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The New Indian Express uses the term ‘racial purity’ to make false claims about research on genetic ancestry, Rahul Gandhi furthers the propaganda

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The New Indian Express uses the term ‘racial purity’ to make false claims about research on genetic ancestry, Rahul Gandhi furthers the propaganda

The New Indian Express (TNIE) had recently published a report which claimed that the Central Cultural Ministry is going to study ‘Racial Purity of Indians’. It talked about the Ministry of Culture looking forward to acquiring state-of-the-art DNA profiling kits and machines to trace the genetic history and ‘trace the purity of races in India’.

The ‘Purity of Races’ angle in the article comes from the quote of Prof. Vasant Shinde, who serves as the adjunct professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru. Shinde notes that his team wants to study the mutation and mixing of genes that has happened in the last 10,000 years. While genetic mutation talks about the interaction of Indians with other populations of the world, studying the same will give us a clear-cut idea of our genetic history.

In the TNIE article, the news of the investigation to trace the genetic history of the Indian population was conflated with researchers studying the ‘purity’ of races in India. While the concept of ‘race’ remains purely a social concept and has no biological basis, purity here meant tracing the origins of DNA haplogroups among the Indian population. The deliberate contestation of the two led quite a stir among readers who were perplexed at the unscientific claims of the article. Soon, The Ministry of culture categorically dismissed the article as ‘misleading’.

However, it was for Congress MLA Rahul Gandhi to quote the report that was already labelled ‘factually incorrect’ and to go on indirectly connect the dots with Hitler’s racist policies in Nazi Germany. While tracing genetic ancestry had nothing to do with ‘racial purity’, Rahul Gandhi saw an opportunity to tag the article and score a political goal. By tagging the misleading piece from TNIE – which could have sentimental repercussions and fan polarization in the society, Gandhi wrote on Twitter, “The last time a country had a culture ministry studying ‘racial purity’, it didn’t end well. India wants job security & economic prosperity, not ‘racial purity’, Prime Minister.”

The Ministry of Culture has dismissed the misleading report by TNIE

The Culture Ministry took note of the article in Morning Standard edition of TNIE on 28th May and termed it as ‘misleading, mischievous and contrary to facts’. “The proposal is not related to establishing genetic history and “trace the purity of races in India” as alluded to in the article”, it said. The statement noted that while the proposal by the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) is being examined under merits, it only deals with upgrading the existing DNA lab in Kolkata to next-generation sequencing facilities for certain ongoing projects.

Even after the Ministry of Culture dismissed the report for being factually incorrect, Rahul Gandhi went on to sensationalise the fake news to capitalise on the charged sentiment against the alleged research on ‘racial purity’. Central Minister for Culture, G Kishan Reddy lashed out at Gandhi in a tweet saying, “Prior to Shri Gandhi’s tweet (probably from somewhere abroad), the Ministry of Culture, GoI had already flagged this article as ‘misleading’. Is he oblivious to this or has he intentionally chosen to further propagate such fake news?”

What the Experts Say

Noted Genetic Scientist Neeraj Rai has lashed out at The New Indian Express for deliberatively publishing a misleading article. Describing the article as ‘mischievous’, he said he is upset about his research being described as studying “racial purity”. DNA research has great potential for improving our understanding of human health and history and should not be used to support discriminatory ideas, he added.

Rai, who heads the ancient DNA Lab at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Govt. of India, criticised Rahul Gandhi for his blatant attempt at politicising a scientific investigation. He wrote tagging Rahul Gandhi, “Racial purity is not a thing and race is not a biologically supported context. It has been a tool for politicians to propagate racism and should not be conflated with genetic ancestry.”

Author and economist Sanjeev Sanyal, who has written several books on Indian history and geography, has noted that this is a classic case of deliberately misleading a scientific study. “Archaeo-genetics is a well-established field and attempts to trace the human journey. If anything it establishes that there is no such thing as “pure race”. Indeed, we are not even a “pure” species,” he wrote.

