Outrage swept social media platforms after an old post by Alt News cofounder Mohammed Zubair insulting Brahmins went viral on X, formerly known as X. Since then demands seeking action against Zubair, infamous for painting a target behind Nupur Sharma and unleashing Sar Tan Se Juda gang against her, have been made online.
In a tweet published in 2018, Zubair shared a caricature of BJP leader Amit Shah dressed as a Chanakya, with his Shikha or choti snapped by a hand with ‘DKS’ written on it.
However, the post insulting the Brahmin community went viral this week, exposing the staggering double standards of the Alt News cofounder, who doesn’t misses a beat to inflame communal passions when it comes to Islamic beliefs — from Prophet Muhammad to Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb.
But when it comes to Hindu beliefs and sensitivities, everything is considered fairgame, and any questions raised on Zubair are met with “Islamophobia” from the left ecosystem — as if being a Muslim is a license to post derogatory tweets on Hindu beliefs.
“This post by @zoo_bear is a clear attempt to mock and insult the Brahmin community by ridiculing the revered figure of Acharya Chanakya, a symbol of wisdom and strategy in Indian history,” Advocate Ashutosh Dubey tweeted along with the screenshot of Zubair’s post, adding that such content not only hurts religious sentiments but also spreads communal provocation.
This post by @zoo_bear is a clear attempt to mock and insult the Brahmin community by ridiculing the revered figure of Acharya Chanakya, a symbol of wisdom and strategy in Indian history. @Uppolice@dgpup@cyberpoliceup
— ADV. ASHUTOSH J. DUBEY ?? (@AdvAshutoshBJP) June 20, 2025
Others too demanded action against the polarising figure who has also been booked in connection with the Islamist attack against Dasna Devi Temple. In October last year, an FIR was filed against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair following the attack on Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad, alleging that Zubair and two other Muslim leaders, including Arshad Madani and Asaduddin Owaisi, tried to incite Muslims around the country and got local Muslims to get outsiders to destroy the ShivShakti Dham in Dasna.
Notably, this is not the first time Zubair has been under fire for his Hinduphobia. Back in 2022, a controversy erupted after Zubair’s old post mocking Hindu Gods and Goddesses had gone viral. In one of the tweets, Zubair was seen mocking Shivling and comparing it with the top view of the Vatican City. He said the post comparing Shivling with the Vatican City inspired him to come up with a parody Facebook page, ‘Unofficial: Subramanian Swamy’ in 2014.
Apparently, one of the posts on the Facebook page ‘Unofficial Mohammed Zubair‘ mocked Arun Govil to take a swipe at Lord Ram, suggesting that ISRO must consult the actor because he would know more about the rocketry.
Another post by ‘Unofficial Mohammed Zubair’ shows an aeroplane under water with the caption: “Breaking: Underwater Pushpak Vimana used by Raavan 5000 years found in the Indian Ocean.”
Besides ridiculing Hindu Gods, Zubair has also poked fun at Hindu beliefs and even mocked Sanskrit, the ancient language that forms the basis of Hindu texts.
Consequently, Zubair had deactivated his troll account ‘Unofficial: Subramanian Swamy’ after multiple FIRs were lodged against him for hurting Hindu religious sentiments.
Since its inauguration in April this year, the replica of the Odisha’s Jagannath temple constructed by Mamata government in Digha, West Bengal, has consistently been at the centre of controversies, with the latest one involving the temple prasad.
The BJP has accused the West Bengal government of entrusting the task of preparing the prasad of the temple to Muslim-owned shops. BJP IT Cell Head, Amit Malviya slammed the Mamata government on Tuesday (17th June) saying that the government was “trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal”. Malviya shared a document on X showing a list of names of shops that he claimed were owned by Muslims.
Malviya said that these shops owned by Muslims were involved in preparing Gaja and Pera, sweets being distributed as prasad from the Digha Jagannath temple. “In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers — majority of them Muslim — have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are being labelled as Prabhu Jagannath Dev’s sacred prasad. This is not just administrative carelessness. This is a deliberate provocation,” Malviya said.
Mamata Banerjee is trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal!
In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers — majority of them Muslim — have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are… https://t.co/NVU921fPQ6pic.twitter.com/zhnIRB4PL8
Malviya pointed out while the original Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha does not allow the entry of non-Hindus, the Mamata government was violating the sanctity of the temple by distributing prasad prepared by Muslims. “In Puri, even today, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple – such is the sanctity attached to the Lord and His traditions. And yet, in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, prasad meant for devotees of Lord Jagannath is being sourced from shops run by those who do not even follow the faith!,” Malviya added.
Earlier this month, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, had called out the Mamata government for distributing sweets from local shops in the name of Jagannath temple prasad. The West Bengal government has been distributing prasad through its ‘Duare Sarkar’ scheme of doorstep delivery of ration under the Public Distribution System.
