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Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Nalini Sriharan smiles to the camera as she steps out of prison along with her husband and 4 others

OpIndia Staff
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Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Nalini Sriharan smiles to the camera as she steps out of prison along with her husband and 4 others

On November 12, six convicts of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case, including Nalini Sriharan, were released from four different jails after Supreme Courts ordered their premature release. Nalini Sriharan was released from Women’s Prison in Vellore, while her husband Murugan Sriharan, a Sri Lankan national, was released from Vellore Central jail. Another Sri Lankan Santhan was also released from the central jail. Two other Lankan convicts, Robert Payas and Jayakumar, were released from the Puzhal prison. The sixth convict Ravichandran was formally released from Madurai Central Prison. As he was already out on parole, he went to jail for formalities and came out a free man.

Several videos of Sriharan surfaced on social media while she was coming out of prison. In one of the videos, she was seen surrounded by media personnel and smiling at the camera. The release of the convicts has sparked controversy. Questions are being raised not only by the Bharatiya Janata Party but also by the leaders and members of the Congress party. Not to forget, in 2018, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s wife and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi told the apex court she did not have a problem with the release of the convicts.

The four Sri Lankan convicts have been shifted to a special refugee camp for foreign nationals at Kottapattu, near the central prison in Tiruchi.

 Sriharan said she was ‘sorry for those who were killed with Gandhi’

In an exclusive statement to NDTV, Sriharan said she was not “very happy” that her husband was not with her and had been sent to a separate camp. When Sriharan was arrested, she was two months pregnant. She has a daughter. When asked about her plans for the future, she said, “My family wants me to join my husband and my daughter. So I am planning that way only. My daughter also wants us to be with her forever.” When asked about what she wanted to say to the family members of those who had died along with Gandhi in the bomb blast, she said, “I am very sorry for them. That’s what I can tell just now. We have spent so many years thinking about it, and we are sorry.”

BJP condemned political parties fetching brownie points over the release

BJP’s IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya in a statement to Times Now said, “Well, it is debatable whether the Supreme Court’s decision to exercise its power and set free assassins of former Prime Minister and fourteen others is right or wrong. But what is more disconcerting is the entire orchestrated drama by the Gandhis around forgiveness. And the spineless surrender of the Congress party to the DMK, which is embracing the release of these assassins. That should really tell us how certain parties, including the Congress and the DMK, are using murderers for their political purposes.”

DMK rooted for the release

It is pertinent to note that in May 2022, when one of the convicts, AG Perarivalan, was released from Jail on bail, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin met him and hugged him. His party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has been rooting for Perarivalan’s release for a long time.

In the tweet, he mentioned Perarivalan as a ‘brother’ and wished for a better future along with his mother, Arputhammal, who had been fighting for his release. Earlier, CM Stalin had shared a four-page long press release in Tamil where he patted his Government’s back and called the judgment of the Supreme Court worthy of ‘history, law, politics and administrative history.

Congress leaders spoke against the release

Several Congress leaders and sympathisers released a statement against the release of the convicts. In a statement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The decision of the Supreme Court to free the remaining killers of former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi is totally unacceptable and completely erroneous. The Congress Party criticises it clearly and finds it wholly untenable. It is most unfortunate that the Supreme Court has not acted in consonance with the spirit of India on this issue.” However, he did not say anything about Sonia Gandhi forgiving the assassins.

Congress sympathiser Tehseen Poonahwala said, “These people killed an Ex PM of India. Why are these people being released? This is horrible! What does it say about our great country? What is the Union Government doing? The Hon’ble PM must immediately pass an ordinance and overturn this judgement! This is DANGEROUS!”

When he was countered with the fact that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were not against the release, he supported Rahul Gandhi for his “not hatred towards the killers” but condemned the release. He added, “Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji & PGV Ji like wonderful human beings harbour no hatred towards their father’s killers & that is admirable and I respect that! Also, personally I [am] against the death penalty. But we cannot release the terrorists who killed an ex-PM! That is plain wrong!”

