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Washington Post reporter who got away with racism against Indians gets suspended over sexist tweet

OpIndia Staff
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Washington Post reporter who got away with racism against Indians gets suspended over sexist tweet

On June 6 (local time), The Washington Post’s reporter David Weigel was suspended for one month without pay for retweeting an allegedly sexist tweet. Weigel has removed the RT and issued an apology for the same. Interestingly, Weigel has a long history of publishing racist tweets targeting Indians, but no action was taken against him.

Weigel’s sexist RT that started a storm at WaPo

On June 3, Washington Post’s correspondent Felicia Sonmez posted a screenshot of the RT by Weigel. The tweet read, “Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if it’s polar or sexual.” The “joke” was published by YouTuber Cam Harless. It essentially stated that all women are either mentally unwell or are bisexual.

NIHM says Bipolar is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. A Bisexual is a person who is sexually interested in both men and women.

Quoting the RT, Sonmez sarcastically said, “Fantastic to work at a news outlet where retweets like this are allowed.” Washington Post mentioned that Sonmez did not limit her reaction to Twitter but confronted Weigel on the internal Slack channel of the company. While questioning why the RT was done, she wrote it sent “a confusing message about what the Post’s values are.”

Sonmez sarcastically posted a tweet saying ‘Fantastic to work at a news outlet where retweets like this are allowed.’ Source: Twitter

As more employees of WaPo chipped in on the internal channel, national editor Matea Gold stepped in and wrote, “I just want to assure all of you that The Post is committed to maintaining a respectful workplace for everyone. We do not tolerate demeaning language or actions.” The issue was being discussed online as well, which prompted the company to issue an official statement.

Kris Coratti, chief spokesperson of the company, issued a statement and said, “Editors have made clear to the staff that the tweet was reprehensible and demeaning language or actions like that will not be tolerated.”

Sonmez continued to receive abuses on social media

Following the tweet by Sonmez pointing out the problematic tweet by her colleague Weigel, a storm of abuse found a way to her. She posted a long thread on June 6 (local time) with screenshots of the abusive tweets she was receiving in retaliation to the question she raised over the sexist tweet.

Sonmez was called a bitch, the face of the evil, a person with nazi tendencies, depressed, miserable, bully, toxic personality, and ironically ‘bipolar.’

Weigel’s racist tweets toward Indians

In May 2021, OpIndia reported how David Weigel had posted a hate-filled tweet toward Indians. In a now-deleted tweet, Weigel had said, “Got two scam calls today, and I swear to God, my first thought was, “this is good, covid-19 cases in India must be low enough for people to go back to the office.” Weigel implied that Indians are the ones who make ‘scam calls’ to the people residing in the US.

When he was called out for the tweets targeting Indians, he went on a blocking spree. It is noteworthy that WaPo has a long history of having anti-India reporters on board which include columnists like Rana Ayyub.

Shiv Sena MLAs shifted to a hotel in Mumbai ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena MLAs shifted to a hotel in Mumbai ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls

A group of Shiv Sena MLAs and some Independent legislators reportedly boarded a luxury bus on Monday for an unknown resort in Malad after a meeting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The removal of the MLAs came ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in the state and amid fears of horse-trading by the opposition.

Two buses were seen parked outside the Sahyadri Guest House, the official guest house of the Maharashtra government. There were speculations that the MLAs will be taken to Hotel Retreat in Malad, one of the western suburbs of Mumbai.

The MLAs are expected to spend the next three days at the hotel. According to the sources, Congress and NCP are also mulling over a strategy to keep their MLAs as well as Independents and legislators of allied parties together to avoid the risk of cross-voting.

In Maharashtra, six seats are there for the taking. BJP’s Piyush Goyal, Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, Congress’ Vikas Mahatme, and P Chidambaram are set for retirement. The terms of NCP MP Praful Patel and Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut also end on June 10. The BJP has fielded three candidates while in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camp, the Congress and NCP have both fielded one candidate each, and the Shiv Sena two. The contest is for the sixth seat, with the BJP rejecting the MVA offer for an additional seat to avoid elections. The electoral battle will be between the BJP’s Dhananjay Mahadik and Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Pawar.

The BJP has fielded Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde, and ex-MP Dhananjay Mahadik, while Shiv Sena has named two candidates—Sanjay Raut and Sanjay Pawar. Praful Patel is renominated by the NCP while Congress has fielded Imran Pratapgarhi.