“All District Magistrates were ordered to distribute prasad through Duare ration. The boxes of sweets being bought from the local sweet shop is basically demeaning Hindu dharma,” Adhikari said adding that the TMC government allocated ₹20 for a packet of prasad.
Responding to BJP’s attack, senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim described it “mean thinking” and called Adhikari and atheist. “Bhagawan is for everyone and his prasad is also for everyone. This whole world is created by God and if a prasad is for him, then it is for everyone. One who is willing will accept it, and one like Suvendu Adhikari, who is an atheist, will not accept it,” Hakim said.
Speaking in Siwan, Bihar, PM Modi today reminded people how RJD and Congress have insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar and his principles throughout their rule.
“They (Congress and RJD) have always played dirty politics where they focus all their energy on promoting their selfish interests and promoting nepotism. They only want to do ‘Vikas’ of their own family members. Babasaheb Ambedkar himself disliked this kind of politics. Perhaps that is the reason these parties keep insulting him. I saw recently, there are posters in Bihar, asking Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family to apologise for insulting Babasaheb Ambedkar’s portrait. But I know, they will never apologise. They do not have any respect for the Dalits, Mahadalit and backward castes. RJD and Congress disregard and disrespect the image of Babasaheb, keep it on their feet, but Modi keeps him in his heart. These parties want to portray themselves as bigger than Babasaheb by insulting his picture, but the people of Bihar will never forget it”, PM Modi said.
PM Modi was referring to the viral video, where it was seen that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was sitting with his legs spread on a chair. He was presented with a portrait of Ambedkar, but he declined, seeming uninterested in touching it. The person who brought the photo was seen placing the photo near Lalu’s propped-up feet on a chair to pose for a photograph.
अपराध, भ्रष्टाचार और परिवारवाद के स्टार प्रचारक ने किया बाबासाहेब अंबेडकर का अपमान।
देश में संविधान के 75 वर्षों का कार्यक्रम चल रहा है। हम संविधान के निर्माता को श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित कर रहे है और ऐसे में लालू यादव का हमारे आराध्य बाबासाहेब के प्रति व्यवहार दुखद है।#Babasahebpic.twitter.com/eDlLxfsQ6O
— Dr. Guru Prakash Paswan (@IGuruPrakash) June 19, 2025
The video, reportedly from June 14, had gone viral on social media and the BJP in Bihar has been demanding the apology of Lalu Yadav and his family over it.
Seven days after a F-35B fighter jet of UK Navy made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on Saturday night due to ‘low fuel’, the aircraft still remains grounded at the airport. While the stealth jet was refuelled by Thiruvananthapuram Airport authorities, it didn’t take off, and then it was revealed that the jet was suffering from much more serious issues.
The jet, part of HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier group of the Royal Navy, declared emergency on Saturday night, and requested permission to land at Thiruvananthapuram airport, which was earmarked as the emergency recovery airfield. Notably, the British carrier group is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, and recently took part in a joint drill with the Indian Navy.
What happened so far
The F-35B jet, the navy version of the F-35, landed at around 9:30 PM on Saturday, and at that time it was reported that it made emergency landing due to fuel shortage and bad weather. But 4 days later, it was reported that the jet was facing serious technical issues. As per reports, the jet was diverted to Kerala due to a suspected hydraulic system failure, not fuel shortage.
After the jet landed, a drama ensued at the airport, as the pilot Captain Mike refused to leave the spot. After completing mandatory customs and immigration procedures, he insisted on remaining near the plane, and sat on a chair provided by the airport authorities. He didn’t want to leave the advanced jet unattended. However, when a 2-men team of Royal Navy personnel arrived on the same night at around 11:15 PM, he moved into the airport terminal with the local authorities.
On Sunday morning, six Royal Navy technicians arrived to fix the jet. After checking, they confirmed that there is hydraulics failure. Another team of technicians were airlifted by a Royal Navy helicopter to begin repairs on Monday to repair the aircraft. The helicopter also brought a replacement pilot, and Mike later departed with the Royal British Navy helicopter.
Hydraulics failure, Engine Failure, Fuel Shortage
However, the issue could not be resolved by the technicians, and now it is being reported that the plane suffered engine failure. As per reports, the jet tried to land at the carrier due to bad weather, but could not and circled in the air for some time. It also dumped fuel to be able to land. But as the weather condition deteriorated, it ran out of fuel, declared emergency, and landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport. It has been speculated that as a result of landing with low fuel, the jet’s hydraulics and engine suffered damage.
The jet is parked at Bay 4 of the airport with special permission from central govt and Indian Air Force. At present, CISF personnel have been deployed to secure the plane.
