pan card, and one FINO debit card were also recovered by the forensic experts.

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