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Baltimore: Murder charges dropped against Adnan Syed who spent 23 years in jail, all you need to know about the case made famous by Serial podcast

OpIndia Staff
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Baltimore: Murder charges dropped against Adnan Syed who spent 23 years in jail, all you need to know about the case made famous by Serial podcast

On Tuesday, Prosecutors in the United States dismissed all the allegations against a Baltimore man named Adnan Syed whose case gained international attention due to the blockbuster true crime podcast titled Serial. Syed was sentenced to life in jail plus 30 years for the murder of his ex-girlfriend named Hae Min Lee. However, his conviction was overturned last month, and all charges were withdrawn by the prosecutors on October 11.

Erica Suter, who represented Syed in the court, confirmed the development and said that finally Adnan was set free from the charges. “Adnan is innocent and lost 23 years of his life serving time for a crime he did not commit”, she added. Baltimore’s state attorney Marilyn Mosby also addressed a press meet on Tuesday and said that the case against Syed had been closed and that he cannot be charged again in the case.

“Today, justice is done”, Mosby said adding that her office would continue its efforts to adjudicate anyone who is responsible for Lee’s death. The charges were withdrawn when the first round of touch DNA testing on Lee’s garments revealed multiple DNA traces on her shoes, none of which belonged to Adnan Syed.

A lengthy inquiry by the Baltimore state attorney’s office concluded that Syed had been unfairly convicted of strangling and murdering Lee, and that the DNA testing had confirmed that he was not involved in Lee’s death. The murder conviction of the 41-year-old Syed was overturned last month after authorities found two additional potential suspects following a year-long case review. Prosecutors then had 30 days to determine whether to retry Syed or dismiss the charges against him.

The incident of murder happened in 1999, when Hae Min Lee disappeared on January 13. While the police had launched a search operation to find her, Lee’s partially buried body was found almost a month later on 9th February 1999. Police suspected Syed of the murder and arrested him. In February 2000, the jury found Syed guilty of kidnapping and murdering his high school classmate and ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Syed was found guilty of premeditated murder, kidnapping, robbery and false imprisonment. Prosecutors claimed that he was a frustrated lover who murdered Lee and buried her corpse in Baltimore’s Leakin Park with the help of a friend. They relied on cell phone location data, which has now been proven untrustworthy.

Adnan Syed has been maintaining that he is innocent all these years, and has filed several appeals against his conviction in the last two decades. All of his applications were rejected by the courts, but in 2015, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals approved Syed’s application for permission to appeal as new evidence had emerged showing that the cell tower evidence used by prosecutors was misleading and should not have been admitted at trial. In 2016, the court granted the request for a new trial, and the conviction of Syed was vacated.

While the prosecutors had appealed against this order, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld Syed’s request for a new trial in 2018. But in 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected Syed’s appeal for a new trial.

However, things changed suddenly last month when the prosecutors approached courts seeking to revoke the conviction of Syed and seeking a fresh trial against him. Police also said that they have two other potential suspects in the case. Accordingly, Baltimore Circuit Judge vacated the conviction on September 19, released him from the prison, and ordered a new trial against Syed. And now, all charges against him have been dropped by the prosecution, which means there will be no new trial in the case against Syed.

What is the ‘Serial’ podcast

Syed’s case became a source of international interest following the 2014 publication of the ‘Serial’ podcast, which re-examined his now 22-year-old murder conviction. More than a decade after Syed was sentenced to jail, Rabia Chaudry, a Baltimore-based counsel and family friend of Syed, contacted a journalist named Sarah Koenig and requested her to re-investigate Lee’s murder.

The show debuted in 2014, with each episode attempting to piece together a timeline of what occurred on that night when Lee was murdered. Syed’s version of the story and the incident were detailed in the hugely popular true crime podcast Serial, casting doubt on his conviction. The show’s programs have been downloaded over 340 million times.

The journalist questioned the kids (now adults) to figure out about Lee and her activities on the day she was murdered. Accordingly, each episode of ‘Serial’ revealed new detail about the case and introduced potential new suspects in the case.

Koenig also explained why the case was tossed out in an episode of Serial that was aired after Syed’s conviction was overturned. She claims his attorneys argued that fresh evidence had surfaced demonstrating that prosecutors neglected to examine and rule out two potential suspects who were known to the investigators at the time during the previous trial. Syed’s attorneys also called into question the credibility of witness statements and cell phone data used to convict him.