Author and Scientist Anand Ranganathan, who teaches molecular biology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University asserted that Race is not a biological concept but a social one. “Race is not a scientific concept, purity even less so. Not only are 8 Billion Humans 99.97% genetically identical, but the modern Human genome is also but a mishmash of primate, plant, bacterial, parasite, and viral DNA.” he tweeted.

While the claims of the article and its purposeful politicization by Rahul Gandhi were criticised left, right and centre, this is not the only instance where a scientific study related to genetics was politicised. The ‘Aryan Invasion Theory’, which was used by Dravidian Politicians and leftist historians for decades to claim that the ‘race’ of Aryans invaded/migrated to India between 2000 BCE and 1500 BCE, was debunked after new research proved that all claims of “invasion” by a ‘white-skinned Aryan race’ have been without any scientific basis. DNA studies have established that not only do all people in the Indian subcontinent share a common ancestry, there have been migrations ‘outwards’ from India, hinting at widespread trade and related migration.

Gujarat: 13-year-old boy beaten, sodomised by two clerics at Madani Madarsa in Ahmedabad, POCSO case registered

લિંકન સોખડિયા
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Gujarat: 13-year-old boy beaten, sodomised by two clerics at Madani Madarsa in Ahmedabad, POCSO case registered

A case of sexual harassment of a 13-year-old minor boy by two clerics at Madani Madarsa in the Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad has come to light. The child is under treatment at the nearby Shardaben Hospital. Police have registered a complaint under the POCSO Act and started investigating after the family lodged a police complaint.

According to exclusive information received by OpIndia through a reliable source, a daily wager, who lives in Gomtipur had sent the eldest of his six children, who is 13-year-old, to the Madani Madarsa in Bapunagar near him on 29th May 2022 for religious study during the summer vacation. On 30th May 2022, the parents were shocked when the child came home and told them about the inhuman act done to him by two clerics in the madarsa.

According to the child, he was also beaten up. He was taken to the nearby Shardaben Hospital for treatment as there were marks of beating on his body and injuries in the anal parts due to brutal sodomisation by the two clerics in the madarsa.

The father of the child informed that the eldest of his 6 children, aged 13 years, was studying in 7th standard in the government school no. 2. As the summer vacation was currently going on in the school, he had decided to send his son to a madarsa to study Islam as per the customs of his religion. On the morning of May 29, they took the child to the Madina Madarsa at Sundaramnagar in Bapunagar to inquire about the same, and finally, on the same day, the child was admitted there.

He further told that the next day, that is, on May 30, when he came home from work around 3 am, he saw that his son was home and resting. In the morning, when he asked his son why he had returned home, the son narrated the inhuman incident that had happened to him. The son said that on the 29th when the family left him at the madarsa, everything went well till the evening. But around 10 pm, the chief cleric of Madani Madrassa and another cleric approached him. The chief cleric, for no reason, hit him severely with a wooden stick on the back of his right ankle seven times and the other cleric held his left hand and gave him an injection on the side of the shoulder. The boy fell unconscious 5 minutes after the injection.

The child further told his father that when he regained consciousness after 30-35 minutes, he was having severe pain in the anus. So he was scared and escaped from the madarsa. While escaping, 3 people from the madrasa followed the boy to catch him. To avoid them, he hid in a hotel near Rajendra Park. After hiding there for a while, he took a lift on a bike leaving from the hotel and reached his house.

The victim’s father said in a complaint to the Bapunagar police station, “The chief maulvi at Madani Madarsa, Sunderamnagar, Bapunagar, and another maulvi committed an unnatural sexual act with my son after hitting him seven times on the ankle of his right leg with a wooden rod, injecting some substance near his left shoulder, making him unconscious.” The victim’s father further said that the child does not know the name of the other cleric but will definitely be able to identify him by looking at the photo.