Replacement pilot Freddy and three technicians are staying at the airport, and they have been accommodated at the emergency medical centre of the airport. They can observe the plane from that place. Six other technicians, who had arrived on Sunday and Monday, returned to HMS Prince of Wales by helicopter on Tuesday afternoon.
The airport authorities are providing them with food and other supplies. As per their request, a ground handling agency has also been provided for the plane.
Jet remains parked in open, Brits want to watch is constantly
As it is not certain when the jet will be airworthy, it may be shifted to a hanger adjacent to the airport. There is a hanger unit at the maintenance unit of Air India. However, at present it remains parked in the open, exposed to elements during the monsoon rains. CISF personnel continue to guard it.
A report by IDRW claims that Indian authorities offered to move the jet to a hanger, but the British personnel declined. Most probably, they refused to move the jet to hanger as doing so would mean they would not be able to maintain a watch over the jet constantly. At present, they can see the jet from their accommodation at the airport’s emergency medical centre.
As per reports, the jet’s departure has now been postponed indefinitely. Additional technical experts are expected to arrive from the UK to inspect and repair the aircraft. As the existing technicians could not fix it, it is being speculated that the jet now needs advanced tools and spares to repair, which will need to be brought from UK or US.
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II is a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the fifth-generation fighter, and a crucial part of Royal Navy. As the technology of F-35 remains a closely guarded secret, the jet will probably be repaired in a highly secure environment. Therefore, if and when the British Navy decides to do major repair of the jet in India, they may move it to a hanger, while keeping it under their watch.
Did India detect American stealth jet
After the jet’s landing, a tweet by Indian Air Force created euphoric speculation that India was able to detect the American stealth jet. However, that is not the case.
Indian Air Force said, “On having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F35B was detected and identified by the IAF’s IACCS network and cleared for the recovery.” This comment led many to believe that India was able to detect and identify the word’s most advanced stealth fighter jet. But the fact is, the F-35 had already declared emergency, which means it had switched off its stealth mode, so that it can be guided to land at the airport.
A Royal Navy F-35B fighter recovered off an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of 14 June 25. Operating from UK Aircraft Carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, it was undertaking routine flying outside Indian ADIZ with Thiruvananthapuram earmarked… pic.twitter.com/gL2CQcuJc7
During peacetime operation, stealth aircrafts switch on their transponders, and activate their Luneburg lenses, which reflect radar to deliberately increase the plane’s radar visibility. This is crucial in ensuring that friendly and civilian radar systems can identify and track them easily during non-combat operations.
On the 12th of June 2025, an Air India plane took off from Ahmedabad at 1:40 pm. It crashed within 1 minute and more than 250 people died in this accident. Only one passenger on the plane survived. Soon after, startling facts began to emerged. The crashed flight was Air India’s 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, manufactured by Boeing. The Ahmedabad Air India crash was the first time this model of the Boeing aircraft became a victim of an accident.
As the speculations about the potential causes of the deadly crash flooded social media, the history of accidents involving Boeing aircrafts began to be discussed. The incidents of Boeing playing with the rules of the US government and making rules according to its own in the last few years also flashed in the mind. Currently, the black box of the Dreamliner that died in the Ahmedabad accident has been sent to America. It will be examined there. Only after this, the reasons for the accident will be clear. But before that, the world market has once again come to the attention of Boeing’s old exploits.
The 1997 merger and Boeing’s tarnished reputation
Currently, Boeing the world’s second largest aircraft manufacturing company. Boeing gave the world the first jet passenger plane ‘707’. It had a reputation among the best engineering companies in the world. It gave the first jumbo jet like 747, which played a big role in connecting the world. Boeing became a great company not only in the case of passenger planes but also in the case of military planes. It made giant planes like C-17 Globemaster, which is used by the Indian Air Force today.
However, Boeing and McDonald Douglas merged. Experts say that this merger marked Boeing’s fall from grace. Boeing changed from a company focused on engineering to a company focused on profit and loss. Its focus was no longer on providing the world with the best-made aircraft but on making as much profit as possible. Where earlier employees were asked to be transparent, now they were asked to coverup mistakes.
Due to this, Boeing’s reputation started to tarnish and was no longer a leader in the global market as Airbus defeated it badly. Boeing’s falling reputation can be judged from the fact that in the last 2-3 decades it has not been able to bring any new aircraft model but is making do by experimenting on the old ones. Due to this, hundreds of passengers have lost their lives. Now that Boeing has failed in quality, its focus has been on influencing the rules and policies in America and foreign countries and getting them changed according to its own wishes.
Boeing spending thousands of crores not on innovatioin but lobbying in America
Boeing is an American company and a large part of its income comes from contracts from the US government. Boeing makes many military aircraft for America. Apart from this, the rules and policies of America apply to Boeing. It spends thousands of crores to ensure that these American policies work in its favor.