Assaissination of Rajiv Gandhi

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack on May 21 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. On that fateful day, along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 13 others lost their lives.

Kin of 13 others killed in blast condemned Gandhis

When Rajiv Gandhi’s family, including Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, chose to ‘forgive’ the convicts and said they had no objection if the killers were released, the kin of those who had died along with Rajiv Gandhi was not too happy with the move. How could Sonia Gandhi or her children decide on behalf of family members of 13 others who lost their lives along with Rajiv Gandhi, they said.

Sheru weds Sweety: Childless couple adopts female dog from local temple, to perform her ‘Kanyadaan’ as she marries neighbour’s dog

OpIndia Staff
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Sheru weds Sweety: Childless couple adopts female dog from local temple, to perform her ‘Kanyadaan’ as she marries neighbour’s dog

Two dogs are set to be married by their owners in Haryana’s Gurugram in an unconventional marriage ceremony. Two neighbours in Gurugram’s Palam Vihar Extension have organised this wedding after arranging a match between their pet dogs.

While Sheru (male) and Sweety (female) will take the Pheras on November 13 at 8:30 PM, the Mehendi ceremony was held on Saturday, according to the wedding organisers. This one-of-a-kind wedding of the dogs Sheru and Sweety, for which 100 invitation cards have been sent, has piqued the interest of their entire neighbourhood of Jile Singh Colony in Palam Vihar Extension, as they will be attending the marriage ceremony as ‘Baraatis.’

Rani, the lady who fostered Sweety, spoke about her dog, saying that her husband brought the dog from a local temple because the couple had no kids. “I did not have children after marriage and to help me tackle this loneliness, my husband brought Sweety from the temple 3 years ago and since then I have raised Sweety like my child,” she explained.

She went on to say that because of the wedding, they now had the chance to perform a ‘Kanyadaan,’ a sacred Hindu ritual in which a family gives away the daughter, who is the bride, to the groom’s family in order to achieve salvation.

Sheru’s family also adopted him as he was a street dog, he is eight years old and has been playing with their children since they were younger.

This dog wedding has received a lot of attention because of the recent incidents of pets attacking people which has brought dog-human relations in NCR under the scanner. Pet ownership and how pet owners should behave on shared properties have long been contentious issues in city housing societies. The issue of feeding stray dogs has also generated debate. Repeated incidents of pet dog attacks in Ghaziabad, Noida, and Mumbai have alarmed citizens all across the nation.

Jammu & Kashmir: In yet another targeted attack, two migrant labourers shot by terrorists in Anantnag

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu & Kashmir: In yet another targeted attack, two migrant labourers shot by terrorists in Anantnag

On Saturday evening, two migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh were left injured after being shot by terrorists in south Kashmir’s Anantnag area. Meanwhile, a search for the assailants is underway in the neighbourhood. The incident occurred in Anantnag district’s Rakh Momin region.

Chhota Prasad and Govind have been identified as the workers targeted in the terrorist attack. Both hail from the Uttar Pradesh town of Kushinagar. Chhota Prasad, 30, was shot in the stomach, while Govind, was injured in the hip. Both have been sent to Government Medical College Anantnag for treatment, and their conditions have been reported to be stable.

The labourers were heading to the Rakh Momin area adjoining Bijbehara in the Anantnag district on Saturday night when terrorists opened fire on them from close range. Both labourers slumped to the ground after being hit by the bullets. The terrorists escaped, believing the labourers have been killed.

Hearing the gunshots, security forces patrolling the area arrived at the scene, and the injured were transferred to the Medical College Hospital in Anantnag with the assistance of locals. Dr Iqbal, the hospital’s medical superintendent, stated that both labourers’ conditions are stable.

It is notable that this is the second attack on migrant labourers in the Anantnag district in the last 10 days. Terrorists fired at two non-local labourers in the Dialgam region on November 3. They were identified as Bekuu Ram, a Bihar resident, and Tej Bahadur, a Nepal resident. The workers were employed in a private SAPS school in the Anantnag district’s Bondialgam sector.

