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Sini Shetty from Karnataka becomes Femina Miss India World 2022

OpIndia Staff
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Sini Shetty from Karnataka becomes Femina Miss India World 2022

The Miss India World 2022 winner was announced on Sunday, July 3. Sini Shetty of Karnataka has been crowned the Femina Miss India World 2022. The event took place on Sunday night at Mumbai’s Jio Convention Center.

Originally from Karnataka, Sini Shetty is currently enrolled in a programme to become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). She will now represent India at the prestigious 71st Miss World pageant.

Shinata Chauhan of Uttar Pradesh was selected as Femina Miss India 2022 second runner-up, and Rubal Shekhawat of Rajasthan was awarded Femina Miss India 2022 first runner-up. 

The event’s judging panel included actors Neha Dhupia, Dino Morea, and Malaika Arora, designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, choreographer Shiamak Davar, and former cricketer Mithali Raj. Kriti Sanon, Lauren Gottlieb, and Ash Chandler all performed throughout the star-studded event. Maniesh Paul presented the show.

Sini Shetty is from Karnataka. The beauty queen, who is aged 21, was born in Mumbai and has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Sini Shetty is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. Sini’s victory has brought another glorious jewel to the state of Karnataka, as many beauties, like Lara Dutta, Sarah Jane Dias, and Sandhya Chib, have made history for the state.

The Miss India finals will be shown on Colors TV on July 17. In its hybrid structure, the contest had started a countrywide search for promising talent from all around the country via virtual auditions. As per a message from the organisers, the comprehensive scouting drive and following interview rounds resulted in the shortlisting of 31 state champions.

Copenhagen shooting: Three killed, several injured in shopping centre shooting, 22-years-old arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Copenhagen shooting: Three killed, several injured in shopping centre shooting, 22-years-old arrested

On June 3, a 22-years-old Danish man barged into the Field’s shopping centre in Copenhagen, Denmark, and opened fire on the shoppers. As per reports, three people were killed and several injured in the incident. The attacker was arrested by the Police and charged with manslaughter.

Gun violence is quite rare in Denmark.

Notably, singer Harry Styles was scheduled to perform at an event nearby the shopping mall that was cancelled after the attack. In a tweet Styles wrote, “I’m heartbroken along with the people of Copenhagen. I adore this city. The people are so warm and full of love. I’m devastated for the victims, their families, and everyone hurting. I’m sorry we couldn’t be together. Please look after each other. H”

Another event scheduled to commemorate the end of Tour de France stages hosted by the Crown prince was also cancelled. Queen Margrethe, her son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary said in a statement, “We do not yet know the full extent of the tragedy, but it is already clear that more people have lost their lives and that even more have been injured. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with the victims, their relatives and all those affected by the tragedy.”

Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen said in a statement, “Denmark was hit by a horrific attack on Sunday night. Several people have been killed. Even more people were injured. Innocent families out shopping or eating. Children, young and adults. Sending my deepest sympathy to those who lost their loved ones. The injured and their relatives. And to all the Danes who have been close to the scary events. I would encourage the Danes to stand together and support each other in this difficult moment. We have all been brutally ripped out of the bright summer that we had just started. This is beyond comprehension. Heartbreaking. Meaningless. Our beautiful and normally so safe capital was changed in a split second. Thank you to the police, first responders and ambulance people. Also a warm thank you to all the people who have been ready to help. Finally, I encourage everyone to follow the ongoing communication and instructions from authorities.”

Message by PM Frederiksen. (Translated by Facebook)

The incident took place at noon on Sunday. As soon as the Police were informed, armed Police officers were sent to the Field’s mall. At 5:48 PM (local time), the Police arrested the attacker, who was carrying a rifle and ammunition. A massive search operation was carried out in the nearby area to ensure there were no accomplices of the attacker.

Copenhagen Chief Police Inspector Soren Thomassen said, “We are going to have a large investigation and a massive operational presence in Copenhagen until we can say with certainty that he was alone.” Thomassen added that a man in his 40s, a young man and a young woman were killed in the attack. Three of the injured were reportedly in critical condition. He further said that in the prima facie, there was no racial motive in the attack, but it might change during the investigation.

First terror attack since 2015

This was the first terror attack in Denmark since 2015. In the last terror attack, two people were killed, and six police officers were injured by a lone attacker. The gunman was killed in a shoot-out with the Danish Police.

Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Services has assessed the terror threat against the nation to be ‘serious’. As per the latest report by the agency, Islamists are the biggest threat. The right-wing extremists possess a ‘general’ level threat that means they are capable and/or have an intent to a possible attack.