A report by the US stock market regulator SEC says that Boeing has spent more than $200 million (₹1700 crore+) on lobbying from 2010-2022. $26 million (₹225 crore) has been spent in 2021 and 2022 alone. A report by the SEC itself shows that Boeing has spent more than $320 million (₹2700 crore) on lobbying since 1998. The SEC says that Boeing ranks 9th in terms of spending on lobbying within the US.
Boeing is at number 9 in this arena while in terms of market cap, it is at number 70-80 in America. This simply means that Boeing spends much more than its status on lobbying. Boeing gives money to both the parties of America, i.e. Democrats and Republicans, to bend the rules according to its wishes. This expenditure is apart from its expenditure on lobbying . According to a report, Boeing has spent 43 million dollars (₹3500 crores+) between the years 2004-2024.
Interestingly, Boeing also takes care not to favor one party too much. Reports suggest that Boeing funds both parties almost equally. However, Boeing has given more funding to the Democrats in the past years. This process is called lobbying in the US. Although lobbying is not illegal in the US, but Boeing’s lobbying has taken the lives of 300+ people. This is a black spot in Boeing’s history.
Boeing’s insatiable greed claimed more than 300 lives
Boeing spends thousands of crores on lobbying and parties. Boeing is not a social welfare organization that it spends so much money for nothing. All this is done for profit. A few years ago, more than 300 lives were lost due to Boeing’s greed and avoiding lobbying. This story begins around 2010. Boeing, which once ruled the world’s aircraft market, was constantly being defeated by Airbus, a company from Europe. The secret of Airbus’ success was its new A320 Neo aircraft.
These were more modern than Boeing’s 737 aircraft and consumed less fuel. Due to this, airlines were constantly placing orders with Airbus and Boeing was losing. Boeing thought of making a new plane. But Boeing did not want to invest money in the development of a new plane. In such a situation, it came up with a new idea. It planned to give a new look to the Boeing 737 designed in the 1960s. Boeing named this new plane 737 Max.
Boeing then made some modifications in the design of the plane, including changes made in the wings of the plane as well as in the cockpit of the plane. In addition, its landing gear was also changed. New Leap-1 engines were also installed in the new plane which saved 14% more fuel. These engines were bigger than the old engines. While the old engines were installed under the wings of 737, the new engines were shifted to the wings due to their being bigger. If this was not done, the engines were hitting the ground.
These modifications, however, backfired for Boeing. The new engines were heavier than the old ones. Due to this, the front part of the plane would rise more in the air, which was a problem for controlling the plane. Boeing found a solution to this and introduced a system called MCAS. MCAS would automatically press the front part of the plane downwards and this was done through sensors. As soon as the sensor of the plane sensed that the front part of the plane was rising too much in the air, it would immediately bring it down.
While Boeing was popular and secured thousands of orders, the company committed a fraud. Boeing had completely changed the 737. But it claimed that it did not need to get certification again from the US aircraft regulator FAA. It is to be noted that getting certification for every system of the plane is a big expense and this would also increase the delivery timeline of the plane. Apart from this, pilots would also have to be trained on the new systems.
To avoid all this, Boeing claimed to the FAA that it was basically an old plane and hence did not need to get separate certification. It also took advantage of loopholes in the laws. Boeing built a completely new plane but did not allow the FAA to certify its systems. Boeing even lobbied on a large scale in the US and effectively got a law passed in 2018.
In 2018, the US Parliament passed the FAA Reauthorization Act after strong lobbying by Boeing . This law gave the aircraft manufacturing companies in the US the right to self-certify the technologies they developed. This law limited the powers of the FAA. This law was directly related to Boeing’s 737 Max program. Now Boeing has openly got the right to sell the new systems of 737 Max aircraft without any external certification.
Following this, Boeing continued to sell 737 Max at a rapid pace. Airlines from all over the world also bought these planes. On October 29, 2018, a similar plane of Indonesia’s Lion Air crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff. 189 passengers and crew members were killed in this accident. No one could understand why a new plane crashed like this. The pilot who died in this accident was an Indian.
Just 6 months after this incident, in March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed minutes after taking off from the capital Addis Ababa. In this accident too, 157 people, including the crew, were killed. After this, Boeing’s problems began to rise and its 737 planes were grounded all over the world. When both accidents were investigated, it was found that these accidents happened due to the MCAS sensor that presses the Boeing plane downwards.
It was revealed that in both the accidents, MCAS continued to push the plane down while the pilots kept trying to fly it. The pilots failed in this and this faulty system brought the plane down. When the pressure increased after the investigation of both the accidents, Boeing admitted that it had hidden this information. Boeing admitted that it had not told the pilots about this new system.