Iraq sentences a British geologist to 15 years in jail for smuggling ancient artefacts, his family says he had ‘no idea it was a crime’

OpIndia Staff
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Iraq sentences a British geologist to 15 years in jail for smuggling ancient artefacts, his family says he had ‘no idea it was a crime’

A British retired geologist has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Iraq court on Monday for attempting to smuggle ancient artefacts out of the country. Jim Fitton, 66, who originally hails from Bath, had stolen 12 stones and shards of broken pottery during his last geology and archaeology visit to the country.

While pronouncing the verdict, Judge Jabir Abd Jabir opined that Fitton had criminal intent to smuggle the relics, which were dated as older than 200 years as per a technical government investigation. He further added that the British geologist had picked them up with the intention of transporting them out of the country.

The maximum penalty for the crime in Iraq is death by hanging, but the court opted to give Jim Fitton, 66, a reduced term because of the accused’s old age, said the Judge.

However, when the judge questioned the British geologist as to why he tried to take the artefacts out of Iraq, he said it was his “hobby” and said he did not know what he was doing is illegal. Fitton haa maintained that he had collected the items as souvenirs while visiting a heritage site in Eridu, an ancient Mesopotamian site, that is now in the Dhi Qar province in southeast Iraq.

“I didn’t realise that taking them was against the law,” Fitton said, adding that some of the ancient sites were open and unguarded.

The family of the British geologist also defended Fitton by saying that he had no idea that he was doing anything illegal. “For a man of Jim’s age, 15 years in an Iraqi prison is tantamount to a death sentence,” the family said, adding, “Particularly for such a trivial and dubious crime, a crime Jim was not even aware of when he perpetrated it.”

The family, which said that the news of Fitton’s imprisonment has ‘absolutely shattered’ them and left them heartbroken, urged the government to help free him. “We are raising an appeal and will continue to fight for Jim’s freedom, and urge the government to support us in every way possible and to open lines of communication with us at a senior level,” the family of the British Geologist was quoted as saying by BBC News.

According to reports, Fitton was arrested at Baghdad airport on March 20 along with a German national Volker Waldmann. The duo had been part of a tourism expedition across Iraq’s ancient sites.

On arrival at the Baghdad airport, customs officers and witnesses said that Fitton’s bag had contained about a dozen stone fragments, pieces of pottery or ceramics. Waldmann was also accused of having two pieces in his bag, although he denied having them at the beginning of the trial on May 15.

When Fitton did not arrive on a scheduled trip back to Kuala Lumpur, where he resides with his wife, on March 20, his family became concerned. The family was subsequently informed that Fitton was transferred to an airport holding cell, where he was still being kept.

The court found Waldmann not to have criminal intent in the case and ordered his release but sentenced Fitton to 15 years in prison.

Meanwhile, Fitton’s lawyer, Soud, has stated that he plans to appeal Fitton’s sentence as soon as possible. It remains unclear though whether Fitton will be allowed to spend his jail term in his home country, which is a possibility because of the Iraq-UK prisoner transfer arrangement.

Mumbai Police to summon Nupur Sharma over her alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Muhammad

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Police to summon Nupur Sharma over her alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Muhammad

Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey has shared the information with the media that Mumbai Police is going to summon former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her alleged blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad and record her statement. Nupur made those remarks during a news debate on the Shivling found inside the disputed Gyanvapi structure.

At least 2 FIRs have been registered against Nupur Sharma in Maharashtra, one at the behest of Islamic outfit Raza Academy, and another at Mumbra Police Station.

Nupur was charged under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 295 for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs, 153 A for promoting enmity between various groups, and 505 (2) for making statements constituting public mischief.

Sharing the information, the Mumbai Police Commissioner said, “Mumbai Police will soon send a summon to suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma & record her statement, in connection with her alleged comments against Prophet Mohammed during a news debate on the #Gyanvapi issue”

Earlier, Delhi BJP had distanced itself from Nupur’s remarks, and the party had suspended Nupur Sharma and Delhi BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal for their ‘objectionable’ remarks on Prophet Muhammad.

Following the suspension, the media had freely shared Nupur’s and Naveen Jindal’s addresses online, putting them at risk with multiple death threats coming their way daily.

Elon Musk slams Twitter for “resisting and thwarting” his right to information about fake accounts, warns of dropping deal

OpIndia Staff
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Elon Musk slams Twitter for “resisting and thwarting” his right to information about fake accounts, warns of dropping deal

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk on Monday accused Twitter of “resisting and thwarting” his right to information about fake accounts active on its platform, calling it a “clear material breach” of the terms of their merger agreement. 