A court agreed, and Syed’s conviction was reversed. The state’s attorney’s office eventually absolved Syed of all charges based on that new evidence, as well as repeated rounds of DNA testing that indicated Syed’s DNA was not found on any of the victims’ clothes.

Lee Family seeks justice

Meanwhile, Lee’s family chose not to participate in Serial, claiming that Syed was rightfully convicted and that justice was delivered at the initial trial. According to the Baltimore Sun, after Syed was granted a new trial in 2016, his family informed reporters that the podcast had reopened pains few can comprehend.  

Recently, Young Lee, the victim’s brother, made an emotive appeal on behalf of the family in court. “This is not a podcast for me. This is real life – a never-ending nightmare for 20-plus years”, he had said. “If the wrong person has been behind bars for 23 years, the Lee family and the rest of the world want to understand what new evidence has led to that conclusion”, the family’s attorney Steve Kelly was quoted saying.

Though Syed has been cleared of murder charges, questions still remain about who killed Hae Min Lee. Prosecutors have hinted that they may have found additional suspects, but no one has been named so far. The decision to re-open her murder case may reopen old wounds for the bereaved Lee family.

Kerala human sacrifice case: Cannibalism suspected, Police says accused Md Shafi is a sexual pervert who had raped a 75-year-old woman earlier

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala human sacrifice case: Cannibalism suspected, Police says accused Md Shafi is a sexual pervert who had raped a 75-year-old woman earlier

On October 12, in a shocking revelation made in Kerala human sacrifice case, the accused couple Bhagaval Singh and his wife, Lalia have reportedly confessed to the police that they consumed the flesh of their victims after murdering them, as per a report in Times Now. The incident took place in Elanthoor of Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. Notably, Bhagaval Singh was a former CPM branch committee secretary and is currently a CPM local committee member.

As per Times Now, the police sources said that revelation about consuming flesh was made during the evidence collection at their home. The forensic examination and evidence collection continued on Wednesday.

Reports suggest that the three accused killed two women identified as Thrissur native Rosilyn (49) and Tamil Nadu native Padma (52) on June 6 and September 26, respectively. The victims were tortured and killed by the three accused. Following the murders, they chopped dead bodies and buried them. As per reports, the accused slit the throats of the victim and cut them into pieces. The bodies were buried near the couple’s house in the Pathanamthitta district.

Reports mention that though Shafi had masterminded the act, the accused couple partook in the crimes, including murder and cannibalism.

The victims used to sell lottery tickets on the streets. Shafi introduced them to the couple for the “sacrifice” to settle financial disputes and to bring wealth and prosperity to life. The police found video evidence of the first victim in the case going to Shafi’s hotel in June.

In a press statement Kochi City CP Nagaraju Chakilam said, “In Kochi, we registered a missing person case of a 52-year-old female lottery ticket seller on Sept 26. Our probe revealed that she was cheated, abducted, taken to Pathanamthitta dist & done to death there.”

During the further probe, the police found that Shafi had cheated her and promised some financial help. He took her to Pathanamthitta and offered her as a human sacrifice to a couple. The trio conducted a ‘human sacrifice’ ritual and killed the woman. “It’s a very gruesome murder; they cut this body into pieces & buried it in the house’s backyard. Our further probe revealed that this was not the only case,” he added.

CP said, “Another incident was in June 2022. Another 49-year-old lady, a lottery ticket seller, had been cheated similarly, given false financial promises, taken to the same couple, cut into pieces and buried at the same house. All three accused arrested, sent to judicial custody.”

He further informed that the body parts buried in the house were recovered, exhumed and videographed. “Shafi, the main conspirator, trapped the couple, Bhagaval Singh and Laila, into believing that they’ve to conduct a ‘human sacrifice’ ritual to improve their financial conditions,” he said.

CP added, “Shafi is a sexual pervert there were sadistic injuries found on the private parts of these women. In 2020, Shafi raped a 75-yr-old woman and inflicted grievous injuries on her private parts as well. This indicates sexual perversion& psychopathic behaviour.”

Though some media reports mentioned that the accused couple practised cannibalism, the police have not mentioned it in their press statement.

