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‘What do you mean by Gandhi family gave so much? Is this a registered party or some Mughal sultanate?’: Maharashtra Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan

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‘What do you mean by Gandhi family gave so much? Is this a registered party or some Mughal sultanate?’: Maharashtra Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan

Criticism of top Congress leadership, especially the Gandhi family, by veteran Congress leaders after Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation is not over yet. Maharashtra’s former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan recently made similar remarks, asking why everything in the Congress party has to be about the Gandhi family only. Chavan asked in a conversation with Mumbai Tak, ‘What do you mean by Gandhi family gave so much to the Congress leaders? Is this a registered political party or some Mughal sultanate?’

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad recently left the Congress party. Criticizing him, Rajasthan’s chief minister Ashok Gehlot said, “A person like Azad was given everything by the Congress, today his identity is because of Congress, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, and Sonia Gandhi. The way he expressed his thoughts isn’t right.”

When Maharashtra’s senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan was asked about this, he said, “It is very important to analyze this mindset lying behind Ashok Gehlot’s statement. He said that the Gandhi family gave so much to the leaders. Is this party personal property? Congress is a political party that functions on democratic principles. The party has a certain constitution that we have submitted to the election commission while registering the party.”

Prithviraj Chavan further said, “Now, tell me, should this party operate according to the constitution or should the leaders of the party be content with whatever is given to them by the Gandhi family? And what do you mean when you say given by the Gandhi family? Is this a Mughal Badshahi system or some sultanate? You are saying like this only because there are only appointments for various posts and not internal elections.”

Prithviraj Chavan added, “Ashok Gehlot is saying like you are appointed by the family on some post of the party and now you should be very happy with that. But why are you appointing in the first place? Why not internal elections? At some point in time, we should seriously think about the last 24 years in which there are no internal elections in the party. Are we going to give serious thought to that? And everyone including me is guilty of that. Why did not we speak up then and why are we speaking only in the last two years? It is because, in that old system, when Sonia Gandhi was leading the party, we were registering victories in elections, and we were in power 10 years ago. And it is our fault that we did not speak. We should have told the top leaders that the last internal elections were held 24 years ago.”

Prithviraj Chavan said, “When PV Narsimha Rao was leading, we had a meeting in Tirupati where a working committee was elected. After that, Sitaram Kesari became the party president who held the elections of the working committee in the Kolkata meeting of the Congress party. There is no election for the working committee in the last 24 years and it is because of this that one dares to say that you are given so much by the Gandhi family. Who are you to give something to us? What do you mean by ‘giving’? Is this like some next generation of some Mughal sultanate that will give something to people and people will receive it with gratitude?”

Prithviraj Chavan is a senior Congress leader from Maharshtra. He worked as the chief minister of the state from 2010 to 2014. Before that, he was a minister of state in the Prime Minister’s office in Dr. Manmohan Singh’s cabinet in the UPA government.

Congress Party President Elections are finally set to take place on October 17 this year

OpIndia Staff
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Congress Party President Elections are finally set to take place on October 17 this year

On August 28, during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, the party finally decided to hold the elections for the post of Party President on October 17. The counting for the same will commence on October 19. Currently, Sonia Gandhi is serving as the interim President since 2019, a position she also held on a full-time basis from 1998 to 2017. Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi was the party president in the period from 2017 to 2019.

The announcement of the date has come at a time when several Congress leaders have either resigned from their respective posts or resigned from the party itself. Notably, Anand Sharma resigned on August 24 from the Chairmanship of the Steering Committee of Himachal Pradesh Congress but announced that he would stay in the party. On August 26, veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the party. There have been reports that he might form his own party in Jammu and Kashmir. Following Azad’s resignation, several Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir also resigned from the party.

Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad were part of G23, the rebel group of leaders inside the Congress party that have raised serious questions about the leadership and vision of the party.

It is noteworthy that earlier this year, senior Congress leader also Sunil Jakhar left the party and joined Bharatiya Janata Party. Before him, Congress leader and former Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh had resigned from the party before state elections and formed his own political party that contested alongside BJP in the Punjab Assembly Elections.