According to Jammu and Kashmir police, both victims were invited by terrorists to come out for some task, and when they arrived, militants shot at them using a pistol.

Targeted attacks on ‘non-locals’ continue in Kashmir

Fear has seized a large part of Kashmir’s ‘non-local’ workforce as targeted killings of non-locals in the valley have risen in recent months. On October 17, OpIndia reported how two poor non-Kashmiri people were killed in Kashmir by the terrorists. The first victim was identified as Arbind Kumar Sah from the Banka district of Bihar who used to sell Golgappa in Srinagar.

On October 5, Virendra Paswan, who hailed from Bhagalpur, Bihar, was shot dead in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists. Like Arvind, Virendra was also a street vendor who used to sell Golgappa.

Another victim was Sagir Ahmad (58) from the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, who was shot dead in Pulwama. Ahmad was a carpenter by profession, and he was working in Jammu and Kashmir for the past one and half years.

On October 17, two labourers were killed while a third one was critically injured in the Kulgam district in South Kashmir when Islamic terrorists barged inside a house and fired upon the labourers who were staying there. The incident took place in the Wanpoh area in Laram Gangipora in Kulgam.

Uttar Pradesh: Bike borne Shoaib opens fire on Aligarh Muslim University campus, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Bike borne Shoaib opens fire on Aligarh Muslim University campus, arrested

On Saturday (November 12), one person was arrested by Aligarh police for allegedly firing on the Aligarh Muslim University campus. 

Aligarh Police informed that the accused who has been identified as Shoaib alias Choba who opened fire on the campus was caught by security personnel at the proctor’s office. The reported incident took place near the Civil Lines Police station area. 

“The accused detained is not an AMU student and is being questioned.” Law and order are under control, and a case has been filed against him. “No one was hurt in the firing,” said Aligarh SP Kuldeep Singh Gunawat.

Some students were sitting at the General Education Center (GEC) near AMU’s Arts Faculty. A person on a bike arrived around 12:30 p.m. and began threatening the students. When the rest of the university students began to gather, the accused left, threatening them. Syed Nawaz Zaid Ali, Assistant Proctor at AMU, stated that two suspects arrived on campus after some time.

AMU proctor Professor Mohammed Wasim Ali said that the accused “tried to start a conversation with girl students sitting on the lawn near Kennedy Hall. Soon after, senior students arrived and objected to it, and the accused persons indulged in an argument with the students.”

“The outsider fled from the scene but fired in the air while leaving” The alert security personnel of the proctorial department followed and captured the outsider. The accused was handed over to police, and a complaint has been filed at Aligarh’s Civil Lines police station,” the proctor added.

Notably, a bag, about two dozen cartridges, and a country-made firearm were recovered from the accused, identified as Shoaib alias Choba. The accused is said to be a resident of Jeevangarh. Aligarh Police have informed that an investigation is underway and necessary action will be taken.

Uttar Pradesh: Rs 10,000 fine on pet owners in Noida if their dog attacks others causing injury, read details

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Rs 10,000 fine on pet owners in Noida if their dog attacks others causing injury, read details

On Saturday, the Noida authority approved safety guidelines for residential high-rises and set rules for pet registration which included fine for pet owners in case of injury cause by the dogs. According to the guidelines, keeping an unregistered dog in the city will now result in a Rs 2,000 fine. In case of injury caused by a dog bite, a fine of Rs 10,000 will be imposed. The CEO of Noida Authority provided this information.

The meeting was held at the authority’s main administrative building in Sector 6. Arvind Kumar, the commissioner of the Uttar Pradesh infrastructure and industrial development department and chairman of the Noida authority, presided over the board meeting. Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.

Taking to Twitter, the CEO of Noida Authority in a series of tweets written in Hindi, informed about the decisions taken in the meeting. 

“In today’s, @/Noida_authority 207th board meeting, decisions were taken regarding the policy formulation of Noida Authority for stray/pet dogs/pet cats. The policy has been decided by the authority following the guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board of India for the Noida region,” the tweet read.