BJP lashed out at ‘secular silence’

On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the human rights lobby for keeping mum in the case. Calling it ‘secular silence’, Shehzad pointed out that if there was a BJP link to the accused, the reaction of the lobby would have been completely different. He said, “Had there been some BJP-linked person, what would the reaction of the lobby have been?”

Shehzad added, “Unfortunately, the Kerala government does very little to secure the safety of women, and such incidents take place because the goons of the ruling dispensation have a free run in Kerala. What is even surprising and shocking is the secular silence of the lobby that is very local and eloquent on the issues of women’s safety and, generally, human rights. Today they have gone completely silent, perhaps, fearing a loss in the vote bank or perhaps because the state in which this has taken place is not politically convenient for them to articulate their views on.”

The human sacrifice case of Kerala

On October 11, the Kerala police uncovered a disturbing case of human sacrifice, and the alleged practise of black magic to bring wealth and prosperity to a family. The Kochi city police apprehended three persons suspected of kidnapping and killing two women in Kochi as part of black magic rituals. The three accused persons have been identified as Mohammed Shafi (agent), Bhagaval Singh, and his wife, Laila.

According to the reports, Shafi is a resident of SRM Road, Ernakulam, while the Singh couple is a native of Thiruvalla and were residing at Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta. The couple confessed to having murdered two women as a part of a witchcraft ritual. The accused justified their actions by saying that the women were murdered for the economic prosperity of their family in the Pathanamthitta district.

Police stated that Mohammed Shafi had persuaded Bhagaval Singh and Laila that performing human sacrifices would bring the family riches and great fortune. He also lured the two victim women and took them to the accused before they were murdered.

Calcutta HC directs DGP West Bengal to form an SIT to investigate Mominpore violence and submit its report within 2 weeks

OpIndia Staff
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Calcutta HC directs DGP West Bengal to form an SIT to investigate Mominpore violence and submit its report within 2 weeks

On 12th October 2022, the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal DGP to form an SIT to investigate Mominpore violence and submit its report. The court has also asked the police to ensure that no further violence takes place.

A PIL was filed in the High Court over the violence that took place in Mominpore and Iqbalpur from Saturday to Monday. After hearing the case, a vacation bench of the High Court on Wednesday ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the case.

The plea said, “The tense situation is also likely to spread to other parts of the city and the State. The police and administration have remained mute spectators. The situation looks to further worsen and has gone out of the hands of the administration.”

The court made it clear that state Director General of Police Manoj Malviya and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goel will have to supervise the investigation. At the same time, a report will have to be submitted to the High Court after two weeks on how much damage has been done in this violence and what is the nature of the investigation.

The court also ordered compensation to those affected by the violence. The division bench asked the police what action has been taken on the basis of the FIRs lodged. On behalf of the state, the Officer-in-Charge of Iqbalpur Police Station told the court that several firearms, bombs, and bullets were recovered. Besides, 42 people involved in the clash have been arrested.

The complainant had sought an NIA probe into the Mominpore case. But the court dismissed it. The high court said there was no need for any other agency to investigate at the moment when the police were investigating. The high court asked the Kolkata Police Commissioner to take necessary steps to maintain communal harmony in the area. The police administration has to ensure that people of all religions are safe there.

On Sunday (October 9), the Hindu community in the Mominpore locality of Kolkata in West Bengal came under attack as they geared up to celebrate the annual Lakshmi Puja.

‘Aam Aadmi Porn’: Netizens mock Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly following an adult content account on Twitter

OpIndia Staff
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‘Aam Aadmi Porn’: Netizens mock Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly following an adult content account on Twitter

On Wednesday 12 October 2022, Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was spotted allegedly following an adult content account named Esmee. Social media users took a swipe at the AAP supremo, mocking him with memes for following an account that posted pornographic content.

As per social media users, Arvind Kejriwal followed a Twitter account named @Esmee4Keeps, the display picture of which shows a woman dressed in skimpy clothes. Social media users shared photos and videos as evidence to back their claim that Kejriwal was indeed following a pornographic content account and shared creative memes to take a dig at the Delhi CM for his online antics.

One Twitter handle, Sidha Memer tweeted a meme in which Kejriwal was trolled by adding his different reactions to different things. While he was seen tensed to read the news that the government of India has banned certain websites with adult content, Kejriwal’s smiling face was shown against the Twitter handle he was spotted following. Sidha Memer added the caption ‘Smartly played’. A hashtag Tharki Kejriwal is also trending on Twitter.