This year, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will have Assembly Elections, both states are currently ruled by BJP. Amidst the upcoming state elections and preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, senior Congress leaders leaving the party is not a good sign for the party. Looking at the exodus from Congress, the party will struggle to maintain its position as the main opposition to the ruling BJP, and this decision to finally hold the elections for the party president may be one last ditch attempt to stop more exits.

As Noida’s Twin Towers get demolished, here is a look at the world’s 5 biggest controlled demolitions in human history

OpIndia Staff
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As Noida’s Twin Towers get demolished, here is a look at the world’s 5 biggest controlled demolitions in human history

Final preparations for the demolitions of the unauthorized Supertech Twin Towers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, have been completed. According to a Supreme Court of India ruling, the approximately 100-metre-tall Supertech Twin Towers will be demolished using explosives in a controlled detonation at 2.30 PM today.

Edifice Engineering of West Bengal has been granted the assignment, and the firm has partnered with South African firm Jet Demolitions to demolish the pair of buildings in a controlled demolition. As the Twin Towers are brought down, here is a list of the 5 biggest controlled demolitions in human history.

Kingdome, Seattle, United States

A multipurpose sports venue with 65,000 seats, the Seattle Kingdome was inaugurated in 1976. With a diameter of almost 660 feet and a height of 250 feet above the playing surface, the stadium’s dome was the largest thin shell concrete roof in the entire world. A compression ring at the dome’s top connected to a concrete tension ring at the dome’s base through radial concrete ribs that were cast in place. There were thin concrete shells in between the concrete ribs.

Because of a design defect, the Kingdome’s roof had problems right from the start. The roof’s acoustic ceiling tiles were used as moulds to pour concrete over the roof sections because the stadium had a smaller budget compared to its contemporaries. Six metal clips were used to secure the tiles, however, when moisture from the polyurethane insulation accumulated in the tiles owing to ineffective water vapour management, their effectiveness deteriorated. As a result, three months prior to the stadium’s inauguration, leaks in the roof were discovered.

Subsequent attempts to fix the issue either made it worse or were quickly undone. Though it lasted for 24 straight years, but the issue could not be solved. Therefore, in 2000, the Kingdome was demolished, and its place was taken by separate baseball and football stadiums.

AfE Tower, Frankfurt, Germany

When the 381-foot-tall AfE Tower, built in 1972, was demolished in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2014, it became the highest structure ever demolished using explosives. The building was used by Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. The AfE Tower was initially intended to house 2,500 students. However, since its inception, the building was occupied by a substantially higher number of students, resulting in waiting times of more than 15 minutes at the seven elevators. Only five of the seven lifts were operational, and they were frequently stuck.

Finally, it was concluded that the university would acquire a significant number of new buildings on the Westend campus. The AfE Tower was rendered obsolete due to outdated technologies. As a result, it was decided that the building would be demolished.

The destruction of the AfE Tower began on July 8, 2013, and was expected to last ten to twelve months. Finally, in February 2014, the 50,000-tonne structure was brought down with around 10,000 onlookers watching using 950kg of explosives and proactive safety precautions such as 6.5m high barricades, water tanks, and a 250m exclusion zone.

Genoa Bridge, Genoa, Italy

A section of the Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, Italy, fell after heavy rainfall on August 14, 2018. The death toll was estimated to be 43, with a large number left wounded. The bridge was almost 1.2 kilometres long and carried the A10 highway over the city. It opened in 1967 and served as a significant conduit for commodities from local ports supplying the Italian Riviera and France’s southeast coast.

The collapse of the bridge sparked widespread concern throughout Europe about the structural stability of critical infrastructure. Several enquiries were set up and it was decided to demolish the remaining part of the bridge and construct a new one.

The demolition took place in 2019, with 80,000 tonnes of concrete left after it was demolished. The bridge was surrounded by 50 big water tanks to reduce possible air pollutants and prevent dust from spreading to the city.

Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, United States

The Dunes Hotel was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from May 23, 1955, to January 26, 1993. The Dunes’ architecture was influenced by stories from the Arabian Nights. The Dunes struggled despite its great debut because of its location at the southernmost part of the Strip at the time. After experiencing serious financial issues, the casino stopped operating in 1992.

Dunes, like many other famous hotels of the era, was unable to compete with the brand-new, thrilling megaresorts that were emerging. Following its financial struggles, on October 27, 1993, The Dunes was demolished in a spectacular celebration that featured large fireworks displays and the use of three “cannon bursts” from the English cruiser “HMS Britannia.”

Landmark Tower, Texas, United States

The Landmark Tower was a 30-story skyscraper in Downtown Fort Worth, Texas, located at 200 West 7th Street. The building was abandoned in 1990 and stood empty for more than 15 years until it was demolished in 2006.

The building changed hands several times over the years. Plans to convert it into a high-end luxurious apartment and condominium structure similar to The Tower, as well as opportunities to restore, reclad, and develop around it, were in the works, but the project was scrapped. Finally in 2006, it was demolished in a controlled way.

Watch: A look at the immediate impact of the demolition as the Twin Towers finally come down in Noida

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: A look at the immediate impact of the demolition as the Twin Towers finally come down in Noida

On August 28, using controlled demolition, the Supertech Twin Towers named Ceyane and Apex in Noida were demolished at around 2:30 PM. The preparations for the demolition were going on for seven months, including one month of planning and six months of onsite preparations. The demolition was executed using 3700 KGs of explosives, and it was carried out by two companies named Edifice Engineering and Jet Demolitions, a South African company that holds expertise in such demolitions.

Two minutes before the demolition, the final clearance signal was given. As the final countdown began, there was silence for a few seconds followed by multiple blasts. The building was brought down in just 9 seconds. A large cloud of dust took over the area immediately after the demolition. The dust cloud will take a few hours to get cleared. As per reports, the residents of the nearby towers have been asked not to return to their homes before 7 PM today.

At 6 PM, Edifice Engineering and Jet Demolitions will hold a press conference and provide detail of the demolition and the after-effects. As of now, no reports have emerged of any damage to nearby buildings but it is anyway too soon to make any statement.

Visuals of demolition went viral on social media

Several videos of the demolition from different angles went viral on social media.

The total cost of the demolition was around 20 crores. The water sprinklers were activated within minutes of the demolition to settle the dust as soon as possible and reduce its impact on the neighbouring areas.

Image Source: Times of India

As a result of the demolition, over 80,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste have been produced. While 50,000-55,000 tones out of them will be used to fill the site, the rest will be processed by a construction plant. The NOIDA officials said the rubble from the demolition site would be cleared in 3 months. The demolition was carried out following an order by the Supreme Court of India that was passed last year.

Pakistan: Emergency declared as deadly floods claim more than 1000 lives

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Emergency declared as deadly floods claim more than 1000 lives

On Thursday 25th August 2022, the government of Pakistan declared a “national emergency” in response to the catastrophe brought about by heavy rains and flooding in various regions of the country. According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) most recent statistics, rainfall and flooding have already claimed more than 1000 lives and left at least 33 million people without shelter. 119 people have died within the last 24 hours in the country. On Saturday, four people died in Balochistan, six in Gilgit Baltistan, 31 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 76 in Sindh.

At least 110 districts in Pakistan have been left devastated by floods as a result of the persistent heavy rain, which has affected more than 33 million people. According to Geo News, a total of 72 districts have been declared disaster-affected as Pakistan struggles with its biggest natural disaster in decades.

Around a million houses have been damaged in the floods, out of which, nearly 300,000 have been completely ruined while over 600,000 have suffered a partial loss. Additionally, over 700,000 animals have perished as a result of the floods. The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of Pakistan issued an alert on Saturday, stating that a very high and above-level flood is likely to persist in the River Kabul near Nowshera for the ensuing 24 hours. In the upcoming 24 to 48 hours, River Indus near Kalabagh and Chashma is also predicted to see high to extremely high flood levels.

