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‘Social Media has become an instrument of a terrorist toolkit to spread conspiracy theories’: EAM S Jaishankar at UN Counter-Terrorism meet

OpIndia Staff
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‘Social Media has become an instrument of a terrorist toolkit to spread conspiracy theories’: EAM S Jaishankar at UN Counter-Terrorism meet

On Saturday, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar at the Special Meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) highlighted that the internet and social media platforms have turned in potential instruments in the toolkit of terrorists for radicalization and spreading propaganda in order to destabilize societies. 

In his speech, Jaishankar revealed that in recent years, terrorist groups, ideological allies, particularly in liberal societies, and “lone wolf” attackers have substantially increased their capabilities by gaining access to these technologies.

According to EAM Jaishankar, terrorists frequently use “technology, money, and the ethos of open societies to attack freedom, tolerance, and progress.”

“The internet and social media platforms have evolved into potent tools in the toolkit of militant groups,” he said.

He also stated that the unregulated use of unmanned aerial systems poses a risk. “Because these unmanned aerial platforms are a relatively low-cost option with increasing ease of access, misuse of these unmanned aerial platforms for malicious purposes such as weapon and explosives delivery and targeted attacks has become an immediate threat,” he said.

Jaishankar announced that India will make a voluntary contribution of $500,000 to the UN Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism this year to assist counter-terrorism projects in member countries.

Minister of External Affairs also highlighted the flip sides of technology saying that it has posed new challenges to the government, particularly given the country’s “nascent regulatory environment.”

The minister described terrorism as one of the gravest threats to humanity, saying, “The UN Security Council has evolved an important architecture, built largely around the counter-terrorism sanctions regime, to combat this menace over the last two decades.” And it has been very effective in putting those countries on notice who have turned terrorism into a state-sponsored enterprise.”

As successive reports of the 1267 Sanctions Committee Monitoring Reports have highlighted, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa.

The United Nations Security Council’s two-day anti-terrorism meeting is being held in India (UNSC). The current meeting in Delhi is being held under the auspices of India’s chairmanship of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

Jaishankar notified CTC members that their attendance at the special meeting in Delhi underlines the prominence that UN Security Council member states and a diverse range of stakeholders place on this crucial and emerging aspect of terrorism.

Mass conversion racket busted in Meerut: Christian evangelists lure 400 Hindus to convert, remove idols and threaten against performing puja

OpIndia Staff
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Mass conversion racket busted in Meerut: Christian evangelists lure 400 Hindus to convert, remove idols and threaten against performing puja

Another instance of religious conversion has emerged from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, in which Christian missionaries allegedly forced, lured and coerced vulnerable Hindus into conversion.

On Friday, October 28, Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut police filed an FIR against 9 accused under sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. The FIR was filed based on a complaint lodged by many Dalit Hindus living in the Mangatapuram colony, a slum in the Bhrampuri police station area in Meerut. The complainants alleged that some Christian evangelists residing in the same village had compelled as many as 400 of them to convert to Christianity.

The names of the accused include Chabili alias Shiva, Binwa, Anil, Sardar, Nikku, Basant, Prema, Titli and Reena.

Accused named in the FIR

As per the FIR filed in the Brahmpuri police station in Meerut, the Christian evangelists took undue advantage of the lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lured the poor and vulnerable Hindus with financial aid and food to entrap them. They then gradually started brainwashing them to convert to Christianity.

When the vulnerable Hindus started falling into the trap, the evangelists began pressuring them to visit churches and remove idols of gods and goddesses from their homes. They threatened them not to participate in any Hindu rituals. Additionally, they pressurised the Hindus to change their names on their Aadhar cards.

The Hindu victims also revealed how recently, during Diwali, these Christian evangelists barged into their homes, tore down images of Hindu deities, and warned them against performing puja. They also threatened them with severe consequences if they expressed resentment or complained to anyone.