This is not the first time that a maulana of a madarsa has been accused of sexually exploiting minor children. There have been several such cases before. It was only in 2020 that the Bhuj court rejected for the second time the bail application of Maulana Shamsuddin Haji Suleman Jat of a madarsa in Nakhtrana’s Dhoro village, who raped a 14-year-old girl several times from 2015 to 2019. In January 2022, Maulana Jamal Ahmed, aged 52, of a madarsa in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri district, raped an 8-year-old girl after which he was arrested.

In Addition, in May 2022, a POCSO court had sentenced Abdul Rahman, a cleric from Kota, Rajasthan, to life imprisonment for raping a 6-year-old.

The 13-year-old minor is still in Shardaben Hospital and his conditions are improving. The Bapunagar police have currently registered a complaint under POCSO and started their investigation.

“Is it true”: Smriti Irani lashes out at Arvind Kejriwal for giving clean chit to money laundering accused Satyendra Jain, asks 10 questions

OpIndia Staff
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“Is it true”: Smriti Irani lashes out at Arvind Kejriwal for giving clean chit to money laundering accused Satyendra Jain, asks 10 questions

On June 1, Union Minister Smriti Irani lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for giving clean chit to Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain. The Delhi health minister was arrested by ED on May 30 in a money laundering case connected to the hawala transactions by a Kolkata-based company. Addressing a press conference, Smriti Irani tabled ten questions for Kejriwal regarding the matter. Irani said, “Yesterday, Arvind Kejriwal gave clean-chit to Satyendra Jain. While posing as a judge, he acquitted Jain in a public court.”

She questioned, “Can Arvind Kejriwal deny the fact that Satyendra Jain did money laundering worth Rs 16 crores 39 lakh using 56 Shell Companies with support of his family members and hawala operators?”

In the second question, she asked Kejriwal, “Is it true that Satyendra Jain has admitted to indulging in money laundering activities worth Rs 16 crores 39 lakh under Income Disclosure Scheme, 2016 via Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain?”

She further asked, “Is it true that Principal Commissioner of Income Tax rejected the claims that Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain owned the money and said it was owned by Satyendra Jain?”

In the fourth question, she asked, “Is it true that Division Bench of Delhi High Court said in its order dated August 8, 2019, confirmed that Satyendra Jain did money laundering of Rs 16 crores 39 lakh?” She added if Kejriwal did not have a copy of the said order, BJP workers would send a copy with due respect.

She questioned, “Is it true that Satyendra Jain is the owner of Shell Companies?” The names of the companies, as stated by Irani, are Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd and Manglayatan Projects Pvt Ltd. She said Jain operates these companies with his wife. “Satyendra Jain and his wife have majority shareholding in one more company named JJ Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd,” she added.

In the next question, she asked, “Is it true that 200 Bigha land came under the ownership of Satyendra Jain in different areas of Delhi that had unauthorized colonies using the money he had laundered?”

In the seventh question, she asked, “Is it true that the department that is under Satyendra Jain vouched for authorizing the colonies near which the 200 Bigha land was located?”

She further asked, “Is it true that Satyendra Jain is the prime accused in the charge sheet under the Prevention of Corruption Act?”

In the ninth question, she asked, “Is it true Satyendra Jain’s companies offered the Income Tax department to impose a tax on the illegitimate income worth 16 crores 39 lakh that belonged to Satyendra Jain?

In the last question, she asked, “Should a person like Satyendra Jain, who admitted to doing money laundering, remain a minister in the AAP-led Delhi government?”

Irani said Kejriwal had claimed in May 31 press conference that corruption means sedition. “Is Kejriwal supporting a traitor?” she questioned.

Kejriwal gave clean-chit to Jain

On May 31, Cm Kejriwal said in a press conference that he had examined the case against Jain and called if ‘fake’. He said, “I have studied the case against Jain. It is completely fake and motivated by political reasons. We have faith in the judiciary. Jain is following the path of truth, and he will come out clean.”

Satyendra Jain sent to ED custody

In an alleged money laundering case, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has ordered Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain to be held in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till June 9th. Satyendar Jain, the Delhi Health Minister and a prominent Aam Aadmi Party leader, was arrested on Monday, May 30 in connection with a money laundering case involving a Kolkata-based firm and hawala transactions. Following his arrest on Monday, Satyendra Jain was brought before the court on Tuesday.