Rajasthan: Maulana who threatened to chop hands and gouge eyes for ‘blasphemy’ released on bail within 24 hours of arrest

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Maulana who threatened to chop hands and gouge eyes for ‘blasphemy’ released on bail within 24 hours of arrest

A day after being arrested for making provocative speeches over the Nupur Sharma row, Maulana Mufti Nadeem and Maulana Alam Raza Ghor were released on bail from the Bundi jail in Rajasthan on Saturday (July 2).

The duo was released on a surety bond of ₹1 lakh each. The development had elated the supporters of Maulana Nadeem, who gathered outside the Bundi jail in violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Section 144.

The Islamic cleric was initially sentenced to 14 days in judicial custody but nevertheless released on bail within 24 hours of arrest.

Following the gruesome killing of Kanhaiya Lal, the Congress government in Rajasthan was forced to act against the cleric. By then, 28 days had elapsed since his disturbing speech.

In videos that have surfaced on social media, the Islamic cleric was seen making a royal entry and displayed no sense of remorse.

The Background of the case

Maulana Mufti Nadeem had made an inflammatory speech at the Bundi Directorate during a protest on June 3 this year. He had infamously threatened to gouge the eyes and chop the hands of people who criticise Prophet Mohammad. 

“If she has done blasphemy against my master, which she has done, and if someone else does the same, listen carefully… take action against them. If you fail to take action, Muslims will take the matter into their hands,” Maulana Nadeem warned.

He added, “If Muslims give reactions, look at the history, whenever Muslims gave reaction against any community they became homeless. If you do not take action, we will react. This is not a request. This is an open threat. “

While threatening to chop hands and gouge eyes for blasphemy, he said, “You can abuse me, I will tolerate. You can abuse my father, I will tolerate it. You can abuse my family, I will tolerate it. But if you speak even a word against my Nabi, your tongue will be cut. If you raise your hands, they will be chopped.

‘5 accused got bail, key conspirator absconding, I will follow my father’s footsteps’: Son of Kamlesh Tiwari says killers have dozens of lawyers including Hindus

राहुल पाण्डेय
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‘5 accused got bail, key conspirator absconding, I will follow my father’s footsteps’: Son of Kamlesh Tiwari says killers have dozens of lawyers including Hindus

On October 18, 2019, Kamlesh Tiwari was killed in his own house in Khurshidbagh of Lucknow by two assailants dressed in saffron robes. The murder was similar to that of the tailor Kanhaiya Lal who was murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan on June 28, 2022. Islamists accused both deceased of blasphemy. On 22nd June 2022, three years after Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder, his wife Kiran Tiwari received a threatening letter written in Urdu script. Through this letter, Kiran Tiwari received a threat that she too will be killed like her husband. OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Tiwari’s family on July 3, 2022 (Sunday) to know the current situation.

Someone secretly kept the threat letter in the office

OpIndia spoke to Mrudul Tiwari, the younger son of the late Kamlesh Tiwari. He said, “We did not know when the threatening letter came. There were several letters in the office. This one was one of them. One day, when our office in-charge opened the letters and started reading them one by one, the threat was found on the office table. This is a letter written in Urdu, which we translated and found out that there is a threat to mother (Kiran Tiwari). In the letter, Yogiji’s face (CM Yogi Adityanath’s picture) is also marked with a cross sign.”

The threat letter was received by Kiran Tiwari.

Security of house tightened after threat

Mrudul Tiwari told, “As soon as we got the letter, we informed the administration. After this, the police tightened the security measures provided at our house. Earlier, there were 4 policemen deployed in the security of the house. The number has now increased to 6. There is already a gunman for mother’s security. He accompanies our mother wherever she goes.”

The key conspirator is still absconding

Mrudul Tiwari added, “I am a student in intermediate college. We are 3 brothers. The eldest brother is studying LLB. The other one is also studying. In all, 13 accused were arrested in my father’s murder case. Out of them, five accused got bail. It also includes Maulana Kaifi of Bareilly. One of the accused, Tanvir Hashmi, has not been caught since the incident. He is the mastermind of the conspiracy. It is heard that he has fled to Nepal.”

The government promised a lot but delivered nothing

Mrudul Tiwari further said, “The government had promised a government job to one of our family members. The DM of Sitapur also gave it in writing. But even after 3 years, no one has been given a job. We want this job for our older brother. With this, there was an assurance to run the case of our father’s assassination (Kamlesh Tiwari) in the fast track court, and this also did not happen. There was also a promise to give an arms license to our mother. This promise has not been fulfilled so far. In the name of help, 15 lakh rupees were received from the government. We are using those funds on our education and household expenses, and also on fighting the case in the court to get justice for our father.”