Musk warned that he may walk away from the Twitter deal if the social media company fails to provide data on spam and fake accounts currently active on its platform.

A letter written to Twitter said, “Mr Musk reserves all rights resulting therefrom, including his right not to consummate the transaction and his right to terminate the merger agreement.”

The letter further stated that the merger agreement requires Twitter to provide the data Musk requested and opposed the company’s alleged claim that it is only required to provide information for the limited purpose of helping to close the transaction.

“To the contrary, Mr. Musk is entitled to seek, and Twitter is obligated to provide, information and data for, inter alia, ‘any reasonable business purpose related to the consummation of the transaction,’” the letter said.

“At this point, Mr. Musk believes Twitter is transparently refusing to comply with its obligations under the merger agreement, which is causing further suspicion that the company is withholding the requested data due to concern for what Mr. Musk’s own analysis of that data will uncover,” it further added.

As per reports, the letter says Musk would agree to ensure anyone reviewing the data, which would be bound by a non-disclosure agreement, and that he would not use any “competitively sensitive information” if the deal doesn’t close.

Earlier last month, Musk had tweeted that his deal with Twitter won’t move forward until he had more information about the number of fake accounts active on the service. On Friday (May 13), Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the 44 billion dollar Twitter deal has been temporarily put on hold, subject to the estimate that less than 5% of users on the micro-blogging platform are spam/fake accounts. For some observers, the move was a part of Musk’s negotiation tactic to lower the price of the $44 billion deal. 

He stated that his team would do a random sampling to calculate the number of fake accounts, but Twitter’s CEO later explained that nonpublic information would be necessary to get an accurate measure of fake accounts active on the service. However, Twitter executives were quoted as telling their staff that there was “no such thing” as putting the deal on hold as Musk claimed.

Shaitan ki behen and ‘Qaafir’: US lawmaker Ilhan Omar faces attacks from Islamists on Social Media for celebrating ‘Pride Month’

OpIndia Staff
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Shaitan ki behen and ‘Qaafir’: US lawmaker Ilhan Omar faces attacks from Islamists on Social Media for celebrating ‘Pride Month’

On June 2 (local time) United States lawmaker Ilhan Omar published a tweet in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Notably, the world is celebrating ‘Pride Month’ to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and to fight ‘discrimination’ against them. In her tweet, Omar said, “Happy Pride Month! We won’t stop fighting until all LGBTQ+ Americans can live free from discrimination.”

Her tweet did not go down well with the members of the Muslim community who expressed their ‘disgust’ in comments and quotes over her views.

Twitter user Islamicize wrote, “The way organizations still scramble to get hold of her for their events is a shameful show of weakness and absence of gheerah for the deen. How have any scholars still not takfired her is beyond my comprehension.”

Islamicize was amazed how she was called for events. Source: Twitter

Another Twitter user Muhammad Sattar Khan said, “What kind of Muslim are you, don’t you feel fear of Allah and his messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him)?”

Muhammad Sattar Khan questioned what kind of Muslim she was. Source: Twitter

She was even called ‘Qaafir’ by a user Abdul Hamid while another user Jiya’s RM called her ‘Shaytan ki Behn’.

Omar was called ‘Qaafir’ and ‘Shaytan ki Behn’ Source: Twitter

Twitter user Mohamed questioned if she ever read Quran and said, “Did you ever read the story of Prophet Loot in the Quran? Do you know what happened to the wife of prophet loot? She wasn’t doing the wrong act but her sympathies and her thinkings were same as the people of loot and in the end she was hit by the stone and died.”

Mohamed questioned if she had ever read Quran. Source: Twitter

Khushnood Ali Khan assumed Pride Month might have felt like Eid to Omar. He said, “Pride month is like Eid for Ilhan. She has been supporting this cause for her entire political career. And some compassionate imams have supported and defended her as well. You’re literally a disgrace to the hijab you’re wearing. If you are supporting them you are one of them.”

Khushnood called her disgrace to Hijab. Source: Twitter

Twitter user Cihan Adem-i said her tweet was an example of ‘How to leave Islam in one tweet…’

Cihan said her tweet was an example of ‘how to leave Islam’ in one tweet. Source: Twitter

Twitter user Crazy Warya blamed her support for the LGBTQ community on her third husband Tim Mynett who is a non-Muslim. He said, “The main issue started the moment you been divorced from a Muslim guy and remarried a non-Muslim and now you start supporting a thing that is against your faith better for you if you remove the hijab cause of your pics shows something against your tweets.”