On August 25, 2017, the CBI filed an FIR against Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case. Based on this FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the ED initiated a criminal case against the AAP leader, alleging that Jain could not clarify the source of cash received by four firms in which he was a stakeholder. From 2010 to 2014, the firms allegedly laundered Rs 16.39 crores in funds.

Tamil Nadu: BJP chief K Annamalai, 5000 others booked by police for protests demanding cut in fuel prices as per DMK’s poll promise

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: BJP chief K Annamalai, 5000 others booked by police for protests demanding cut in fuel prices as per DMK’s poll promise

On Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu Police registered a case against BJP state chief K Annamalai, former National Secretary H Raja, and over 5,000 people for protesting and marching towards the state Secretariat in Chennai demanding to reduce petrol and diesel prices. The Police stated that the BJP leader had violated the law by organizing the protest on fuel prices without permission.

According to the reports, BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit had staged a massive protest at St. George Fort in Chennai on May 31 demanding the DMK-led government to honour its poll promise by effecting a cut in the prices of petrol by Rs 5 per litre and diesel by Rs 4 litre as well as subsidize cooking gas cylinders. The protest that was joined by thousands was led by BJP state chief K Annamalai.

“DMK government had promised in their manifesto that they would reduce the price of petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 4 respectively. PM Modi has reduced fuel prices twice. We demand the state govt to fulfill what it has promised in its manifesto”, Annamalai said during the protest march from the venue in Egmore to the state Secretariat.

Pertinently, the BJP Chief had criticized the state for not fulfilling the poll vows. He also had criticized Tamil Nadu Finance Minister for his remarks against the Central government. On May 22, after the Centre slashed excise duty on petrol and diesel, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P Thiaga Rajan accused the Centre of ‘exhorting states to cut taxes’. “Centre didn’t ask before hiking fuel prices; why to exhort states to cut VAT now”, he had said on Twitter.

Responding to these remarks, Annamalai said, “Did the finance minister of Tamil Nadu discuss with the Central government before releasing the election manifesto, in which they promised to cut the fuel and gas prices. After 2014, Tamil Nadu has increased VAT by Rs 7 per litre thus earning Rs 19,000 crore. Though they promised to reduce the petrol price by Rs 5 it was only cut by Rs 3 and kept the price of diesel unchanged.”

Taking to Twitter on May 31, the leader also stated that if the DMK government continues anti-people approach, the BJP members will go on a one day satyagraha across all the districts of Tamil Nadu. “Cadres across Tamil Nadu will assemble in Trichy in large numbers post our Satyagraha for a demonstration against the DMK Govt! That will surely mark the beginning of the end of DMK rule for TN!”, he tweeted.

The case has been registered in the Egmore Police station under 3 sections including illegal crowd gathering and stopping government officials from doing their duty.

ED summons Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over National Herald case

OpIndia Staff
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ED summons Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over National Herald case

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi in connection with a money laundering case related to National Herald.

The summons has elicited sharp reactions from the Congress party, which has alleged that the case was closed by the investigating agency in 2015. “The BJP is using puppet agencies to intimidate political opponents. National Heral has a history that goes back to independence days,” Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

“In 2015, the ED closed the National Herald case. But the govt didn’t like it and it removed the ED officials concerned, brought in new officials and reopened the case. This is to divert attention from inflation and other raging problems,” Singhvi added.

Earlier in April 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in connection with the money laundering probe linked to the National Herald case.

It is pertinent to note here that in 2020, the Enforcement Directorate had attached one of the most prime properties in Mumbai’s Bandra under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The said property, with market value to the tune of hundreds of crores of rupees, was illegally allotted to Associated Journals Limited (AJL).

The Bandra plot came under the spotlight after Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were dragged to court in Delhi after Subramaniam Swamy filed a case accusing them of misappropriating the National Herald’s properties. The aforesaid property in Bandra was provided to National Herald in 1983 at concessional rates to publish the newspaper.