Copy of the FIR

The issue came to light when some Hindu villagers approached BJP leader Deepak Sharma and told him about their plight. They briefed him about the entire plot devised by the Christian Missionaries to ensnare the poor and illiterate Hindus in the hamlet. Villagers alleged that the real motive behind the conversion racket was that the missionary wanted to grab the land owned by the Hindus in the village.

Image source: ETV Bharat

After learning that these evangelists had already forcefully converted 400 Hindu villagers, the BJP leader went to the SP office with the victims to file a formal complaint against these missionaries, who were using various inculturation methods as bait to fool the village’s gullible Hindu population.

Speaking on the matter, SP Piyush Singh said, “On Friday, some people reached our office and gave an application. It is alleged that people of other religions want to forcibly convert the religions of the people of the village. Instructions have been given to take action by registering an FIR against the accused. The matter will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken.”

The entire religious conversion racket, according to a report in the Hindi newspaper Jagran, was orchestrated by a pastor based in Delhi. According to the media report, pastor Mahesh, with the help of his local aide Anil, provided funds for the marriage and education of many underprivileged Hindus in the area. Pastor Mahesh also married off the daughters of Mangatapuram Hindu villagers to youths from the Christian community.

Moreover, during the lockdown imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, the pastor gave the villagers food packages and money. In the middle of a financial crisis, the need for medical treatment and two square meals forced these economically deprived Hindu villagers into the trap of the preacher, who subsequently brainwashed these victims to adopt Christianity.

When the situation was brought to light, the police team arrived in the village and saw a temporary church that had unexpectedly sprung up in the neighbourhood. During their investigation of the church, the police discovered numerous records with the identities of all those who had been forcefully converted to Christianity. The manner in which funds are provided to these vulnerable victims was also mentioned in these records. The documents also stated that out of the total 550 people living in Mangatapuram Colony more than 400 people have been converted.

After obtaining the evidence, the SSP filed an FIR at the Brahmapuri police station under sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 and launched a search operation to nab Anil and Mahesh Pastor.

copy of the FIR

As words spread, members of the Hindu organization Hindu Jagran Manch under the leadership of their former Metropolitan President, Sachin Sirohi, also reached the police station and demanded prompt action against the evangelists.

Kerala Court restrains Kantara makers from playing the song ‘Varaha Roopam’ in theaters, streaming platforms

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala Court restrains Kantara makers from playing the song ‘Varaha Roopam’ in theaters, streaming platforms

On Friday, the Kerala Court issued a preliminary injunction barring the makers of the Kannada movie named ‘Kantara’ from streaming the ‘Varaha Roopam’ in theaters or other platforms. This is after a Kerala-based music band named Thaikkudam Bridge filed a complaint alleging that the song was plagiarized from its song named ‘Navarasam’ which was released in the year 2015.

According to the reports, the Principal District Court at Kozhikode issued the order against Hombale Films, Rishab Shetty, Prithviraj Productions, the producer, director, and Kerala distributor of the film respectively. Further, streaming platforms such as Amazon Music, Spotify, Wynk Music, and JioSaavn have also been barred from playing the song on their platforms.

Earlier, Thaikkudam Bridge took to social media to announce that the song was allegedly plagiarized and that they were intending to take legal action against the makers of Kantara. “The unavoidable similarities between our IP ‘Navarasam’ and ‘Varaha Roopam’ in terms of audio is therefore a blatant infringement of copyright laws. From our standpoint, the line between ‘Inspired’ and ‘Plagiarized’ is distinct and indisputable and therefore we will be seeking legal action against the creative team responsible for this”, they had said.

However, the band also shared the news of the temporary injunction by the Court on Instagram. “The Principal District and Sessions Judge, Kozhikode has injuncted the producer, director, music composer, Amazon, YouTube, Spotify, Wynk Music, Jiosavan, and others from playing the song Varaaha Roopam in the film Kantara without the permission of Thaikkudam Bridge (sic)”, the post by Thaikkudam Bridge read.