To shorten response times, it was advised that all concerned ministries and departments, municipal and city administrations, and others, maintain a high alert level and monitor the evolving situation. All civic organizations and rescue services, such as Rescue 1122, the Fire Brigade, Ambulance, and Civil Defense, have also been advised by the department to remain on high alert and ensure that personnel and equipment are available in high-risk areas during the predicted period.

The advisory mentioned, “Timely evacuation of at-risk population from low-lying / flood prone areas as per Evacuation Plans and ensure availability of shelters, food, and medicines in those shelter camps.”

Pakistan’s Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman said, “Pakistan is going through its 8th cycle of monsoon; normally the country has only three to four cycles of rain. Pakistan is under an unprecedented monsoon spell and data suggests the possibility of re-emergence of another cycle in September.”

Rehman claimed that the current state of Pakistan is worse than the floods of 2010. She claimed that in several parts of the nation, bridges and communication infrastructure has been destroyed by flash floods brought about by severe rainfall.

Watch: Supertech Twin towers in Noida reduced to dust in a controlled demolition, debris to be cleared in 3 months

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Supertech Twin towers in Noida reduced to dust in a controlled demolition, debris to be cleared in 3 months

The Supertech twin towers of Noida were demolished through a controlled implosion at around 2:30 pm on Sunday (August 28).

In a span of just 9 seconds, the two towers (named Ceyane and Apex) comprising 850 flats were reduced to rubble. Built as a part of the Emerland Court project, the high-rise buildings were located near the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.

The demolition took 7 months of preparation, including 1 month of planning and 6 long months of onsite preparation. It was carried out using 3700 kg of explosives by two companies named Edifice Engineering based in West Bengal and Jet Demolitions from South Africa.

The controlled implosion resulted in 80,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste. About 50,000-55,000 tonnes of debris will be used to fill the site and the remaining will be shifted to a construction plant for processing. 4-metre-deep trenches have been dug in the blast area to contain the rubble. Water sprinklers and several other measures have been kept ready to reduce dust.

The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) officials had assured to remove the rubble within a period of 3 months.

The preparations had begun with the removal of everything not part of the main structure of the towers, including all extra concrete. All the debris generated in this process were kept in the basement of the structures, to create cushions for the impact of the blasts. For the demolition, 9642 holes were drilled into the columns and shear walls of the towers, each having a diameter of 35 mm. Around 3700 kg of explosives were brought from a PESO-authorised magazine in Palwal to fill the holes, which were connected to the detonator. It is a mixture of dynamite, emulsions and plastic explosives.

The entire demolition process was led by Joseph Robert Brinkkman, the CEO and MD of the South African company.

The Twin Towers seen from satellite (Google Earth image)

Preparations for demolishing the Supertech Twin Towers

As part of the demolition drive, around 5000 residents of nearby apartment complexes were asked to evacuate. This included those residing in ATS Green Village and Emerland Court. Around 3000 vehicles in the nearby societies were also removed before the blasts, and people will be allowed to return only after the site is declared safe.

The authorities had also asked people in the surrounding areas to not come outside during the blast time. They sent messages asking residents in the area to keep indoors from 2 PM to 5 PM, and to keep the doors and windows closed. The area also was declared a no-flying zone and using drones in the area during the blast was banned.

An exclusion zone of up to 50 metres radius around the blast site was created where no human or animal will be allowed, except the demolition team. Ambulances, fire tenders, police personnel, NDRF and paramilitary teams were kept ready at the site.

India Today journalist Shiv Aroor, who lives in one of the two apartment complexes, had also evacuated his residence as per the advice of the Resident Welfare Association (RWA).

No animal or human was allowed in the 500-metre vicinity of the explosion zone. A team from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 4 fire tenders, 8 ambulances and police personnel were deployed at ground zero.

Journalist Tavleen Singh Aroor had earlier informed how parking lots were emptied and balconies were covered in thick plastic sheets.