‘I will follow my father’s footsteps’

Mrudul Tiwari asserted, “My father’s blood is in my veins. I will take his mission ahead. I will work for the good cause of Hinduism.”

The Supreme Court transferred the case on demand of the murder accused

Talking to OpIndia, Kiran Tiwari, wife of late Kamlesh Tiwari, said, “The Supreme Court transferred the case from Lucknow to Prayagraj on the demand of the killers while the arrested accused are still lodged in Lucknow jail. The killers were citing the issue of their safety in Lucknow. Surprisingly, those who can come to Lucknow from Gujarat to commit the murder are afraid of fighting the case in Lucknow and the Supreme Court has accepted this. Now I have to go to Prayagraj, 200 km away from Lucknow, on every date at my own expense. During this time, there is only one gunner with me. It is not only a waste of money but a compromise on my security for the whole day.”

‘We have 2-3 lawyers with us; the killers have dozens including Hindus’

Kiran Tiwari further said, “Mahmood Pracha was the Supreme Court lawyer who got the killers’ case transferred to Prayagraj. He is considered an influential lawyer. In Prayagraj court, usually, there are only 2 to 3 lawyers during the hearing on our behalf while dozens of lawyers stand to argue for the killers. Many among those dozens of lawyers are Hindus. It hurts us a lot to see this. Actually, there is more money on the opposite side and we are financially weak.”

‘At this pace, the case may take 50 years’

Kiran Tiwari told, “If the case had been in the fast track court as promised, the killers would have been punished. But I’m just getting one date after the other. If this continues so, we’ll have to fight the case for 50 years. There has been no witness yet. 15 lakh rupees given by the government will finish soon. No one has even got a job as promised. To get the job, we also got an order from the High Court one month ago. The order says that we should be given the job within two months. But we don’t know what will happen.”

‘They spit on our posters’

OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Tiwari’s office in charge Vishal Gupta. He said, “I have been coming to Kamlesh Tiwari Ji’s office since I was 14. I myself live in Maulvi Ganj, a Muslim-dominated area of Lucknow. Some people spit on the banner posters we put up there. After Nupur Sharma’s case appeared in the news, the people of my locality had put up a WhatsApp status demanding to behead. The government should take care of us. Even if the police increase patrolling in our area, it will be a great relief for us.”

Amravati murder: Umesh Kolhe helped ‘friend’ Dr. Yusuf Khan at the time of his sister’s wedding and his children’s admissions, Khan instigated his murderers

OpIndia Staff
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Amravati murder: Umesh Kolhe helped ‘friend’ Dr. Yusuf Khan at the time of his sister’s wedding and his children’s admissions, Khan instigated his murderers

As the investigations in the Umesh Kolhe murder case in Amravati of Maharashtra have achieved major progress with the seven accused including the mastermind, more details about the case have come forward. It is revealed in the police investigation that Dr. Yusuf Khan, the eldest of the arrested accused instigated all the murderers for this murder.

Dr. Yusuf Khan was a good friend of Umesh Kolhe who had helped him many times. Dr. Yusuf Khan was the admin of the WhatsApp group in which Umesh Kolhe had shared a post supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma, which led to his murder.

Umesh Kolhe’s murderers were all closely related, as several of them worked with an NGO run by the key conspirator Sheikh Irfan, who has been identified as the mastermind behind the crime.

Umesh Kolhe’s friend Dr. Yusuf Khan was the instigator

Veterinary doctor Yusuf Khan and chemist Umesh Kolhe knew each other for the past several years, and they were good friends. Yusuf Khan often sought help from Umesh Kolhe who seldom disappointed his friend. He used to lend money to Yusuf Khan in hours of need. Umesh Kolhe had helped Dr. Yusuf Khan at the time of his sister’s wedding and his children’s admissions too. Despite such good relations, Dr. Yusuf Khan conspired to kill Umesh Kolhe.

Dr. Yusuf Khan is the eldest among the arrested accused. He was supposed to keep a watch on viral messages on social media and identify the targets. He was the admin of the group called Black Freedom in which Umesh Kolhe had shared a post supporting Nupur Sharma. Dr Yusuf Khan shared this information with another group called Rahebariya and informed his friends Sheikh Irrfan and others, and created hatred in their minds for Umesh Kolhe.