Meanwhile, advocate Satish Murthi, appearing for the band stated that the Court issued the order after expressing preliminary satisfaction with the plaintiff’s case. Murthi further stated that Kantara’s music director, Ajaneesh Loknath, has publicly admitted to being inspired by the song ‘Navarasam’.  The plaintiff contended that the similarities between the two songs were not a mere coincidence or superficial, but rather significant, and thus it was a case of intentional plagiarism, resulting in an infringement of the rights guaranteed by the Copyright Act of 1957.

The Kannada film Kantara, which translates to “Mysterious Forest,” is written, directed, and starred by Rishab Shetty. It was made by Hombale Films (KGF Franchise). The film’s production values, performances, and breathtaking Western Ghats scenery in Karnataka keep you hooked to your seat for 2.5 hours. The film highlights the diverse customs and cultures that exist in coastal Karnataka, like Bhoota Kola (Spirit/Deity Worship) and Kambala (Buffalo Racing on Slushy Paddy Fields). Keradi, Rishab’s hometown, served as the film’s location.

The story begins with a backdrop from the 19th century about a king who promised to give a tribal people a piece of land in exchange for their diety Panjurli (Wild Boar Spirit), which he believed to have brought him peace and happiness. In addition to the diety Panjurli, Shivagana also has a Karnika (influence) known as diety Guliga, which is worshipped in the shape of a sacred stone. 

Both deities are worshipped together here. In contrast to Panjurli, who is revered as the God of Prosperity and Guidance, Guliga is a Kshetrapala/Kshetrapalaka (Lit. Protector of the place/field) is ferocious, violent, and unforgiving. The main plot of the film is, driven by the greed of the King’s successors to reclaim the land granted to the tribal people and the Forest Department’s efforts to protect the wildlife and trees in the forest from hunting and deforestation by tribals, respectively.

Why did prankster who conned CNBC as ex-Twitter employee fired by Elon Musk choose ‘Ligma’ as his name: Read about the origin of ‘Ligma Balls’ meme

Dibakar Dutta
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Why did prankster who conned CNBC as ex-Twitter employee fired by Elon Musk choose ‘Ligma’ as his name: Read about the origin of ‘Ligma Balls’ meme

On Friday (October 28), American business news channel, CNBC, fell for a prank by random strangers, who posed as Twitter employees and claimed that they were fired by the company’s new owner Elon Musk.

CNBC mistook two strangers for ex-Twitter employees after they were spotted with boxes near the entrance of the company’s headquarters in San Francisco. When quizzed about their ouster, the duo decided to play along.

One of the pranksters identified himself as ‘Rahul Ligma’. “It makes me worry about the future of our democracy… the future of celebrity conservatorship. I mean, when Britney [Spears] happened…” he was heard as saying.

He continued, “Michelle Obama wouldn’t have happened if Elon Musk owned Twitter. Obama in 2008 wouldn’t have happened without Elon Musk owning Twitter…I even own a Tesla, man. I’m a big fan of clean energy, climate change, even free speech too.”

The choice of the made-up name by the prankster brought the focus on a word ‘Ligma’, which was coined in 2018. It is a fictional testicular disease, which is meant to make people say ‘lick my balls’ in response to the joke.

According to Urban dictionary, Ligma Balls is a “very rare disease (fictional) that weeaboos, blue haired Jews, and cringy Pom Pom Dancers. This corrupts the body’s testicles and (supposedly) kills the person.”

Meaning of Ligma Balls by Urban Dictionary

The origins of Ligma

According to Know Your Meme, the term first came into prominence in May 2018 when an Instagram user named ‘Galevik’ asked gun-control activist David Hogg to boycott ‘Ligma.’

“Alright, I’ll bite. What is Ligma anyway?” a naive Hogg asked. “Ligma balls bit*h,” responded Galevik, who was immediately blocked by then 18-year-old gun control activist.

A month later, a tweet was posted by a parody account of former US President of Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump18), making direct reference to ‘Ligma Balls’. “I am reinstating Ligma…Ligma f*cking balls lmao,” the handle posted an imaginary conversation between Trump and an inquisitive journalist.