The Noida Authority CEO announced on Twitter that it is mandatory to get pet dog/cat registration done by January 31, 2023. A fine will be imposed in case of failure of registration. Pet dogs must also be sterilized and vaccinated against rabies.

In the case of a violation, a fine of Rs 2000 per month is imposed. The construction of a dog shelter for sick/aggressive street dogs with the consent of RWA/AOA/village residents, whose maintenance will be the duty of the concerned RWA/AOA, was announced in a tweet by Noida Authority.

It was also stated that the feeding location in the outdoor area will be marked as needed, and that food and drink arrangements will be made solely by the feeders / RWA / AOA.

The penalty will also be imposed if there are sanitation issues concerning the pet animals. The guidelines further mention the treatment of the person/animal will be the sole responsibility of the pet dog owner. 

Apart from formulating guidelines regarding stray animals, the board meeting also addressed and settled issues concerning the layout of the proposed sports city, which will include approximately two dozen real estate projects.

A revised master plan for the sports city project, which includes sports facilities as well as group housing on 300 acres of land in Sector 150 was also approved. 

‘Have you looked at her face’: TMC Minister makes derogatory remarks about President Murmu, shamelessly tries to defend it later

OpIndia Staff
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‘Have you looked at her face’: TMC Minister makes derogatory remarks about President Murmu, shamelessly tries to defend it later

On Friday (November 11), Trinamool Congress leader Akhil Giri courted controversy after taking potshots at the facial appearance of President Draupadi Murmu.

The TMC Minister for Correctional Administration made the misogynist remarks during a public address in Nandigram town in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.

In a video that went viral on social media, he was heard as saying, “He (Suvendu Adhikari) claimed that I don’t look good. How beautiful is Suvendu? We don’t judge people by their appearance. We respect the office of the President (Draupadi Murmu). But have you looked at her face?”

President Murmu hails from a Scheduled Tribe (ST) community from Odisha. Born in a family of Santhal tribes in northern Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, in a nondescript village, she is India’s first President from the tribal community.

Comments by Akhil Giri draw ire

His remarks drew the wrath of Opposition leaders, including the BJP (Nandigram) MLA Suvendu Adhikari. “MLAs have sought an urgent appointment to meet Governor La. Ganesan regarding the sacking of Minister Akhil Giri,” Adhikari tweeted.

The BJP leader also shared a copy of his letter, dated November 12, and emphasised that the TMC legislator had lost the moral authority to continue occupying the post of a Minister.

While speaking to the media, BJP Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “The more you condemn it, the less it is. If Mamata Banerjee has little morality left or little faith in democracy, then she should immediately sack him & apologize to the nation.”

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also questioned the “unacceptable” remarks of TMC Minister Akhil Giri against President Draupadi Murmu. “People are protesting against this in Odisha and are demanding the resignation of the TMC minister for his comment on the President,” he informed.

Even Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader did not hold back and condemned the comments of Giri. “Hon’ble President is the shining example of our Nation’s rich culture, tradition & values. Mr.Akhil Giri should unconditionally apologise & be sacked,” he tweeted.

Akhil Giri defends his remarks under the garb of an apology

After coming under the line of fire, the TMC legislator tried to rationalise his remarks in the name of an apology. “I respect President. I mentioned the post&made a comparison to respond to Suvendu Adhikari, I didn’t take any name,” Giri said.

“He had said Akhil Giri looks bad in his appearance. I’m a min,took oath to office. If something is said against me, it’s an insult to Constitution. I said ‘President’, I didn’t take anyone’s name,” he continued.

“I said ‘President’, I didn’t take anyone’s name,” Akhil Giri said.

Trinamool Congress goes in a damage-control mode

Following outrage by netizens and from political quarters, the Trinamool Congress was forced to issue a clarification and ‘condemn’ the remarks of its party leader.

In a tweet, it said, “We have the utmost respect for Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu. Our party strongly condemns the unfortunate remarks made by MLA Akhil Giri and clarifies that we do not endorse such statements.”