Residents of the area had expressed concern about the dust storm, following the demolition of the twin towers. They argue that the sudden airborne particles may lead to health problems. The officials had therefore arranged for water tankers, sanitation staff and mechanical sweeping machines. The towers nearest to the twin towers were also covered with fabric to prevent dust from entering them.

Authorities will also be monitoring the air quality of the area. The residents of ATS Green Village and Emerland Court will be allowed to return to their apartments by evening.

Edifice Engineering officials had assured that there will be no harm to the nearby buildings. They have said that the vibration in for ground due to the explosion will be 34 mm per second, while the buildings in the Delhi-NCR region that fall under Seismic Zone 5 are designed to withstand vibrations of 300 mmps. Edifice Engineering chief Utkarsh Mehta had said that the company has got a Rs 100 crore insurance to cover any damage during the task, but they are confident that they won’t have to claim it.

Last year, the Supreme Court of India gave a green signal to the demolition of the Supertech twin flouting regulations and safety protocols. The high-rise buildings were constructed in violation of Uttar Pradesh Apartments Act, 2010 and Uttar Pradesh Industrial Area Development Act, 1976.

Gujarat: Hindu youth Rohit Singh dies by suicide after his Muslim wife and brother-in-law forcefully feed him beef

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Gujarat: Hindu youth Rohit Singh dies by suicide after his Muslim wife and brother-in-law forcefully feed him beef

Two months ago, in Patelnagar in the Udhna area of Surat, a 24-year-old migrant Hindu youth Rohit Pratap Singh died by suicide by hanging himself. Now, the investigation of this case brought up shocking details of the incident. In the probe, it has been revealed that the deceased youth took the extreme step because he was fed beef by his Muslim wife Sonam Ali and her brother Mukhtar Zakir Ali. The brother-sister duo tortured and threatened the deceased Hindu youth. Rohit then committed suicide in desperation. Based on this fact, the Udhna police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against the wife and her brother.

Rohit Singh committed suicide in June 2022

Rohit Ajit Pratap Singh (age 24) was originally from Uttar Pradesh and he was living in the Patelnagar plot number 122 in the Udhna area of Surat. He committed suicide by hanging himself on a fan using a dupatta at his house at 2.30 pm on June 27. The Udhna police had earlier registered a case of accidental death and launched an investigation. At that time, the police said that the second marriage of the deceased took place six months ago and the reason behind the youth’s suicide is yet to be ascertained.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Rohit Singh had an affair with Sonam Ali, a Muslim girl from Karchala in Lahrapur in the Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh. She used to live near Rohit Singh’s house with her brother Mukhtar Zakir Ali. A few months ago, Sonam Ali and Rohit Singh got married. However, despite Rohit Singh being a Hindu, Sonam Ali and Mukhtar Zakir Ali forcefully fed him beef, they tortured him and threatened him. As a result, Rohit Singh committed suicide.

A suicide note posted on Facebook revealed after 2 months

Before committing suicide, Rohit Singh wrote a suicide note and put it on his Facebook account. His brother came to know about his death through a native friend. After this, a complaint was lodged against Sonam Ali and her brother Mukhtar Zakir Ali at the Udhna police station.

In his suicide note written in Hindi, Rohit Singh said, “Today I am leaving this world. My wife Sonam and her brother Mukhtar Ali are responsible for my death. I request all of you friends, please give justice to me. I was threatened to be killed and was fed beef. Now, I don’t deserve to be alive. Therefore, I am committing suicide. Yours Rohit Singh.”

Sonam did not inform Rohit’s family about his death

According to Rohit Singh’s mother’s complaint, his wife Sonam did not inform the family about his death, and the last rites were also done by the landlord. Two months later the family came to know about his suicide through a social media friend. Rohit’s mother Vinadevi said that her son Rohit was not in contact with her for a year after he started living with Sonam, and therefore didn’t know about his death.