Screengrab of the tweet by parody Donald Trump account

The urban lingo became viral after an internet hoax over the death of a popular Fortnite player named ‘Ninja.’ An Intagram user (@ninja_hater) claimed on July 16, 2018, that Ninja had unexpectedly passed away. It was further amplified by several other accounts

Meanwhile, a photoshopped image of a CBS report, alleging death of the e-sport gamer, also began doing the rounds of the internet.

“Tyler Blevins, better known as Ninja, rose to fame as quickly as he fell. The streamer was hospitalized Sunday night and passed away this moning due to a new and rare disease known as Ligma,” the morphed report claimed.

Screengrab of the photoshopped CBS article

Ninja tried to pacify his ‘distressed’ fans, who fell for the hoax, by uploading Fortnite gameplay on his Twitter and Instagram profile. The hoax was designed in such a way that anyone, who inquired about Ligma, was responded with ‘Ligma Balls’ by those who are privy to the joke.

In an interview with Polygon, the hoax creator (ninja_hater) said, “I personally like the joke and how it’s really kept the joke going, and even spread to other people.” He further added, “The whole ‘Ninja dying’ joke was just to see how much it would spread, and to shake up the internet community.”

While the ace Fortnite gamer was initially miffed with the hoax (asked moderators to ban those who mentioned Ligma in chat), he finally decided to give in on July 22, 2018. Ninja responded to a meme video review by popular Youtuber ‘PewDiePie’ with a ‘Ligma’ comment.

“RIP Ninja…that damn Ligma,” he wrote. This however did not stop comedians from making sketches about ‘Ligma Balls.’ One such hilarious video was created by popular Instagram comedian Supreme Patty. “Ligma is no joke,” he emphasised.

After news organisations including CNBC, Bloomberg and ‘Live Now from Fox’ fell for the prank by Rahul Ligma and Daniel Johnson and passed them off as ex-Twitter employees fired by Elon Musk, Ligma (or Ligma Balls) is back in the spotlight.

Mumbai NCB files 200-page charge sheet against comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa in 2020 drug case

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai NCB files 200-page charge sheet against comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa in 2020 drug case

On Saturday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai filed a 200-page charge sheet in a court against comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa. The duo was arrested in the year 2020 in a drug case and are currently out on bail.

The NCB in the year 2020 had arrested comedian Bharti Singh following seizure of ganja (cannabis) from her house in suburban Andheri. The NCB team led by the then zonal director Sameer Wankhede had conducted searches at Singh’s residence at Lokhandwala Complex as well as her production house based on a tip-off. The officials then recovered 86.5 grams of ganja from Singh’s house during the search.

Singh’s name had cropped up during the interrogation of a drug peddler. According to the NCB officials, the quantity of drug seized from Singh’s house was not commercial quantity under the act, as only 86.5 grams of ganja was recovered. As per the reports, up to 1,000 grams of ganja is viewed as a small quantity, attracting a six-month prison sentence and/or a Rs 10,000 fine. However, possession of a commercial quantity (20 kg or more) can result in up to 20 years in prison. The penalty for a quantity between 1000 grams and 20 kg is up to ten years in prison.

“Both Ms Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya accepted consumption of ganja,” NCB had said at that time in a press release.

The NCB has been investigating the suspected drug use in Bollywood since actor Sushant Singh Rajput died in 2020. Earlier, the central agency had arrested Rajput’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, some of the employees of the late film star, and a few others under various sections of the NDPS Act. However, Chakraborty and several other accused persons are currently out on bail.

Comedians Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa have appeared in many comedy shows and also have hosted several other reality shows on television. The duo currently are parents of a 6-months-old boy named Lakshya. The two have been booked under sections 20(b)(ii)(A) (involves the small quantity of drugs) and 8(c) (possession of drugs) and 27 (consumption of drugs) of the NDPS Act.