“In the era of women’s empowerment, such misogyny is unacceptable,” the tweet further added. The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here. Despite mouthing platitudes, the Trinamool Congress failed to take any action against Akhil Giri.

Dallas: Horrifying visuals of two military planes colliding midair at Veterans Day airshow emerge

OpIndia Staff
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Dallas: Horrifying visuals of two military planes colliding midair at Veterans Day airshow emerge

On November 12 (local time), a B-17 heavy bomber collided with a P-63 aircraft and crashed. The incident occurred at an airshow in Dallas, Texas, United States. The ‘America’s Premier World War II Airshow’ took place on Veterans Day weekend, where over 40 World War II-era aircraft were displayed.

Spokesperson of Commemorative Air Force Leah Block was quoted by ABC news saying, “Currently, we do not have information on the status of the flight crews as emergency responders are working the accident.” She added there were five crew members on B-17 and one on the P-63.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson updated about the accident in a series of Tweets. He said, “As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow. Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time. The NTSB has taken command of the crash scene with Dallas PD and Dallas Fire Department continuing to provide support.”

He added, “The videos are heartbreaking. Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today.”

In a follow-up tweet, he confirmed that the spectators and others on the ground were not injured. He said, “FAA is currently leading the investigation. A number of casualties are not yet confirmed, but no spectators or others on the ground were reported injured. The debris field includes Executive Airport grounds, Highway 67, and a nearby strip mall.”

Several videos surfaced on social media showing the mid-air collision. The two aircraft descended rapidly after colliding in the air. A giant fireball followed by heavy black smoke could be seen in the video.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

BJP leader accused by The Wire of being brains behind imaginary app ‘Tek Fog’ demands an apology

OpIndia Staff
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BJP leader accused by The Wire of being brains behind imaginary app ‘Tek Fog’ demands an apology

On November 11, Bharatiya Janata Party’s leader Devang Dave demanded an apology from The Wire for accusing him of being the brains behind the imaginary app ‘Tek Fog’. In a tweet, he wrote, “The way The Wire the liars accused me of manufacturing and running so-called #TekFog app. They should publicly apologise and make it cover in all national & international Media like they did it for the fake story. Rest Law will take care of all of this.”

It is not yet clear whether he is taking any legal step against The Wire for tarnishing his image with regards to Tek Fog.

The Wire’s accusations against Dave

Relying on an April 2020 tweet and some ‘source’, The Wire had claimed that the BJP was using one software named Tek Fog, led by BJP leader Devang Dave, that had unprecedented powers to manipulate online trends and churn out hate to attack its detractors. Dave, in an email response to The Wire, before publishing Tek Fog report, had categorically denied his involvement in any such ‘hate app’. However, The Wire’s hitjob not only made ridiculous assertions on the app which clearly does not exist, but even insinuated that Dave was indeed the brains behind it.

In the report published in January 2022, Wire claimed that the so-called Tek Fog app allowed BJP to ‘hijack’ the Twitter trends, allowed managing multiple WhatsApp accounts and direct online harassment of anti-BJP journalists. The report claimed that the app could bypass all kinds of security features that major social media platforms have. According to The Wire, Tek Fog had some kind of superpower that granted it capabilities that even the NSA of the USA did not have. The Wire alleged that hacking top apps like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp etc, child’s play using Tek Fog, and all security features of those platforms vanish with this magical piece of software.

However, within days, OpIndia punctured holes in The Wire’s report on Tek Fog, highlighting how the leftist propaganda website’s claims on a superpower app did not add up and how the app may be a figment of their fecund imagination. The entire rebuttal can be read here. But it took a span of 10 months and the Meta fiasco that led The Wire, too, withdraw its Tek Fog stories too, pending an “internal inquiry”. Incidentally, Devesh Kumar, The Wire staffer who co-authored Meta stories, had also co-authored the Tek Fog stories.