Boeing itself had certified this MCAS system as safe. Later, this became the reason for the death of 346 people. FAA could not conduct the safety check of 737 Max, for this it had already made a law. For this it had spent thousands of crores and had people in the US Parliament on its side. The result of this lobbying by Boeing was the death of 346 people and crew, thousands of planes being grounded and airlines incurring losses of thousands of crores.
Boeing’s lobbying also extends to military aircraft
Besides manufacturing passenger planes, Boeing also makes military planes. One-fourth of the planes in the US Air Force are manufactured by Boeing. The aviation giant has on many occasions secured contracts in the US by exerting pressure through its lobbying. A big example of this was the supply of refueller planes to the US Air Force to refuel planes in mid-air. This entire competition started around the year 2000. In this, tanker planes built on Boeing’s 767 planes were first selected.
Boeing KC-46
However, as allegations of corruption emerged, Boeing was sidelined. Airbus won the re-competition and its A330 MRTT was to be supplied to the US Air Force. However, Boeing created a ruckus over this and started lobbying to get this contract cancelled. Later, only KC-46 made by Boeing joined the US Air Force . However, this was not the first time when Boeing had blocked Airbus’ entry into the US.
In the 1970s, Airbus wanted to enter the US after its success in Europe, but even then Boeing kept the US government pressurizing it. Boeing is credited with keeping Airbus out of the US market for a long time. However, as soon as Boeing goes to other countries, it starts using its financial strength and lobbying to get contracts . In one such case, Boeing had made a deal of $37 billion (₹3 lakh crore+) with Saudi Arabia.
However, the relations between America and Saudi Arabia deteriorated after this. This controversy was related to the murder of American citizen and journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. America was continuously pressuring Saudi Arabia. In response to this, Saudi Arabia changed its stand regarding this deal. Boeing came into action after this and immediately started talking to the US government and the Saudi government to save this deal.
Be it keeping the F/A-18 aircraft in continuous service within the US or lobbying for the F-15EX aircraft , Boeing has always worked in this direction.
Boeing’s lobbying attempts in India
Unsurprisingly, Boeing has also been making lobbying efforts in India. Boeing tried hard to sell aircraft for India’s second aircraft carrier Vikrant. Boeing wanted to sell F/A-18 aircraft for this. For this, Boeing even gave big advertisements in newspapers in India. However, the Indian Navy chose the Rafale-M aircraft made in France, considering its needs. The deal for this has also been finalised recently.
Boeing has earlier also tried to sell the F-21 aircraft to India. Actually this is the F-16 fighter aircraft used by the Pakistani Air Force. Boeing tried to tell the Indian Air Force that the F-21 is completely different from the F-16 aircraft used by Pakistan. However, the Air Force clearly refused to show any interest in this.Indian cosmetics
What stance Boeing will take in the Ahmedabad Air India crash case will be clear in the future. If technical flaws are found in the plane, will Boeing accept them or try to evade accountability using its usual coverup tactics, time will tell this too. However, Boeing’s track record shows that it does not believe much in moral values and prioritises profits.
Deposits of Indian customers in Swiss banks have declined by around 18 per cent over the past decade, according to the latest figures released by the Swiss National Bank (SNB).
The data highlighted a drop from approximately 425 million Swiss francs in 2015 to 346 million Swiss francs in 2024.
The SNB data also showed that Indian deposits had seen a sharp rise during the COVID-19 period, touching a 10-year high of around 602 million Swiss francs. However, the deposits started declining after the pandemic peak.
In 2023, deposits stood at 309 million Swiss francs, but in 2024, it grows by 37 million Swiss francs to reach 346 million Swiss francs. Despite this annual rise, the overall trend over the last decade remains downward.
However, the decline in deposits is not unique to India. Several other major economies also witnessed a reduction in funds deposit in Swiss banks by their nationals.
For instance, deposits by UK nationals fell from 44 billion Swiss francs in 2015 to 31 billion Swiss francs in 2024. Chinese deposits also saw a decline, reducing from 5.01 billion Swiss francs to 4.3 billion Swiss francs over the same period.
The neighbouring countries of India Pakistan and Bangladesh also saw decline, deposits held by Pakistani nationals in Swiss banks have witnessed a steep decline over the last ten years.
According to the data deposits by Pakistanis stood at 947 million Swiss francs in 2015 but have dropped significantly to 241 million Swiss francs by 2024, a fall of nearly 75 per cent.
A similar trend was observed in the case of Bangladeshi nationals. Their deposits in Swiss banks declined from 48 million Swiss francs in 2015 to just 12.6 million Swiss francs in 2024, marking a drop of over 73 per cent.