Rajasthan: 4 Muslim youths vandalise Hindu temple, Govardhan Puja prasad thrown on floor, protestors say Congress MLA was trying to protect accused

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: 4 Muslim youths vandalise Hindu temple, Govardhan Puja prasad thrown on floor, protestors say Congress MLA was trying to protect accused

Vandalism in a temple on the day of Govardhan Puja has been reported in the Bhiwadi district of Alwar, Rajasthan. According to reports, Hindus from the Dalit community were distributing Annakoot Prasad in the Shiv Mandir of Hamiraka village, which is located in the Sheikhpura police station area, when four boys from the Muslim community attacked the temple and threw all the prasad. Those who tried to stop them were also assaulted.

The reported incident took place on October 26. Several Dalits were preparing Prasad for Govardhan Pooja when Mubarak, Mufeed, Taleem, and Joam Khan forcibly entered and vandalised the Hindu temple. The accused Muslim youths also threw Prasad on the ground. When the people present inside the temple tried to stop them, the Muslim miscreants threatened to kill them. The victim went to Sheikhpura police station and told their ordeal, however, the police did not reportedly take any action.

An angry mob protested outside the police station. Many BJP leaders along with workers, including former Bhiwadi Municipal Council chairman Sandeep Dayma, former MLA Maman Singh Yadav, and BJYM district president Abhay Singh, arrived at the scene after learning about the incident. In the wake of the law and order situation, the police deployed a team of officers to Sheikhpura. Two people were arrested. ASP Vipin Sharma has assured to arrest of the remaining suspects within 24 hours. 

According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, Tijara MLA from Congress Sandeep Yadav arrived at the scene after the incident, when protesters demanded the arrest of the accused. When they saw him, BJP workers claimed he had come to save the accused party. Following this, there was an argument between MLA supporters and BJP workers. After police intervention situation was brought under control.

It is worth noting that on Diwali, some Muslim miscreants in Kaithwara beat up Hindus objecting to the bursting of crackers. In the incident, one person was seriously injured. However, the Bharatpur police flatly denied the assault was caused over the bursting of firecrackers.

Madhya Pradesh: One Sheikh Jahid pretends to be a Brahmin, rapes a Hindu woman for over 7 years, forces her to convert to Islam, eat meat, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: One Sheikh Jahid pretends to be a Brahmin, rapes a Hindu woman for over 7 years, forces her to convert to Islam, eat meat, arrested

On Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh Police arrested a Muslim man identified as Sheikh Jahid under the state’s anti-love jihad law for hiding his religious identity from a Hindu woman and raping her for over 7 years. The victim Hindu woman said that the accused had introduced himself as a Brahmin and had developed sexual relations with her. The Police have registered an FIR against the accused and have also booked Jahid’s brother named Sajid in the case.

According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened in the Shujalpur area of Madhya Pradesh’s Shajapur district. The woman registered an official FIR on October 26 and revealed that she had met the accused 14 years ago and the latter had identified himself as a Gama, belonging to the Brahmin community. The woman was divorced earlier from her first marriage and stayed in Bhopal when she first met the accused.

The woman in the complaint stated that she used to work in Airtel company to survive after her first unsuccessful marriage. She used to stay at a relative’s place in Bhopal’s Karaund region where she met the accused. The accused introduced himself to the woman as a Brahmin and developed a friendship with her.

Later the duo entered into a relationship and the accused established sexual relations with the woman after assuring her of marriage. He raped the woman for over 7 years leading to her pregnancy. The woman then forced the accused to marry her. She came to know about the religious identity of the accused only after he presented his original papers in the Court during their Court marriage. The woman recognized that the man she had been keeping relations with this long was a Muslim resident of the Dabripura region of Madhya Pradesh’s Shajapur district.

In the police complaint, the victim said that she chose to keep quiet back then as she was bearing a child from the accused. However, after the Court marriage and after their child’s birth, the accused began to harass the woman. He forced her to convert her religion to Islam, offer Namaz, and also asked her to consume meat. On being refused, he used to thrash her brutally.

The victim further stated that she had once tried to escape from the house but was not allowed to leave. “I was fed up with day-to-day harassment. One day, I packed my bag and left Jahid’s house. But he forcefully brought me back. He then started bringing other girls at home to have sexual relations with them after I used to leave for my office”, she said.