The Wire retracted ‘Tek Fog’ story after ‘Meta Vs The Wire’ saga fell apart

On October 23, left-leaning propaganda portal The Wire retracted Tek Fog stories after its accusations against Meta fell apart. The Wire had accused Amit Malviya, IT Cell Chief of BJP, of taking down the Instagram post(s) using his XCheck privileges. However, the story did not hold its ground and was proven to be false by experts. The Wire had to retract all the stories related to ‘Meta Vs The Wire‘ after it turned out that the stories were based on fabricated documents.

As one of their “experts”, identified as Devesh Kumar, who worked on the technical aspects of Meta, had worked extensively on ‘Tek Fog’ stories along with Ayushman Kaul, red flags were raised against the authenticity of ‘Tek Fog’ stories. The Wire pulled down the main stories first, followed by the spin-offs, including the report where they claimed the app was used to target Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair.

‘Banned by mistake’: Uttarakhand government revokes the ban on five Patanjali medicines

OpIndia Staff
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‘Banned by mistake’: Uttarakhand government revokes the ban on five Patanjali medicines

On 12th November 2022, the Uttarakhand government revoked the ban imposed on five medicines by Patanjali.

Earlier on Wednesday, 9th November 2022, the Uttarakhand Ayurveda and Unani Licensing Authority directed Divya Pharmacy, the maker of Patanjali products, to stop the production of its five medicines viz. BPgrit, Madhugrit, Thyrogrit, Lipidom, and Eyegrit Gold tablets. The ban was imposed after the allegation that these medicines are falsely being promoted for the treatment of blood pressure, diabetes, goitre, glaucoma, and high cholesterol.

In a letter addressed to the Divya Pharmacy, the licensing officer of Uttarakhand Ayurveda and Unani Services wrote, “Please kindly take the reference of Directorate’s letter dated 09.11.2022 in which the medicines Divya Madhugrit Tablet, Divya Eyegrit Gold, Divya Thyrogrit Tablet, Divya BPgrit Tablet, and Divya Lipidom Tablet being manufactured by your firm are made to stop the manufacturing of. In this regard, as per the provisions mentioned in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the firm is given 15 days instead of one week to submit its response.”

Letter by Uttarakhand government

The letter further said, “Modifying the ban imposed by mistake on the manufacture of the above medicines according to the letter dated 9th November 2022, the permission is granted to keep the production intact.”

Press statement

Divya Pharmacy published a press release on this issue after receiving this letter. In this press release, it says, “Patanjali Institute is the first in the world to get an acceptance for Ayurveda medicines as research and evidence-based medicine with 30 years of continuous effort and research.”

“The Honourable Prime Minister is also making efforts to establish the pride of his heritage by erasing the signs of all kinds of slavery in the country. The ignorant, insensitive, inept Ayurveda licensing officer of Uttarakhand is not only tarnishing the sage tradition of Ayurveda but the injudicious work and errors of an officer have done a grossly condemnable act of questioning the tradition and authentic research of Ayurveda, tarnishing it. And defamed Patanjali maliciously. Such conspiracies are done by people opposed to Yoga-Ayurveda and Indian tradition,” it further read.

The statement further said, “It is our duty to make Ayurveda victorious by countering them with scientific research facts and evidence. The department whose job was to establish Ayurveda as the national system of medicine while bringing glory to Ayurveda is engaged in eradicating Ayurveda by defaming Ayurveda. We can never accept this unfortunate act. Patanjali is the first institution in the world to have published the most research papers globally. It has two NABH-accredited hospitals and several NABL-accredited research labs of international standards. More than 500 world-class scientists are providing services here.”

The press release added, “In these 75 years of independence, no government or any other institution has done the work done to take Yoga-Ayurveda to the world. We are deeply hurt by the kind of actions committed by an officer. Patanjali will continue its fight against any conspiracy in any way in the establishment of Ayurveda and Yoga or will join any medical mafia or anti-Sanatan conspirators, against him within the scope of the law.”