Twitter user Lala posted a short video on his Twitter handle showing how Kejriwal followed the adult content account Esmee. He wrote in the caption, “I think now hashtag TharkiKejriwal will trend on Twitter.”

The development seemed to have triggered the creative side of netizens as they shared funny memes to mock Kejriwal on the discovery that he is allegedly following a pornographic account.

A parody Twitter account named ‘Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Memes, India’ has named this phenomenon as a teammate goal.

Another account named Captain Sanghi shared a meme with the caption “That’s how it is done.”

A Twitter user Scar posted, “In a tribute to Tharki Kejriwal for making porn more famous, porn sites to add another category as Aam Aadmi Porn (AAP).”

Following the social media uproar, we checked if Arvind Kejriwal is indeed following @Esmee4Keeps. However, at the time of writing this report, Kejriwal’s following list had no such account. We cannot confirm if Kejriwal was indeed following the said account as alleged by social media users or he unfollowed it after the online furore.

Japanese woman duped of Rs 24 lakhs by a fraudster who posed as a Russian ‘astronaut’ and promised to return to earth to marry her

OpIndia Staff
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Japanese woman duped of Rs 24 lakhs by a fraudster who posed as a Russian ‘astronaut’ and promised to return to earth to marry her

With the increased use of social media, the number of online scams has also increased dramatically. Recently, a 65-year-old Japanese woman was duped online by a fraudster posing as a Russian astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS).

The woman became sceptical of the huge amount of money he asked her to transfer to him. The fraudster had asked the woman to pay for his trip to return to earth and had promised to marry her after his return.

The two met on Instagram in June this year. The fraudster had uploaded random images of space and claimed that he worked at the International Space Station where astronauts have limited access to mobile phones.

Their relationship grew quite intense in no time. He repeatedly expressed his love for her and proposed marriage on LINE, a Japanese messaging app. He reportedly wrote to her, “I want to start my life in Japan,” and “Saying this 1,000 times won’t be enough, but I’ll keep saying it.” “I love you.”

But, he explained, he needed money to return to Earth in order to marry her. He explained that there were landing fees to pay in Japan as well as the cost of a rocket to fly to the country.

The woman paid him 4.4 million yen which is about $30,000 and about 24 lakh INR in five instalments from August 19 to September 5, believing him to be her future fiancé, according to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

However, soon the woman grew suspicious of the ‘astronaut’ who would repeatedly press her to send money. The woman later filed a police complaint and the matter is under investigation. 

As per Asahi TV, a Japanese media outlet, Another Japanese woman in her forties was followed by an Instagram handle claiming to be a Russian astronaut on the International Space Station.

For the next two days, the two communicated via the app’s direct messages feature, with the astronaut likely using software to translate messages into Russian and the woman conversing in Japanese, according to the report by Asahi.

The “astronaut” then sought that the conversation be moved to another app, which made the woman suspicious. The woman, however, decided not to continue the conversation.

It’s also possible that there are many more cases like this that haven’t been reported to the police. Japanese police do not keep separate records of romance scams like this one, but there has reportedly been a significant increase in online scams over the last decade.

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal says she is getting rape threats for seeking removal of Sajid Khan from Bigg Boss

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal says she is getting rape threats for seeking removal of Sajid Khan from Bigg Boss

On October 12, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal alleged that she had received rape threats on social media platforms after she sought the removal of filmmaker Sajid Khan from the reality show Bigg Boss. Notably, Maliwal had written to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and sought Khan’s removal from the show over allegations of sexual harassment by several women in the industry against him.

Rape threats against Maliwal

Maliwal tweeted, “Ever since I wrote a letter to the I&B minister to get #SajidKhan out of Bigg Boss, I have been receiving rape threats on Instagram. Obviously, they want to stop our work. I am giving a complaint to Delhi Police. Register FIR and investigate. Arrest those who are behind them.”

In her tweet, Maliwal shared two screenshots of private messages on Instagram. The first screenshot was of a user ag55657, and the second screenshot was of Instagram user Hrithik Sheldekar. Both the screenshots appeared to have been sent to Maliwal from one Rahul. Some of the reports have suggested that the name of one of the senders is Rahul but that does not seem the case. Rahul seems to be the person who has shared the screenshots with Maliwal as both the screenshots have the name written on them with “All Media” written next to the name.