Reportedly, the victim happened to approach several Hindu organizations in the city who helped her file a Police complaint. The members of the Hindu organization went with the woman to the Shujalpur City Police Station and demanded strict action against the accused named Jahid. The police have registered an FIR against Jahid and his brother Sajid under relevant sections of the law. However, the police have arrested Jahid and also have launched a manhunt to nab Sajid. Further investigations into the case are underway.

Random men carrying boxes pose as ‘Twitter employees’ fired by Elon Musk, prank CNBC reporters: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Random men carrying boxes pose as ‘Twitter employees’ fired by Elon Musk, prank CNBC reporters: Here is what happened

American business news channel, CNBC, fell for a prank by random strangers, who posed as Twitter employees and claimed that they were fired by the company’s new owner Elon Musk. The incident took place on Friday (US local time).

CNBC mistook two strangers for ex-Twitter employees after they were spotted with boxes near the entrance of the company’s headquarters in San Francisco. When quizzed about their ouster, the duo decided to play along.

“I am a data engineer. We were having a lot of problems. And then Elon came and pulled the plug on the whole team,” one of the men, who identified as ‘Daniel Johnson’ was heard as saying.

He claimed to have worked at Twitter for 6 years. “I respect Elon Musk but the kind of stuff that he said lately is concerning. I own a Tesla. How am I going to make car payments,” he emphasised.

‘Daniel’ also expressed concern about how ‘free speech’ on Twitter, under Musk, can empower Nazis who hate transgenders. “Listen, I got to touch base with my husband and wife,” he said before making his way out.

Nonetheless, Daniel’s associate decided to continue the prank and claimed that his name was ‘Rahul Ligma.’ As per Know Your Meme, Ligma is a fictional testicular disease, which is meant to make people say ‘lick my balls’ in response to the joke.

He made bizarre assertions, following his supposed ‘ouster’ from the social media company. “It makes me worry about the future of our democracy… the future of celebrity conservatorship. I mean, when Britney [Spears] happened…” Rahul Ligma claimed.

He continued, “Michelle Obama wouldn’t have happened if Elon Musk owned Twitter. Obama in 2008 wouldn’t have happened without Elon Musk owning Twitter…I even own a Tesla, man. I’m a big fan of clean energy, climate change, even free speech too.”

Other news organisations including Bloomberg and ‘Live Now from Fox’ also fell for the prank and passed if off as ‘genuine news’ about Twitter employees being fired by Elon Musk.

Journalists mistake prank for ‘real news’, goes berserk on Twitter

CNBC ‘Tech Check’ journalist, Deidre Bosa, was one of those who mistook the prank for real news. She exclaimed, “It’s happening. Entire team of data engineers let go. These are two of them. #TwitterTakeover.” The archive version of the tweet can be accessed here.

“They are visibly shaken. Daniel tells us he owns a Tesla and doesn’t know how he’s going to make payments…To be clear – I don’t think the Tesla was top of mind, I think Elon Musk was,” she further claimed.

Later, she informed that the CNBC team could not confirm whether or not the two individuals were Twitter employees.

Elon Musk trolls CNBC

The Tesla CEO did not waste any opportunity to troll the US media for failing to verify the identity of the supposed ‘Twitter employees.’ He tweeted, “Ligma Johnson had it coming (or rathercumming).”

In another tweet, Elon Musk took potshots at CNBC and applauded the media organisation for its ‘ace reporting.’

Netizens also joined Musk in trolling the news outlet. “Friends inside Twitter tell me that Ruhal Ligma’s boss, Dinesh Sukondeez has also been laid off and is walking out of the building now. #TwitterTakeover,” wrote one ‘yoni rechtman.’

Another Twitter user trolled, “So terrible. Just heard a mutual friend Fumunda Deeznuts was also laid off along with his entire team. #TwitterTakeover”

On Friday (October 28), Tesla CEO Elon Musk fired top executives of Twitter Inc. including CEO Parag Agrawal and its legal Head Vijaya Gadde, reported Reuters.