Similarly, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier in December 2018 attached property worth Rs 30 crores in Mohali allotted by former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the case of Associated Journals & National Herald Case. The Supreme Court in 2918 upheld the Income Tax Department’s decision to re-open their tax assessment for the financial year 2011-2012 in connection with the National Herald Case.

National Herald Scam

The National Herald scam is one of the most notable legal cases in Indian history, as the Gandhis are directly accused. The Mother-Son duo of Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia, along with their aides – Oscar Fernandez, Motilal Vohra and Sam Pithroda are alleged to have been involved in massive ‘cheating and breach of trust’ in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL). Assets worth crores of rupees had been allegedly transferred for purposes other than originally intended for a paltry sum. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got unconditional bail in December 2015.

“Our history books have only 2-3 lines on Prithviraj Chauhan, but there is a lot mentioned about invaders”: Akshay Kumar

OpIndia Staff
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“Our history books have only 2-3 lines on Prithviraj Chauhan, but there is a lot mentioned about invaders”: Akshay Kumar

Actor Akshay Kumar, ahead of the release of his upcoming movie ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, a heroic story of a legendary Hindu Rajput king, lamented that history textbooks do not have much on him, stating that there are only 2-3 lines on Prithviraj Chauhan in the books. By contrast, he says, a lot is mentioned about the invaders who invaded India.

“I wanted to know more about Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan. I heard so many stories from him (Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi), but unfortunately, our history textbooks have only 2 or 3 lines about him. Everything else is there in the books, there are a lot of details about invaders, but there’s hardly any mention of our culture and our Maharajas,” Kumar lamented during his interview with ANI’s Smita Prakash.

When asked why indigenous kings have not gotten their due in history books, Kumar said, “Nobody is there to write about it in our history books. I would like to appeal to the Education Minister to look into this matter and see if we can balance it. We should know about the Mughals, but we must also know about our kings as well; they were great too.”

Speaking about whether the movie catered to Hindu nationalism, director Chandraprakash Dwivedi said it is not just about Hindu nationalism but about cultural nationalism too, and that there is nothing wrong in reviving Hindu or cultural nationalism.

‘Movie is not just about Hindu nationalism but cultural nationalism too’: Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi

“You used the term Hindu nationalism. I would call it cultural nationalism too. Nothing wrong with reviving Hindu nationalism/ Cultural nationalism as this nation’s character is Hindu, when I say Hindu, it means culture,” Dwivedi said.

He further explained why the movie’s cast had gone to Varanasi recently. “Since the movie is about cultural nationalism…as we know the spiritual capital of this country is Varanasi….so it was on my mind to remind our citizens that the invader who first destroyed Kashi Vishwanath Temple was Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the slave of Muhammad Ghori and is there in our movie.”

Dwivedi also explained a reference to Somnath Temple as depicted in his movie, highlighting how the rebuilding of Somnath after India’s independence in 1947 symbolised the country’s reclamation of its lost culture.

“Secondly, we also went to Somnath. Its reference comes in the movie. And Somnath was destroyed many times. The country was confronted with the question of whether to leave the destroyed Somnath Temple as it is or rebuild it to its past glory. In 1947, when India got independence, Sardar Patel, KM Munshi, Menon, and others worked towards rebuilding it, despite staunch opposition from former PM Jawaharlal Nehru because they argued that Somnath was their source of inspiration and faith,” Dwivedi said.

The Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ is set to hit the theatres on 3 June 2022. The film is based on Prithviraj Raso, a Braj language epic poem about the life of Prithviraj Chauhan, a Rajput king from the Chahamana dynasty. Besides Akshay Kumar who is playing the role of Prithviraj Chauhan, the movie has Manushi Chhillar, Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood, Manav Vij, Ashutosh Rana, and Sakshi Tanwar in pivotal roles.