“We are grateful to the government for the way the Uttarakhand government corrected the mistake by taking cognisance of this imprudent act of defaming Ayurveda and this error was corrected as the government took the cognizance,” said the press release, which was also shared by Acharya Balkrishna – the managing director of Patanjali Ayurved Limited.

The five Patanjali medicines were banned on 9th November 2022, in response to a complaint filed by Kerala-based ophthalmologist KV Babu in July earlier this year. Babu sent another complaint to the State Licensing Authority (SLA) on October 11 through email. In the meanwhile, Dr. GCN Jangapangi requested in a letter to the joint director of Divya Pharmacy and drug controller of the state health authority that the pharmacy immediately and going forward remove “misleading and objectionable ads” from the media space.

Citing misleading ads the regulator also directed that Patanjali submit updated formulation sheets and label claims for each of the five formulations for a new round of product certification. The business could only resume manufacturing, according to the ban order of the health authorities, if the updated indications have been authorized.

Kashmir: Ganderbal district admin imposes blanket ban on electric heaters ahead of harsh winter to prevent disruption in power supply

OpIndia Staff
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Kashmir: Ganderbal district admin imposes blanket ban on electric heaters ahead of harsh winter to prevent disruption in power supply

In a decision that is set to trigger a controversy, the administration of Ganderbal district in Jammu and Kashmir has announced a ban on electric heaters ahead of the winter season, to conserve power. On November 11, 2022, the District Magistrate of Ganderbal issued an order announcing a blanket ban on the sale, storage, and usage of electric heating appliances in the district ahead of the harsh winter. The decision has been made ahead of the onset of the winter season when temperatures in the area would plummet to minus 5 degrees Celsius.

According to an order issued by District Magistrate Ganderbal, it has been concluded that the improper use of electric equipment such as blowers, heaters, and radiators may cause transmission line damage owing to heavy load, resulting in a disruption in the hassle-free power supply. The Magistrate ordered the ban on electric heating appliances under section 144 of the CrPC, which is generally used to maintain law and order and to prevent any danger to human life.

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure authorises a District Magistrate a sub-divisional magistrate, or any other administrative magistrate to issue orders to prevent danger or nuisance in the area under their jurisdiction. It is one of the most commonly used criminal procedure codes in India, and in recent times, it was used to impose lockdowns and restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The order copy

“It has been apprehended that non-judicious use of Electric Appliances such as Blowers Heaters, Radiators etc may cause damages to transmission lines due to heavy load resulting in disturbance in the hassle-free power supply,” reads an official order copy. “Whereas by using the above mentioned electric appliances, there is every apprehension of short circuits which ultimately results in fire incidents during the winter season due to which loss to life and property,” it reads.

“Therefore in order to provide hassle-free electric supply to consumers as well as government offices and hospitals of district Ganderbal and to avoid unscheduled power cuts thereby causing inconvenience to the general public and disruption of services of emergent nature and particularly patient-care. I, Mr Shyambir, IAS District Magistrate, Ganderbal in the exercise of powers vested in me by virtue of Section 114 CrPc of 1973, hereby impose a blanket ban on the storage, sale, possession, and use of heavy heating appliances such as blowers, heaters, radiators etc within the territorial jurisdiction of District Ganderbal with immediate effect,” the order reads.

The DM has said that anybody who violates the government order will be dealt strictly with as per law.

December, the first month of winter in Ganderbal, is a chilly month, with temperatures ranging from -3.2°C (26.2°F) to 7.3°C (45.1°F). The average high temperature in Ganderbal drops from a cool 11.5°C (52.7°F) in November to a cold 7.3°C (45.1°F) in December. January, like December, is a cold winter month in Ganderbal, with temperatures ranging from 3.8°C (38.8°F) to -5.4°C (22.3°F). January is the coldest month, with an average high temperature of 3.8°C (38.8°F) and a low temperature of -5.4°C (22.3°F).

Therefore, if the order is strictly implemented, people in the region who rely on electric heaters during the winter will face great difficulties. They will be forced to rely on other sources of heat like firewood.

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