The decline reflects a reducing trend of foreign deposits in Swiss banks it can be due to various reasons like tightening regulations, increased scrutiny, and changes in international financial transparency norms.
Saudi Arabian deposits nearly halved during the 10-year period, from 8.3 billion Swiss francs in 2015 to 4.8 billion Swiss francs in 2024.
The most significant drop was seen in deposits by American nationals. Their deposits in Swiss banks dropped steeply from 64.2 billion Swiss francs in 2015 to 24.4 billion Swiss francs in 2024, a decline of about 62 per cent.
The data highlighted a broader trend of declining foreign deposits in Swiss banks, possibly reflecting greater transparency, international regulations, and shifts in global financial preferences.
For India, the trend clearly shows that over the last decade deposits by Indian nationals in Swiss banks have declined. Though, a temporary hike in deposits was seen during the pandemic in 2021.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
After local administration sealed an illegal madrasa built on government land in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, dozens of local Muslims armed with sticks and rods reportedly reached at the residence of BJP councillor Nooruddin from Ward No. 15 on Monday (17th June) and misbehaved with his family.
As per reports, Nooruddin, who was not present at his house at the time, lodged a complaint at the Rampura police post stating that the mob threatened to kill him. A case has been filed by the police against 12 persons based on Nooruddin’s complaint. Rampra Station House Officer, Priyanshu Joshi said that the police are investigating the case and are on a lookout for the accused. Police are examining the CCTV footage to nab the accused.
Councillor Nooruddin has stated that some men in his ward have been maintaining a personal grudge with him and have been hostile since he won the local body elections with BJP’s support. The men have been provoking locals against him, and they used the incident of the illegal madrasa being sealed as an excuse to instigate a mob to attack his house.
Illegal consrtuctin on ‘Nazul Land’
On Monday, a joint team of the administration, including ADM Pankaj Upadhyay, Sub-urban Commissioner Shipra Joshi and Tehsildar Dinesh Kutaula, sealed the illegal madrasa constructed on Nazul land in Ward No. 15, in the Paharganj areas of Rudrapur Municipal Corporation of the Udham Singh Nagar district.
Nazul land is a land owned by state government but is not directly managed as state property. It is a government owned land which is often leased out for various purposes, including residential and commercial.
The team identified 50 other illegal, under construction buildings and also took stock of illegal structures in the Kalyani River area. The committee members of the madrasa have been ordered to show the land documents. ADM Pankaj Upadhyay said that there is a large-scale illegal encroachment on the banks of the Kalyani River and action will be taken to remove it as well.
Dhami government’s anti-encroachment drive
Uttarakhand government led by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has been conducting a statewide anti-encroachment drive to free the government land of illegal structures. By December 2023, the government freed 5000 acres of land encroached through Land Jihad. The Dhami government has also been demolishing illegal construction on forest land in the state. In the beginning of 2023, government authorities demolished 26 Mazars that were illegally constructed on the forest land. Besides, the authorities conducted a survey and identified around 1400 religious structures built illegally on government land.
In April 2023, CM Dhami expressed his government’s resolve to eliminate the menace of ‘land jihad’ from Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. His government has been working in mission mode and taking stringent action against illegal structures mushrooming all over the state, including the Jim Corbett National Park, one of the oldest and one of the most famous forested wildlife sanctuaries set amidst the foothills of the Himalayas in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
Recently, on 20th March, 16 illegal madarsas in Udham Singh Nagar and 2 in Haridwar were sealed by the Dhami government. So far, more than 110 illegal madrasas have been sealed in the state. Over 200 illegal madrasas, built on government land, have been identified and marked by the state government. Udham Singh Nagar district has the highest concentration of them at 129, followed by 57 in Dehradun and 26 in Nainital.
Amazon’s new workers’ policy has sent shockwaves through its employees. The new policy states that an employee must relocate to a new major city hub, primarily in Seattle, Arlington, or Washington, DC, and if not ready, they must resign. These two options have put the employees in a bind as they either have to uproot their families and move to a major city, or face job termination.
The employees have been given 30 days to make a decision whether they will relocate or resign. If the employee decides to relocate, he will get 60 more days to make the move. The news was not shared with the affected employees in an official announcement; instead, it was communicated in one-on-one meetings.
Why is Amazon forcing employees to relocate
In a statement to Reuters, Amazon said it is a ‘visionary strategy’ to align teams with its business roadmap. A company spokesperson told Reuters, “ As part of our ongoing work to make our teams and programs operate more efficiently and to better align with our business roadmap, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles within the Books organization.”
Andy Jassy, the CEO of Amazon, said building a large team is not the path to advancement for the company, rather, e-commerce achieves more with fewer resources. He said that the company is planning a layoff as well in the coming years, while hinting that Artificial Intelligence can do a lot than an individual nowadays. Jassy also said that AI will lead to cutting jobs at his own company.