Punjab: Armed robbers loot driver, conductor and passengers of a PRTC bus near Phillaur, angry passengers block Highway

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Armed robbers loot driver, conductor and passengers of a PRTC bus near Phillaur, angry passengers block Highway

The law and order situation in Punjab has deteriorated sharply in the recent times. With terror attacks and murders, now an armed robbery of a bus has been reported from the state. On June 1, armed robbers looted a Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC) bus on Ludhiana-Jalandhar main road near Laduwal Toll Plaza. As per reports, the bus was travelling from Ludhiana to Jalandhar when three men attacked the bus.

Three robbers looted a bus near Phillaur

News18 Punjabi reported that the bus was parked near the toll plaza picking up the passengers when the three robbers arrived on a motorcycle and an Activa scooter. They started abusing the conductor, and when the driver asked what the matter was, they snatched his chain. The robbers then asked the conductor to hand over his bag containing cash collected from passengers, but he refused. After this the robbers pulled out a pistol and threatened to kill him.

They snatched the bag from the conductor that had around Rs 10,000. After that, they looted valuables the passengers of the bus and fled from the scene.

After the incident, the angry passengers and bus drivers blocked the traffic on the nearby Highway leading to traffic congestion. The Police were informed, and officials rushed to the spot. They pacified the situation and cleared the road. An investigation into the matter is underway.

BJP leader Sirsa questioned Punjab’s law & order situation

Reacting to the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa took on to Twitter and questioned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the worsening Law & Order situation in Punjab. In a tweet, he said, “Ye hai Badlaav Bhagwant Mann Ji (Is this the change [you talked about] Bhagwant Mann Ji)? Every day Punjab sees a new type of crime or violence. Today, a state transport Bus was looted at Gun Point in Phillaur! Your publicity-focused Govt and lack of concrete action from Punjab Police has given goons free hand in planning robberies & murders.”

In a follow-up tweet, he said, “What a shame it is for Punjabis to see the law and order in the state worsening everyday!”

Maharashtra: Congress leader Somnath Kadam assaults elderly farmer and son, then goes to the hospital with goons to attack them again

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Congress leader Somnath Kadam assaults elderly farmer and son, then goes to the hospital with goons to attack them again

On Monday, a terrible incident was reported in the Tembhurni area of Solapur, Maharashtra, where Congress city president Somnath Kadam along with his close aides attacked an old farmer while he was undergoing medical treatment at a private hospital. The CCTV footage showed Kadam assaulting the old farmer, his son and another person with iron rods and sticks.

According to the local reports, Kadam had disallowed one of the laborers from entering the field of the elderly farmer and his son for daily labor. The duo then, who are also relatives of Kadam, had asked the reason for his interference in the fieldwork. However, Kadam lost his temper due to this questioning and attacked the old farmer and his son with iron rods and sticks in the field.

The farmer was severely injured in this attack and therefore he was admitted to the local hospital for treatment. However, Somnath Kadam was done with it, as he again assaulted the farmer in the hospital. Kadam along with five more persons entered the hospital and continued to brutally assault the injured farmer. Along with the farmer, his son and another person accompanying them were also assaulted by the Congress leader and his goons. The entire episode of assault was recorded in the CCTV footage of the private hospital, that went viral on social media.

The farmer’s community from the Madha town of Solapur strongly condemned the incident after they learned about the attack on the old farmer. They demanded strict legal action against Congress city president Somnath Kadam and five others involved.

Reportedly, a case has been registered against Kadam and his close aides for attacking the old farmer and his son and creating a ruckus in a private hospital. The Police have also arrested three persons in the case. Further investigations are underway.

“In music, he lived life, in music he met death”: KK’s college bandmate pens a heartfelt note after his demise

OpIndia Staff
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“In music, he lived life, in music he met death”: KK’s college bandmate pens a heartfelt note after his demise

The world is pained beyond words and has silently united in the demise of popular Singer KK aka Krishnakumar Kunnath, who died after suffering a heart attack after a concert in Kolkata yesterday. The singer will be remembered as one of the first voices that rocked this millennium and eventually became the voice of a generation. In his passing away, Economist and Author Gautam Chikermane has penned an emotional note, reminiscing his days with KK as a friend, a college bandmate and a performer par excellence.