Crazy Warya blamed her third husband for her support to LGBTQ. Source: Twitter

Interestingly, her support for the LGBTQ community came to light in March 2019. Later that year she departed her ways from her second husband Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi and married Tim Mynett who was her political advisor at one point.

What does Islam say about homosexuality?

Homosexuality is considered ‘Haram’ in Islam. As per Quran, the ‘People of Lot’ were destroyed by the ‘wrath of God’ because men had sex with men. Some Hadith collections also condemn homosexuality and transgender acts. Male homosexual acts are prescribed the death penalty. Many Islamic countries have the death penalty for homosexuality.

Punjab: Hindu organisations protest against growing population of Muslims in Batala; cite the increased crime rate and incidents of eve-teasing

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Hindu organisations protest against growing population of Muslims in Batala; cite the increased crime rate and incidents of eve-teasing

On June 4, Hindu organizations shut down shops of Muslims in Chakkri Bazar, Batala. Reports emerged that the action was taken after a Muslim shopkeeper was caught and beaten up by family members of a girl who was being harassed with lewd messages. The members of Hindu organizations said such incidents of eve-teasing became common in the city.

Furthermore, they had approached the administration over the matter before but they did not take any strict action. A month back, there were reports that Hindu organizations had approached SSP Batala over the sudden increase in the Muslim population in the city and expressed concerns over the alleged increase in the crime rate.

While speaking to Sanjha Punjab TV, Bajrang Dal leader Honey Mittal said the incident was not uncommon. He said, “This is not something new for the area. Two-three SSPs have changed and we are tired of submitting complaints. These people indulge in such activities daily and cause trouble. We have asked the administration to initiate a probe over the sudden increase of the people from the particular community in the region but the Police did not take any strict action.”

He further added, “When we were bringing the shopkeeper who had eve-teased a girl, Muslims in Chakkri Bazar stopped us. It looked like a nexus.” Mittal explained the whole matter that led to the action taken by Hindu organizations on Sunday. He said, “These shopkeepers take phone numbers from Hindu girls on the pretext that they would inform them about the fresh stock of suits and other items. Then they start sending lewd messages to the girls. In one of such incidents, one of the shopkeepers called a girl passing by and said she had mud on her back. When the girl did not stop, he touched her on the back. When the girl and her family members fought back they apologized.”

Mittal said they have collected the keys from shopkeepers and the same would be submitted to the Police. No shops would be allowed to function till strict action is taken against them. He said, “We are not doing anything for our good. We are doing it for the betterment of our generations to come.”

The eve-teasing incident of June 4

On Saturday evening, a girl accused a Muslim shopkeeper and his friends of eve-teasing following which they were trashed by the locals and members of Hindu organizations. A senior leader of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) Ramesh Nayyar said in a statement that when they learned about the incident, they rushed to the spot and caught the accused. He alleged that Police did not have any record of that person working in the area and demanded strict action against the culprits.

SHO Thana City Tejinderpal Singh said in a statement that the accused was brought to the Police station by locals and they were investigating the matter. No complaint was registered by the girl in the case.

Speaking to the channel, the shopkeepers of the Muslim community denied any knowledge of why their shops were ‘forcibly’ shut.

Eve-teasing and Love Jihad cases are on the rise

Speaking to OpIndia, Bajrang Dal Batala activist Raghav Sharma said, “In general, the girls who get eve teased by these anti-social elements do not raise voice as they are afraid of getting names smeared in the public. However, in the recent incident, the family of the girl was furious as the shopkeeper was sending lewd messages on Whatsapp to the girl. They came and trashed the shopkeeper. No case was filed against the shopkeeper by the family of the girl as she is getting married next month.”

He added, “When they left, the local shopkeepers gathered and raised objections over the increasing number of incidents of eve-teasing. It has become a daily affair in the area. They got the shops shut.” Sharma said the most depressing part of the case was that the shopkeepers of his community gathered in his support instead of calling out his actions. He alleged that the Muslim shopkeepers are working under a network or nexus that is indulged in Love Jihad.

The sudden increase in the Muslim population in Batala

The locals have alleged that the number of Muslims is rapidly increasing in the city and they are migrating from other states. Leaders of various Hindu organizations have raised the issue earlier. In May this year, they had submitted a memorandum to Batala SSP urging him to investigate the increasing number of Muslims in the area.