Earlier, the DCW chief had said on Twitter that numerous complaints against him show his ‘disgusting mentality. She said, “Ten women had accused Sajid Khan of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement. All these complaints show the disgusting mentality of Sajid. Now, this man has been given a place in Bigg Boss, which is wrong. I have written to @ianuragthakur to have Sajid Khan removed from this show.”

It is notable that Sajid Khan’s participation in the 16th season of the reality show Bigg Boss has raised many eyebrows. People have expressed their anger on social media. Notably, actresses including Saoni Chopra, Sherlyn Chopra, Mandana Karimi and Aahana Kumra, among others, had accused Sajid Khan of sexual misconduct. Singer Sona Mohapatra also criticised his entry into the house. Mohapatra had alleged she faced harassment at the hands of popular music composer Anu Malik.

AAP government in Punjab seeks to resume trade with Pakistan, BJP calls AAP a ‘Pak Parast Party’

OpIndia Staff
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AAP government in Punjab seeks to resume trade with Pakistan, BJP calls AAP a ‘Pak Parast Party’

The National Conference of State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers was held this year on 14 July 2022 in Bengaluru. The conference was inaugurated by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in presence of Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Health and Family Welfare, and Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai. In this conference,  the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab raised the demand to resume trade with Pakistan which was suspended by Pakistan in response to the Modi government’s historic decision of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. This demand was raised by Punjab Minister for Agriculture and Farmers and AAP leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal during the conference.

Notably, the minutes of this conference were circulated to all the Agriculture Production Commissioners (APCs), principal secretaries, and the directors of agriculture of all the states.

The records of the discussions reveal that, among other things, Dhaliwal demanded the resumption of bilateral trade with Pakistan. He requested that trade with Pakistan be reopened, according to the records. It is important to note that no other state raised this demand.

Screenshot from the minutes of the conference

According to the records, the Punjab government’s demand for the reopening of trade with Pakistan was included in the list of “action points emerging from the discussion with the state governments” prepared following the conference. This list of “action points” has also been released, as have the conference minutes. Dhaliwal’s other requests, such as providing agricultural input support in border areas that are nearly 14,000 acres, allocating Rs 1,000 crore for cold storage for vegetables, financial assistance to stop stubble burning, farm loan waivers, funds for agriculture university and financial assistance to boost groundwater levels, have also been incorporated into the action points.

BJP has slammed the Aam Aadmi Party as the ‘Pak Parast Party’ over the AAP-led Punjab government’s demand to reopen trade ties with Pakistan.

Shehzad Poonawalla, the national spokesperson of the BJP, took to Twitter and said, “Punjab’s AAP govt sought resumption of trade ties with Pakistan-demand was raised by Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal- AAP minister. AAP’s Pakistan Parasti parallels Congress Pak prem! Much like Congress AAP had questioned surgical strike, demanded Balakot proof, blamed Pulwama on India.”

“On one hand Kejriwal claims he is a kattar desh bhakt but in reality, he is a votebank bhakt. From abusing Hindus to Pakistan parasti AAP is mirroring Congress. AAP is now PPP – Pak Parast Party,” Ponawalla wrote in another tweet.

Notably, Pakistan had unilaterally suspended trade with India in August 2019 to protest the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019. Then Foreign Minister of Pakistan,  Shah Mahmood Qureshi had opined that there could be no normalization of ties until New Delhi reverses its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. However, compelled by the circumstances, Pakistan later allowed limited trade with India.

Previously, India had withdrawn the status of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) to Pakistan on February 15, 2019, following the cowardly terrorist attack in Pulwama in which 40 security personnel were martyred. Interestingly, India accorded MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, while Pakistan failed to implement its November 2, 2011 decision to accord the same status to India. 

After the withdrawal of MFN from Pakistan, the basic customs duty on all goods exported from Pakistan to India was also increased to 200% on February 16, 2019. 

Army dog ‘Zoom’, who attacked terrorists and was shot during ops, stable after surgery

OpIndia Staff
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Army dog ‘Zoom’, who attacked terrorists and was shot during ops, stable after surgery

Army dog Zoom underwent a surgery and is currently stable after sustaining injuries during an anti-terror ops in Kashmir, Indian Army officials said. 