The relocation policy has also been introduced to keep the workers in close touch with their managers across the countries.
Impact on affected employees
A person who does not wish to relocate has to resign without getting a severance package. A redundancy payment, which acts as an emergency door for many to rescue them from sudden financial instability, is also closed. Mid-career professionals and parents with established roots are especially distressed by the decision. Many are unwilling to uproot themselves from communities they’ve been part of for years.
A prediction realized
The CEO had also predicted a layoff recently, where he said the company will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other kinds of jobs. He had also asked the employees to be cautious about AI as it may replace them in future. Over the past five years, Amazon has already laid off approximately 27,000 employees.
A panel consisting of three judges from the Supreme Court has proposed the dismissal of Justice Yashwant Varma. As a result, the impeachment process is likely to be initiated against him. Varma, who is charged with corruption, has been defended by lawyer Kapil Sibal who declared that his client is among the finest judges in history.
The committee recommended the dismissal of Varma from his position which is detailed in a 64-page report that has been forwarded to both the President and the Prime Minister. The report explicitly mentioned that the burnt notes were discovered in the storeroom of his official residence.
Only Varma and his family were allowed access to the storeroom as no outsiders could access it. The investigation uncovered that during the process of extinguishing the fire, the firefighters observed “partially burned notes.” A witness even remarked that he had encountered such a vast pile of cash for the first time in his life.
The committee acknowledged that such a large quantity of notes could not have been kept there without the permission of Varma or his family. It also conducted an inquiry into the involvement of his daughter, Diya Varma, and his personal secretary, Rajinder Singh Karki, who are reported to have prohibited the firefighters from disclosing information regarding the cash.
The committee has concluded that there is adequate evidence to initiate the procedure for the removal of Varma from his position, based on these findings. Verma refuted these accusations, insisting that neither he nor his family possessed any information regarding this cash.
He further stated that anyone was free to enter and exit the storeroom. In early June 2025, reports emerged indicating that the procedure for the removal could commence shortly which would mark the first instance of the forcible ouster of an active judge in India’s history.
Shocking disclosures in the report
The Supreme Court established an investigation committee regarding the case of Justice Yashwant Varma. A total of 55 witnesses were interrogated in this matter. Among those questioned was his daughter. The report indicated that various witnesses, along with videos and photographs, substantiated the discovery of a significant quantity of cash, particularly 500 rupee notes, some of which were partially burned, located in the storeroom of his residence in Delhi.
It is particularly surprising that, despite the gravity of the incident, neither Varma nor his family reported it to the police or informed any senior judicial authority. The committee noted this as unusual conduct. They expressed that Varma’s assertion of being unaware of the incinerated cash is implausible.
“If a conspiracy existed, why did Justice Varma fail to notify the Chief Justice of the High Court or the Chief Justice of India?” the committee inquired. Fire and police officials also reported observing a “large pile” of Rs 500 notes in the storeroom once the fire was doused. Although the household staff denied witnessing the cash, the committee deemed the testimonies of government officials to be credible.
The probe additionally unveiled that the storeroom was exclusively managed by Verma and his family. Furthermore, the incinerated cash “vanished” following the incident and the area was tidied up. The committee indicated that Varma’s personal secretary had instructed the firefighter personnel to omit any reference to the cash in the report. The fire service officer also informed that he was requested not to investigate further as “individuals in high positions were implicated.”
What is the matter
In March 2025, a fire broke out at the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma in Delhi. As firefighters worked to put out the fire, they found a considerable stack of charred 500 rupee notes in the storeroom. Afterward, the then Chief Justice of India made accusations against Varma. The Supreme Court then established a committee to examine the issue. Varma was reassigned from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court soon after the instance. This move faced opposition from some lawyers and legal professionals.
Action taken against Justice Verma
The Supreme Court set up a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the case which interviewed 55 witnesses and took Varma’s statement. It delivered a 64-page report to the President and the Prime Minister, suggesting his removal from his office. He had been moved to the Allahabad High Court but has not been allocated any judicial tasks. He has not resigned or opted for voluntary retirement at this time.
Presently, there is a chance to initiate the impeachment process against him in Parliament, which would be the first occurrence of a sitting judge’s removal in India. Varma has referred to the investigation as “fundamentally incorrect”, but the committee has rejected his defense, emphasising that “the currency notes were seen by multiple people and documented in real time. It is highly unlikely that the money was placed there to incriminate him.”
The committee also questioned the roles of his daughter and personal secretary in the destruction of evidence or the sanitization of the crime scene.
He is the best judge: Kapil Sibal
Senior attorney and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has come to the defense of Varma. On 17th June he referred to the latter as “one of the best judges” and condemned the government’s actions. He alleged that the government’s true intention is to dismantle the collegium system and assert control over judicial appointments.