They alleged that the Muslims are taking shops on rent at exorbitant rates. They also appealed to the people of Batala not to rent the shops or houses to anyone from the particular community who came from other states. According to Rozana Update News Portal, a memorandum was submitted by the Hindu organizations in which they said unrecognizable people from particular communities roam around the city. They alleged most of them sell fruits and vegetables on the handcarts and have overtaken several sectors.

Furthermore, cases of Love Jihad are increasing in Punjab, especially in regions like Mukerian and Pathankot. The accused in those cases were from other states. The leaders of Hindu organizations urged the police to strictly implement regulations regarding rentals in the city and if anyone fails to submit documents, strict action should be taken against the parties involved.

Kanpur violence: UP police releases poster of 40 suspects, had earlier released the names of 36 rioters with Samajwadi Party leader Nizam Qureshi among them

OpIndia Staff
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Kanpur violence: UP police releases poster of 40 suspects, had earlier released the names of 36 rioters with Samajwadi Party leader Nizam Qureshi among them

Based on the examination of the CCTV footage, the Kanpur police on Monday released a poster of 40 suspects involved in the clash that took place on June 3. Violence broke out after Namaz last Friday when Islamists called for a forced shutdown in response to a remark made by BJP’s Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad.

The suspects in the poster are those who were caught on camera pelting stones and participating in the violence that erupted in Kanpur on Friday. The police have appealed to the public to help in the search for these people.

According to media reports, the Kanpur police will be sending the poster to districts in Kerala, Delhi, and Western UP to seek any information. Besides, it will be putting up the hoardings in strategic locations in and around the riot-hit area. The contact numbers of Station House Officers and top police officials will be displayed on the hoardings so that people may pass on the information on suspects to the police.

The poster was released by UP Police (Source: Telly Updates)

Besides, a WhatsApp number has also been provided for the people to inform the police if they have any information about the miscreants.

The police have assured that the identity of those giving information will be kept hidden and will be rewarded in cash.

Meanwhile, nine more people have been apprehended in connection with the violence, taking the total number to 38.

It may be recalled that in 2020, the Yogi Government in Uttar Pradesh had taken similar action shaming the anti-CAA rioters. It had put up hoardings of the anti-CAA rioters in prominent intersections in the state capital Lucknow, including their names, addresses and photos for unleashing violence and damaging public property during the riots in 2019 December. The rioters, who were accused of damaging government property during the anti-CAA protests, had been given notices of recovery for damaging properties. The rioters were also asked to pay the penalty amount within a month.

After Congress, Samajwadi Party links also emerge in Kanpur violence

Earlier, the Kanpur police on Saturday had released a list with the names of 36 rioters, and Samajwadi Party leader Nizam Qureshi’s name was amongst the top five on the list. Nizam Qureshi is the district president of the All India Jamiatul Qureshi Action Committee. He describes himself as the ‘Metropolitan Secretary’ of the Samajwadi Party. Qureshi along with Hayat Zafar Hashmi is among the accused named in the FIR in the case.

Hayat Zafar Hashmi was arrested on June 4, a day after the riots. He is also among the 40 accused named in the FIR in the case. Hashmi, identified as the main conspirator behind the clashes in Kanpur, is the former Secretary of Youth Congress.

Interestingly, after Nizam Qureshi was arrested, the Samajwadi Party distanced itself from the leader. The District President of the party, Dr Imran had come up with a handwritten letter claiming that Qureshi was ousted from the party on May 20, because he was not active in the day to day affairs of the party.

Screenshot of the handwritten letter released by Samajwadi Party leader Dr Imran (source: Republic TV)

Earlier in the day, Kanpur police revealed that a total of 141 WhatsApp groups were found on Hashmi’s mobile, and most of them had conversations regarding the Kanpur clashes. Several other names have also come up after going through the chats who were also active in those groups. 

Meanwhile, CCTV footage from the day of the violence has also surfaced, showing a group of people carrying petrol from a local petrol pump in PET bottles. This crucial finding comes after police discovered petrol-filled bottles near the clash site, indicating that they were used in the attack.

Tamil Nadu BJP hits out at DMK MP for his casteist ‘Hindi will make people shudras’ remark

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu BJP hits out at DMK MP for his casteist ‘Hindi will make people shudras’ remark

Tamil Nadu BJP has criticized state ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s MP TKS Elangovan for his casteist remark against people of Hindi-speaking states. BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said that DMK is trying to create a North-South divide with such remarks.