Moreover, the suicide note uploaded to Rohit’s Facebook account was also noticed recently. “Two months later on Friday some of his friends approached his mother and told her that they have found a suicide note allegedly uploaded by Rohit claiming that he was forced to eat beef by Sonam and her brother Mukhtiar,” said police. After learning about the incident, Rohit’s mother lodged a complaint of abetment to suicide against Sonam and Mukhtar.

Police said that they have registered a case against the two accused, but examining if the suicide note was uploaded by the deceased himself or someone else on his Facebook account. Police say they are suspicious about how the suicide note on Facebook was noticed two months after it was uploaded. PI Harshad Acharya said that it is mysterious how nobody noticed the suicide note on the deceased’s FB account for two months. “We are investigating to see if the FB account the deceased was tampered and also getting the handwriting in the suicide note verified. We have yet not arrested the accused,”

Twitter finds meme opportunity even in Supertech Twin Tower demolition, and some of those are, umm, dark

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter finds meme opportunity even in Supertech Twin Tower demolition, and some of those are, umm, dark

Disclaimer: Some memes, jokes in this article could be offensive to some. We advice you to proceed at your own risk.

Supertech Twin Towers in Noida are set to be demolished at 2:30 PM on Sunday and that is all everyone seems to be talking about on the Internet. Residential societies nearby are evacuated and stray dogs are rescued and health and safety advisories are issued in neighbouring societies as precautionary measure.

Over 3,700 kg of explosives are going to be used and the entire process is expected to get over in about 9 minutes with explosion lasting about just 9 seconds. Television channels are giving round the clock coverage and so that is all everyone is currently talking about.

One thing led to another and before we knew it, memes and jokes were flooding the social media network on the demolition of twin towers. Some say dark humour is a great way of coping mechanism for grief. While that may or may not be true, some of the jokes on the twin tower demolition got, umm, quite dark.

OpIndia does not pass any moral judgement on these memes and jokes and dark humour is not necessarily appreciated by all and hence proceed with caution.

The above is an edited clip from the movie Raja where Madhuri Dixit asks Sanjay Kapoor to rape. The story of the film also revolves around an attempted rape of Madhuri by one person disguised as Sanjay Kapoor’s deranged father. However, the above clip shows the media frenzy around the demolition of twin towers, pun not quite intended.

Disputed structure at Ayodhya

A Twitter user shared an image of the disputed structure at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya which was demolished by karsevaks on 6th December, 1992. The structure ‘Babri Masjid’ was brought down with hammers and other such things by karsevaks and no explosives were used to demolish them. However, few months later, to take revenge for this demolition, serial bomb blasts took place in Mumbai. Since demolition of this disputed structure, there have been many terror attacks in India by those who want to construct disputed structure again.

One Twitter user shared a still from the image Nayak and mocked media coverage of demolition of Twin Towers.

Twitter user said that no matter how low the towers fall, they wont fall lower than Arvind Kejriwal’s morals.

A Twitter user morphed image of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and deputy CM Manish Sisodia on top of the towers and called them the ‘dangerous twin towers’.

And when one hears demolition and twin towers in one sentence one is reminded of the World Trade Centre twin towers in New York, United States of America, that were brought down by Al Qaeda terrorists led by terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

Some even joked at how excited everyone was to watch the twin towers being demolished on a day there is an India vs Pakistan match.

As we all wait for bated breath for the demolition of the twin towers, we pray for safety for all.

Allahabad HC upholds conviction of Kanpur man Ishrat who had mutilated private parts of a 4-year-old girl 34 years ago

OpIndia Staff
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Allahabad HC upholds conviction of Kanpur man Ishrat who had mutilated private parts of a 4-year-old girl 34 years ago

On Friday (August 26), the Allahabad High Court upheld the conviction of a man named Ishrat for mutilating the private part of a 4-year-old and attempting to rape her in 1988.

The matter was heard by a single-Judge Bench of Justice Krishan Pahal. While upholding the sentence of the trial court, he remarked, “This is one of the most serious and diabolic offence committed against a minor girl of tender age of four years.”