He charged the government with pursuing a case against Varma, while not taking similar measures against Justice Shekhar Yadav who faced accusations regarding certain “communal” last year and opposition MPs had also submitted an impeachment notice against him.
Sibal declared, “I can say with full responsibility that he (Varma) is one of the best judges I have argued before. You can ask any lawyer of the High Court or Supreme Court, this judge is not accused of doing anything wrong.”
“It is shocking that you (the government) are targeting a judge against whom there is no evidence and are protecting the one against whom there is no need for any proof because his statement is in the public domain and there is an impeachment motion pending with the Speaker but he is sitting on it for signature verification,” he added.
However, contrary to the claims made by Sibal, a report from the three-judge inquiry panel sent to Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna has confirmed the discovery of a substantial amount of cash at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence on Tughlaq Road on 14th March.
The bye-polls to five Assembly Constituencies (ACs) held by the Election Commission of India (ECI) today witnessed successful implementation of several major new initiatives launched by the ECI in the past four months, as envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi.
Bye-polls were held at the ACs of 24-Kadi (SC) and 87-Visavadar in Gujarat, 35-Nilambur in Kerala, 64-Ludhiana West in Punjab and 80-Kaliganj in West Bengal. During these bye-polls, polling was held at 1354 Polling Stations (PS) in the five ACs.
The new initiatives include the provision of mobile deposit facility for the electors at all polling stations, upgraded Voter Turnout sharing process resulting in faster updation of the approximate polling trends by ensuring that the Presiding Officer updates the VTR data at the close of poll before leaving the polling station, webcasting at 100 per cent of polling stations ensuring constant vigil of the entire polling process and individual mock poll training of all Presiding Officers.
Also, Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the Electoral Rolls was conducted before the bye-polls for the first time in nearly two decades. The successful implementation of these measures in the bye-polls paves the way for full introduction of all these measures in the forthcoming Bihar Assembly Elections.
For the first time, voters were able to avail the mobile deposit facility provided by the ECI at the entrance of all polling stations. The measure is in recognition of the ubiquity of mobile phones in both urban and rural areas and the challenges faced by the voters particularly the senior citizens, women, and PwD electors as to where to leave their mobile phones before entering the polling station. Simple pigeonhole boxes or jute bags were provided at the entrance door of the polling stations where the voters deposited their mobile phones. Volunteers were deployed at the polling stations to facilitate the process.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, all polling stations in Ludhiana West have made arrangements for safe mobile phone deposit aims to enhance the voter experience while at the same time upholding the secrecy of voting.#GoVote with ease.#ByeElections#ChunavKaParv@ECISVEEPpic.twitter.com/3T9w6Zs5Ti
— Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab (@TheCEOPunjab) June 19, 2025
The upgraded VTR sharing process was also successfully implemented where the Presiding Officer of each polling station was able to directly enter voter turnout on the new ECINET App every two hours on polling day in order to reduce the time lag in the updation of the approximate polling trends. This was automatically aggregated at the constituency level. The approximate voting percentage trends were published every two hours as before.
In a pioneering move, ECI introduces mobile phone deposit facility to enhance voter convenience in Nilambur Bye-Elections, Kerala.#ECI#Electionspic.twitter.com/Bqa3mKTm0u
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) June 19, 2025
Also, voter turnout data was entered into the ECINET by Presiding Officers immediately after the close of poll, before they left the polling station to ensure that the approximate percentage of votes polled would be available on the updated VTR App constituency-wise after the close of polls subject to network connectivity. Where mobile networks are unavailable, entries can be made offline and synced once connectivity is restored.
Previously, voter turnout data was collected manually by Sector Officers and relayed to Returning Officers (ROs) via phone calls, SMS, or messaging apps. This information was aggregated every two hours and uploaded to the Voter Turnout (VTR) App. At the close of poll, the Presiding Officer used to update the final VTR data after completing all other statutory responsibilities like filling up of various forms including 17C where he would take the signatures of the polling agents of political parties/candidates and hand over a copy to them, sealing and safe depositing of the EVMs in the strong room as per laid down procedures etc.
Thus, the polling percentage trends were often updated hours later i.e. around 10-11 PM, based on physical records arriving late in the night or even the next day. The upgraded system of VTR updation would cut down this delay as now the Presiding Officer would be updating the data in ECINET before leaving the polling station.
The Commission has ensured 100% webcasting of poll-day activities at all polling stations, except one, in the five bye-poll ACs. The webcasting was monitored to ensure that critical activities were taking place smoothly and there was no violation of the poll process. Dedicated monitoring teams at RO, DEO and CEO levels kept a strict vigil on the poll proceedings.