Reacting to Elangovan’s offensive remarks, the BJP spokesperson tweeted, “If Hindi comes in, it will make us Shudras; Hindi speaking states are underdeveloped states: DMK leader @Elangovantks . The DMK which is an off shoot of the Justice Party as claimed by its president @mkstalin , is exposed as a castiest party that is anti-Dalit.”

Thirupathy also asked for an apology from the DMK MP for his offensive remarks against Hindi-speaking people.

Earlier, the DMK MP said that Hindi is the language of under-developed states, and it is only spoken in under-developed states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar. He also said that non-Hindi states like West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Punjab are all developed states.

However, he did not stop there. Elangovan went on to say that Hindi will convert people into ‘Shudras’ and that Hindi will not be good for the people.

Following the outrage, Elangovan tried to backtrack from his casteist remarks. Speaking to ANI, the MP said, “Tamil society is an equanimous society and didn’t practice the class difference in the south. Because of the entry of the language from North, it has divided us also.” He further said that he meant when Hindi entered it may bring the cultural practice which was enforced in the north to them. So it will confirm their Shudra class.

‘Why have you come here, to stir conflict?’: Odisha villagers deny entry to ‘activist’ Medha Patkar to area of proposed Jindal steel plant

OpIndia Staff
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‘Why have you come here, to stir conflict?’: Odisha villagers deny entry to ‘activist’ Medha Patkar to area of proposed Jindal steel plant

On Monday, June 6, Leftist activist Medha Patkar, known for stirring protests and causing the long delay of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project in Gujarat, was denied entry to Odisha’s Dhinkia village in the Jagatsinghpur district.

As per reports, the so-called ‘environmental activist’ who is often accused of stalling infrastructure projects through campaigns, was stopped by Dhinkia villagers from entering the village and was sent back.

In visuals shared by Kanak News, a large group of villagers are seen gathered on a bridge, asking Medha Patkar why has she come and what is her intention. They repeatedly told Patkar that the villagers are fine, living in harmony and they don’t want Medha to cause conflicts in the village.

Earlier today, Patkar had visited the Kujang jail to meet ‘activist’ Debendra Swain who was arrested back in January following a clash with police. Swain was reportedly leading the protests against JSW’s proposed steel plant in Dhinkia village. Patkar reportedly said that she wanted to meet Swain’s family members but she was met with fierce protests and was sent back.

Protests in Dhinkia village over steel plant

It is notable here that the proposed mega steel plant project in Jagatsinghpur district was met with some protests in Dhinkia village back in January this year. Police had baton-charged a group of protestors who were opposing the steel plant. Following the police action, a number of people were arrested and some had absconded, fearing arrest.

In February this year, a group of so-called ‘environment activists’ tried to visit the Dhinkia village and meet villagers. The villagers and the district administration had stopped the activists and had told them that they can visit the general area without stopping at the village and speaking to any local villagers. A bike-borne group of 7 men had kept the visiting activists’ company and had ensured that they are not allowed to speak to any locals. The activists had alleged that the people who objected to their visit were ‘backed by the Jindal Group’.

JSW Group is planning a massive 13.2 mtpa capacity steel plant at the investment of Rs 55,000 crores in the area. It is notable here that Dhinkia is the village where the South Korean steel giant POSCO had met massive protests. After a long wait of 13 years when the Odisha government failed to procure land, POSCO had left the state. The Naveen Patnaik government then had taken up JSW’s proposal for the mega steel plant. Local betel farmers have been protesting against the project alleging that the acquisition process is not fair and betel leaf farmers may lose livelihoods. However, wary of the lack of industrialisation and resulting outward migrations, the Patnaik government has made clear that land acquisition will be completed soon for the Jindal plant. JSW wants 2800 acres in the Erasma block for its proposed plant.

Medha Patkar and her Narmada Bachao Andolan had kept dry regions of Gujarat deprived of water for decades

It is notable here that Medha Patkar had gained fame for her ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ against the Sardar Sarovar Dam and canal project. The long-proposed dam project was delayed for years over trivial issues by the UPA government at the centre and by activists like Medha Patkar. Though the foundation was laid by Nehru in 1961, protests, litigations and government delays had kept the project pending. Finally, it was the Modi government that cleared the project, a month after assuming office in 2014. The increase of the dam’s height from 121.92 metres to 138.68 metres quadrupled the dam’s storage capacity.

In 2017, Narmada waters finally reached the dry and parched region of Kutch.

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