The development came immediately after Musk took over the ownership of the micro-blogging platform on October 28. Besides Agrawal and Gadde, the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ned Segal was also fired for misleading the Tesla CEO and the investors about fake accounts on Twitter.

Reuters reported that Parag Agrawal and Ned Segal were ‘escorted out’ of Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco after the $44-billion deal came to fruition. “The bird is freed”, Elon Musk had tweeted about the development.

Elon Musk had vowed to eliminate spam bots from the micro-blogging site, protect Twitter from becoming an eco chamber for hate and division and make algorithms open-sourced.

Muslim girls above 15 years can marry, it would not violate the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act: Punjab and Haryana HC cite Sharia law

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim girls above 15 years can marry, it would not violate the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act: Punjab and Haryana HC cite Sharia law

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently reaffirmed that a Muslim girl who reaches the age of 15 can marry whoever she wants, and such a marriage would not violate the Prohibition of Child Marriage (PCM) Act. Notably, according to the personal laws in Islam (Sharia), the age of attaining puberty is 15. The High Court has also reassured that Muslim girls will continue to be governed by Islamic personal laws.

In his order, Justice Vikas Bahl stated, “Such a marriage would not be void in terms of Section 12 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006.”

A 16-year-old had asked a childcare agency for permission to reconcile with her 26-year-old spouse. The remark was made during the hearing of Javed’s habeas corpus case, in which he was challenging the ‘imprisonment’ of his 16-year-old wife in a children’s care home.

The girl informed the court that she had fled her home to marry the person of her choice and reside with him. However, her family members had forcibly engaged the girl to her maternal uncle. Uday Chauhan, appearing for the minor girl told the court that the girl had performed Nikah with the 26-year-old man on July 27, 2022.

The court relying on Yunus Khan vs. State of Haryana & Ors ruled that their marriage was legal under Islamic law and that the petitioner had legal custody of the detenue. In the petitioner’s case, his marriage to his wife was consummated voluntarily and was recognized as genuine because both parties were Muslims, despite the fact that the detenue was a minor and under the age of 18.

The single bench of Justice Vikas Bahl ordered her release from the child care agency and custody transfer to the petitioner after reviewing the relevant records, legal arguments, and the detenue’s statement given pursuant to Section 164 of the CrPC.

A similar High Court decision that relied on the Yunus Khan case ruling to say that a Muslim girl over the age of 15 is competent to enter into a contract of marriage with the person of her choice has been challenged in the Supreme Court by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

The NCPCR argued in its appeal that the ruling violated the PCM Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 (POCSO Act) by effectively allowing child marriage and sexual intercourse with children. The Supreme Court has appointed Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao as Amicus Curiae in the case, and it is expected to be heard soon November 7.

Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment Bill) 2021

It is worth noting that the Parliament previously introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021, which would raise the marriageable age for girls to 21, the same as for boys. Furthermore, when introducing the bill, the government stated that it would apply to all girls, irrespective of their religion. The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports examining the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021 was recently granted an extension.

The much-discussed ‘Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021’ proposes raising the marriage age for girls from 18 to 21 years and consequential amendments in laws pertaining to the age of marriage i.e. ‘the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872’; ‘the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936’; ‘the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937’; ‘the Special Marriage Act, 1954’; ‘the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955’; and ‘the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969’. 

After deporting 3 Swedish preachers, Assam police detain 7 Germans for giving religious speeches on tourist visas, to be deported

OpIndia Staff
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After deporting 3 Swedish preachers, Assam police detain 7 Germans for giving religious speeches on tourist visas, to be deported

Assam is seeing a dramatic rise in instances of foreign nationals caught violating the terms of their visas by attending religious events and giving speeches at gatherings sponsored by church organizations. After three Swedish preachers were detained and deported for violating visa norms by indulging in conversion activities, now seven German nationals have been detained on 28th October 2022 near the Kaziranga National Park for a similar alleged offence.