Providing details about its treatment, the officials said dog’s fractured rear leg was plastered and his splinter injuries on face treated during the surgery. The next 24-48 hours are critical & he is under close observation of medical team at Army Veterinary Hospital in Srinagar, the officials added.

The canine suffered injuries during an anti-terror operation in Kokernag, Anantnag, when Zoom attacked terrorists and received two bullet injuries. However, despite injuries, Zoom continued with his task, resulting in the neutralisation of two terrorists. 

Chinar Corps released a video to celebrate the bravery and unparalleled courage displayed by the dog in identifying and neutralising the terrorists. The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Tangpawa area of the south Kashmir late on Sunday after receiving specific input about the presence of terrorists in the region. 

On Monday morning, the Army sent its assault dog named ‘Zoom’ inside the house where the terrorists were hiding, the officials said. “Zoom is a highly trained, ferocious, and committed canine.Has been trained to locate and bring down terrorists,” officials added.

They further added that Zoom has been a part of several anti-terror ops in the valley and as usual, was tasked with the responsibility of the clearing the house where terrorists were holed up. 

Despite sustaining severe injuries, the canine kept on fighting and helped the Army in neutralising the two terrorists. The terrorists were later identified as members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

United Nations will become ‘irrelevant’ without reforms: EAM S Jaishankar reiterates India’s demand to expand UNSC

OpIndia Staff
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United Nations will become ‘irrelevant’ without reforms: EAM S Jaishankar reiterates India’s demand to expand UNSC

India has been advocating for reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a while now. Amid this, on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar underlined India’s stance and said that reforms are a hard nut to crack,  but hard nuts can be cracked. EAM Jaishankar was speaking in an interview at the Lowy Institute in Australia.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six main bodies of the UN, consisting of 15 members. Out of these, five are permanent which include China, Russia, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom and the other 10 rotate every two years. India’s non-permanent status commenced in the year 2020 and will terminate by this December.

The reforms being discussed would increase the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. However, there has been little progress in terms of growth due to the enormous authority wielded by the permanent members, who may reject reform measures.

“When I look back and think, well, this one is too difficult, I won’t be doing too much in my life. Life has been a set of challenges particularly for a country like India. I would not let the difficulties of the challenge discourage me. I’d put it the other way around”, Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister also emphasized that the UN Security Council has not adequately assisted certain nations in dealing with their challenges. “There are whole continents today which actually feel that the Security Council processes do not take into account their interests”, he added.

He also said that a few African countries and Latin American countries feel that the UN is doing nothing for them, and it is posing damage to the reputation of the United Nations. “If you go to a UN General Assembly and talk to countries in Africa and Latin America, and the small island states, quite apart from Asia, you feel very very strongly that this is not their UN and I think this is damaging to the UN”.

Jaishankar also said that India endured a terrible two and a half years with China, involving the first violence on their borderline after 40 years. “We had a two-and-a-half very difficult years in our relationship with China, which has included the first bloodshed we’ve had on the border after 40 years and where we actually lost 20 soldiers”, he said adding that the country kept communication line open with Beijing as neighbors have to deal with each other.

“My endeavor has been to keep the communication lines going. I called up my counterpart Wang Yi and urged him to ensure that there are no escalatory moves or complicated moves on the Chinese side. Diplomacy is about communication. It’s not just in relationship with China, even in relationship to (other countries)… If diplomats do not communicate with each other, then what kind of diplomacy will they do?”, he maintained.

To note, on September 24, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a push for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform after recognizing the weaknesses of the current multilateral institutions in dealing with global challenges. He also had hosted a meeting of two separate groupings, G-4 and L-69 in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and had discussed how global challenges have brought to the forefront the ‘urgency of reforming the United Nations and updating its main decision-making bodies’.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, India and Brazil are the top candidates for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Reports mention that aside from these two, Japan and Germany are also vying for a permanent seat. However, according to Jaishankar, India enjoys the backing of various countries since it advocates for the greater and global good.