“In music, he lived life, in music he met death. Sorrow is for the rest of us, for KK it’s possibly a Stairway to Heaven,” Chikermane, who is Vice President at ORF, writes recalling his young days with KK as a college friend. He was friends with KK while studying together at Kirori Mal College, Delhi. “KK was our lead singer and drummer,” notes Gautam Chikermane, who in his young days was also part of the college band at KMC called ‘Horizon’.

He recalls that while the other members of Horizon including Franz, Tom, Sandeep and himself chose different paths as careers, “among all of us, only KK and Julius had the grit and the courage to follow their dreams, KK as singer and Julius as a composer. The rest of us took day jobs,” he notes while writing a heartfelt Twitter thread.

In their college days, the band would go to all the college festivals and win prizes for their performances. Horizon made its mark at IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, SRCC and Hindu College and bagged the top prizes. “We even played professionally at the Siri Fort Auditorium. We earned Rs 5,000 for the night and felt like we were kings!” Chikermane, who now serves as the Vice-President at the Observer Research Foundation remembers.

“Full of enthusiasm and creativity, KK was the energy of our band. Exceptionally talented, with a voice range unmatched, he was a natural singer,” he notes. Chikermane has also talked about the struggles KK had to face as an aspiring music composer and a playback singer in Mumbai. When life hit him low, KK even started selling typewriters to meet his ends. Soon, he left his job and started singing in hotels. He always felt it was not a great experience to have people eating and drinking while the band sang. After ten minutes or so he would play for himself.

As a College student, KK only sang English songs, but when he came to Mumbai he effortlessly switched to singing in Hindi. When Chikermane met the boy-next-door KK in Mumbai after a long time, he remembers how he talked about his struggles to make it big in the music industry there. Chikermane remembers his meeting with KK in Mumbai – “We stood at the end of Marine Drive and he(KK) said, you know I came here and stood exactly here on this spot and looked at these lights and wondered if Bombay would give me space.”

Eventually, KK made it big in Bollywood and went on to become one of the most popular playback singers in the nation. From Tadap Tadap to Tu hai asmann mein, “In each song, each rendering, he gave his all—voice, heart and soul. He became the song,” Chikermane writes. “Souls don’t die. In KK’s case, voices don’t either,” the Economist remembered his friend in an emotional tribute.

Bihar: Two Muslim groups get into hand to hand combat, kick each other, throw chairs at one another ahead of namaz

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Two Muslim groups get into hand to hand combat, kick each other, throw chairs at one another ahead of namaz

On May 31, two groups of Muslims fought among themselves over the formation of the new Managing Committee following orders of the Waqf Board. As per reports, there was a dispute between the Jama Masjid’s Mosque Committee in Rampur’s Dagroo in district Vaishali that had reached Bihar State Sunni Waqf Board for a solution. After hearing both sides, the Waqf Board ordered the formation of a new Committee.

The Waqf Board had ordered the Sub-Divisional Officer of Mahua to give charge of the Mosque to the new chairman and secretary. Mahua’s CO Munna Kumar reached the Mosque on Tuesday with the new committee members to hand over the charge before Namaz. After he left, the new committee members were indulged in preparations for Namaz in the Mosque. Suddenly, a scuffle broke down between the two groups. Amar Kumar Sinha, CO, said the scuffle broke over management of the mosque.

As per reports, they indulged in hand-to-hand combat and kicked each other during the fight. They also used batons and pelted stones. The two groups also used the chairs available on the mosque premises during the fight as weapons. Half a dozen people got injured during the scuffle.

The station in-charge Prabhat Ranjan Saksena, Sub Inspector Parshuram Singh and Additional Sub Inspector Sudhir Kumar of Mahua Police Station rushed to the spot after learning about the incident and tried to pacify the fighting parties. Additional force has been deployed to maintain law and order.

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