The seven Germans, visiting Assam on tourist visas, were found delivering speeches at church-organised functions in several places in Assam, and were detained in the Golaghat district. The detained persons have been identified as Christian Reiser, Michael Erich Schaper, Merten Asmus, Cornelia Von Oneimb, Hinrich Luppen-Von Oneimb, Christa Olearius, and Lisa Aimee Bloem. Along with the prisoners, an Indian named Mukut Bodra from Jharkhand is also detained with these Germans.

All seven of the foreign citizens, who entered India on a tourist visa, were detained in accordance with Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. They will bear a penalty of $500 each and be deported. If they fail to pay the penalty, they will be arrested. They have been detained as they were indulging in religious preaching activities on tourist visas, as missionary visa is needed for foreigners to take part in such activities.

Talking about the incident, Special DGP of Assam Police GP Singh said, “They were certainly involved in religious activities though I’m not competent to say if they were indulging in conversion or not. They came here on tourist visas. For taking part in religious activities, they needed to take missionary visas. For now, we have detained them, asked them to pay the fine for flouting visa norms, and leave the country, as per the law.” He informed that they participated in religious events at various places like Tinsukia, Margherita, Karbi Anglong, and they were to attend a similar program at Tezpur tomorrow. He said that they violated visa norms as they visited on tourist visas, whereas preachers need to obtain Missionary (M) visas, and also need to register themselves with the local administration.

Reportedly, the group had delivered religious speeches in several districts in Assam including Tinsukia and Karbi Anglong, and halted in Golaghat. They were going to visit other places too, but they were detained by police when they were on their way to a resort in Kaziranga from Rangagora. According to police, the seven Germans are currently staying at Kaziranga National Park’s Wild Grass Resort. They were due to go to Tezpur after giving speeches at church-sponsored events in Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts. The German nationals are in the state since October 21st.

The police further informed that all these areas are dominated by tea garden workers and indigenous tribals. The DGP said that restraining orders have been issued to the Germans asking them not to leave the resort for the time being. If they pay the penalty of $500 each for violation of visa norms and produce proof of obtaining tickets of leaving India, they will be released and arrangements will be made for them to leave the country. However, if they fail to do so, appropriate action will be taken.

It is being reported that the Germans will be shifted to Guwahati and then to Kolkata, from where they will be sent back to Germany on Saturday.

Earlier on October 26, Assam police arrested three persons from Sweden for violating visa norms by indulging in conversion activities. The three Swedish nationals had entered India on a tourist visa, but they were found to be involved in religious preaching activities, following which they were arrested from Naharkatia in the Dibrugarh district in eastern Assam. The arrested Swedish nationals were identified as Hannah Mikaela Bloom, Marcus Arne Henrik Bloom, and Susanna Elisabeth Hakanason.

The three were trying to lure people to convert to Christianity in tea garden areas in the region, and they were arrested while running a proselytization event. They were trying to lure people in the area to Christianity under the pretext of a program titled “Peace and Healing Prayer Festival” scheduled from October 25 to 27. The event was organized at Achabam Ghinai 1 No. playground in Nakarkatia by United Churches Fellowship and Bless Assam Mission Network.

The Swedish nationals were also fined US $500 each and were sent to Stockholm via Qatar on Friday, October 28. They were produced before a court and were found guilty under the Foreigners Act, which directed police to arrange for their deportation. The recently detained German preachers are also likely to go through a similar procedure.

Assam has seen a massive increase in violations of tourist visas by peachers and terrorists in the state. Earlier while busting jihadi modules run by Ansarullah Bangla Team Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), it was found that several Bangladeshis had entered India on tourist visas, took jobs in mosques and madarsas, and were working as jihadi sleeper cells.

What is a missionary visa?

Indian law prohibits foreigners with tourist visas from participating in any religious activities, including lectures and gatherings. A missionary visa is one of the 18 different types of visas the Indian government offers to foreigners who want to work as missionaries in India or who want to enter the nation for other religious or humanitarian purposes. Missionary visas are provided for a single entry into India for the maximum amount of time that the Indian government permits.

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