The Allahabad High Court noted that the guilt of the accused Ishrat was proved beyond any reasonable doubt. “The said offence has been committed out of severe sexual lust and sadistic approach,” it stated.

“The appellant does not deserve any kind of leniency as the said case stands proved beyond any reasonable doubt by the statement of the prosecution witnesses and the medical evidence adduced,” the court added.

Justice Krishan Pahal also dismissed aspersions cast by the advocates of Ishrat about alleged discrepancies in the statement of the victim and witnesses. He observed, “This Court is of the considered view that it is but natural that minor discrepancies and contradictions may appear in the statement of witnesses.”

“It is a settled law that in the evidence of untutored witnesses such contradictions are bound to creep in,” he further emphasised. The court then directed Ishrat to surrender and cancelled his bail bond.

The Allahabad High Court also expressed regret that the State of Uttar Pradesh did not appeal against the short sentence, handed out to the accused by the trial court, despite committing an unspeakable atrocity on a toddler. It noted, “The lethargy of the public prosecutor is highly deplorable.”

The Background of the Case

On the fateful day of November 29, 1988, Irshat lured the minor daughter of Shaukat Ali with a toffee while she had gone to one of the neighbour’s houses to play. He took her behind the bushes in a field and disrobed her.

Irshat then went on to mutilate her private parts with a blade [pdf]. He also tried to rape the 4-year-old girl. The incident took place between 1 pm and 3 pm on November 29 that year. After committing the heinous crime, he fled from the spot, leaving the victim in a pool of blood.

The minor girl was then rushed to a nearby hospital by the local people. Dr. Ashok Upadhyay, who examined the victim on the same day, noted, “Horizontal incised wound 6cm x 1cm x muscle deep present on the pubic region 6cm below the umbilicus fresh bleeding present.”

The victim’s mother (also a witness in the case) had informed the court that she had a heated argument with Irshat, about 15 days prior to his heinous crime.

Irshat was arrested in December 1988 and charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) and 354 (using criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage).

The accused was eventually convicted by the trial court in October 1992. He had tried to evade prosecution by claiming that he was a juvenile, a claim disproven by a bone ossification test. Out of 10 witnesses, only 2 (Gulshan and Mohammed Javed) had turned hostile and claimed to have not witnessed the incident.

One of the breakthroughs in the case was the ability of the victim to identify her perpetrator by name. After 34 years, the Allahabad High Court upheld the conviction of the accused by the trial court.

Adolf Hitler joins Trinamool Congress in Meghalaya, gives the party a big boost

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Adolf Hitler joins Trinamool Congress in Meghalaya, gives the party a big boost

Former minister and three-time MLA from Rangsakona, Adolf Lu Hitler Marak, has joined Trinamool Congress in Meghalaya. Hitler joined TMC last week along with former state vice president of BJP, David Ch Marak, and retired education department official, Bhupendra G Momin.

Sharing the news, All India Trinamool Congress’ Meghalaya handle said, “For Meghalaya’s prosperous future! Inspired by our progressive vision, former MLA Adolf Lu Hitler Marak, former BJP VP Mr David Ch Marak, and Retd. Joint Director of Education Dept. Mr Bhupendra G Momin joined us in South Tura, West GH.”

The official handle further tweeted that party MLAs Zenith M Sangma, and Lazarus Sangma along with former MLA Noverfield R Marak and other leaders welcomed the new joiners. They said that they shall strive to ensure Meghalaya’s welfare.

MLA Zenith Sangma said that this is just the tip of the iceberg and more leaders are expected to join TMC soon in the state. Sangma said, “He (Hitler) has been a representative of the people and served the state. He was also a minister representing Rangsakona and we welcome him. People from different walks of life are joining us and this will continue forward as well.”

While joining the party, Adolf Hitler said that he felt the next government would be formed by the TMC in the state and Hitler’s experience as a leader representing the people of Garo Hills would help the party.

Adolf Hitler is not the only oddly named politician in Meghalaya politics. Back in 2013, Hitler fought assembly elections against two similarly strange names in Frankenstein Momin and Billykid Sangma.

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