‘Drunk Sudama offering alcohol to Krishna’: Students of Maulana Azad Medical College mock Krishna and Sudama, apologise after uproar

OpIndia Staff
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‘Drunk Sudama offering alcohol to Krishna’: Students of Maulana Azad Medical College mock Krishna and Sudama, apologise after uproar

On October 9, a video of students of Maulana Azad Medical College went viral on social media platforms in which they mocked Sudama and Bhagwan Krishna by portraying Sudama as a drunkard. In the 44-second video shared by Author Anshul Pandey, the ‘Are Dwarpalon Kanhaiya Ko Kehdo’ song is playing in the background.

One of the girls performing on the stage portrayed herself in Krishna’s form. A male actor comes from the right of the screen portraying Sudama in a drunkard state. He fumbles and sits on the stage and then throws currency notes in the air. Then, the actor stands up and walks towards the centre of the stage while portraying it as if he is drinking alcohol directly from the bottle.

Towards the end, he goes towards the actor playing Krishna and offers her a drink from his bottle. The crowd cheers.

Speaking to OpIndia, Pandey said, “I was disgusted when I saw the video. I wanted everyone to see what was happening in the name of ‘art’. After the video went viral, I got a DM on Twitter with the said “apology” letter that I shared on my timeline. I want to ask them if they think we Hindus will sit back just after the apology. I believe because we do not take strict action against such activities, they feel it is okay to mock Sanatan Dharma.”

When asked if he felt the apology was enough, he said, “I did not see the apology from the students. If you see, it is just a sort of notification from the Residential Doctors Association at the medical college that they allegedly took some action against the student. I am not convinced that just banning them from performing in the future is enough to put an end to this “culture” of mocking Hindus. To be honest, the act of the students comes under Section 295A. I hope they understand that they have hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.” 

OpIndia reached out to sources in the college to understand the situation. A resident doctor who was aware of the situation told OpIndia on the condition of anonymity that this was the first time that the Residents Doctors Association and Azad Medicos Association organised the four-day annual fest Synapse. “When the seniors noticed that the act could hurt the sentiments of a community, they called the members of Mahaul Makers, the group that performed the satirical act, and asked them to give a written apology,” said our source.

OpIndia has asked for a copy of the written apology from the students, and we will add it when and if we receive it.

He further said, “Many of the doctors here are devotees of Bhagwan Krishna. We understand that they might have argued, but the apology was rendered without any condition. We only want to put an end to this controversy as it will unnecessarily harm the name of the institute. I can assure you that the students involved in the act will not be allowed to perform in the future, and the group Mahaul Makers has been disbanding as well.”

The press release by the Resident Doctors Association

The Resident Doctors Association of the Maulana Azad Medical College issued a Press Release on the matter. They said, “We wish to clarify that the said incident happened on the evening of September 27 2022, during a satirical comedy event as part of the annual college fest. The college festival- Synapse was a 4-day event organised by the Residents Doctors Association and Azad Medicos Association as a joint venture. Given the competitive nature of the event, the script for the same was undisclosed. And was against the rules and regulations of the organising committee.”

They added, “Whereas the act depicted in the video was demeaning and unethical, the cultural society performing it (called Mahaul Makers) was unconditionally banned and disqualified from any future activities on the campus, the very next day, i.e. September 28. A written apology was also requisitioned and furnished.”

Emphasising the role of the college and hospital in the Covid pandemic, they said, “MAMC and Lok Nayak Hospital have a national record of treating the maximum number of COVID patients in the recent pandemic, leading from the front since the pandemic began.” Furthermore, the association said the college believes in ‘secularism’. They said, “Since the 62 years that this college has served the country with excellence in medical care, SECULARISM has been at the core of many values that it imparts.”

Mahaul Makers have a history of performing exactly the same script

During our research about the group Mahaul Makers, we found out that their Instagram page had been deleted. Furthermore, we found videos from past performances, and one specific video from 2018 caught our attention. In the video, the members of Mahaul Makers performed exactly the same script. Now the question arises, why was no action taken against them at that time and if the current reaction come only after the uproar?

Interestingly, one of the copies went missing from social media after we mentioned it while talking to our source. It now shows that the video is private. This was the first result when we searched Mahaul Makers on YouTube.

A 2018 video was made private. In this video, the group had used the same script. However, the video was available on the college’s fest page as well which has been embedded above. Source: YouTube

The video now shows that it is private. OpIndia has a copy of the video from 2018.

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