Sheikh Irrfan planned the attack

After Dr Yusuf Khan spread hatred against Umesh Kolhe, Sheikh Irfan came into action. He planned the murder. He gave the responsibility of recce to Maulana Mudassir Ahmed alias Sonu Raza Sheikh Ibrahim. After this, Sheikh Irfan involved daily wage workers in this plan. They included Shahrukh Pathan (age 25), Abdul Taufiq (age 24), Shoaib Khan alias Bhurya (age 22), and Atib Rashid (age 22). On the night of June 21, Shoaib stabbed Umesh Kolhe in his neck. None of these four criminals has any past criminal record.

Irfan resides in the Pathan Chowk chawl in the Kamela Area. His neighbours said that he was a welder but the epidemic caused problems for his welding business. Irfan runs a registered NGO called Rahebar that worked for differently-abled according to its Facebook page. The four daily wage workers he chose to execute the murder had previously volunteered for this NGO.

Radicalized conspirator executed the murder

According to a report by the Indian Express, Sheikh Irfan’s neighbours said that he had became “extremely religious” recently and took up social activities about seven years ago. Additionally, he is alleged to have backed the anti-CAA demonstrations. Irfan, a school dropout, lived with his mother, younger brother, wife, two boys, one of whom is differently-abled, and a daughter. His residence has been locked for about a week.

A police source said, “I knew him well. He would come to the police station with public issues. He has a petty assault case against him; he was also detained for questioning when he helped his friend to elope with a girl from another community.”

Killers were no different than the conspirator

According to local sources, the arrested accused Muddassir Shaikh and Abdul Taufiq Taslim were also ‘very religious’. A source said, “Abdul was short-tempered. A few years ago, he went to the Nagpuri Gate police station in the middle of the night, demanding that an FIR be registered against a Facebook post for hurting religious sentiments. After the chemist’s murder, he bragged to others that he had killed the man who insulted the Prophet. Police got their first lead from this.”

The CCTV footage reveals recce

After the murder, when the police started the investigation, they got some CCTV footage before the incident. In the video, three accused dressed in black are seen doing recce of the place. In another footage, the three accused are seen heading toward the spot to execute the murder.

The post-mortem report

The postmortem report of Amravati chemist Umesh Kolhe has been received. According to the report, his brain vein was damaged due to the knife attack. Besides, his breathing tube, oesophagus, and nerves of his eyes were also damaged in this attack. The wound found on Umesh’s neck was five inches wide, seven inches long and five inches deep.

The police had made misleading claims

The police are also under question in the Amravati murder case. The police are accused of deliberately describing the hate crime as a robbery killing and concealing that the reason for the murder was posts in support of Nupur Sharma, while the Maharashtra ATS was already investigating the case from the terror angle. Police had claimed that it was robbery case gone wrong, as the accused had killed Kolhe after he refused to give them anything. But this claim was questioned by many, including Maharashtra BJP leaders, because the accused have no past crime records, and they didn’t take anything from Kolhe after attacking him. Umesh Kolhe was carrying around Rs 3000s cash and had his phone with him, which were found at the crime scene.

Considering the seriousness of the matter, Union Home Minister Amit Shah handed over the case to the NIA and the team reached Amravati and lodged an FIR. Mudassir Ahmed, Shah Rukh Pathan, Abdul Taufiq, Shoaib Khan, Atib Rashid, Yusuf Khan and Sheikh Irrfan and others have been named as accused in the FIR.

About the misleading by police in the Umesh Kolhe murder case, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Amravati incident very serious, killing is barbaric. Accused, mastermind nabbed. NIA investigating it, finding if there is some international connection. This was initially portrayed as theft, that too will be investigated.”

Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan switched in prison? Punjab and Haryana HC to hear petition that the man released on parole is a fake

OpIndia Staff
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Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan switched in prison? Punjab and Haryana HC to hear petition that the man released on parole is a fake

On the 4th of July, Punjab and Haryana High Court will hear a petition by the followers of Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan alleging that baba has been replaced in prison by a dummy. Ram Rahim walked out of prison a couple of weeks ago on month-long parole, but the petitioners are alleging that the man who walked out of the prison on parole is a different person altogether.

The petitioners, including a person named Ashok Kumar, claimed themselves to be staunch followers of Dera Sacha Sauda. They have alleged that there have been several changes in the appearance of Ram Rahim after his release from prison on parole.

The petitioners have said that after he came out on parole, they noticed that his height has increased, the length of the fingers of his hands has changed, as well as the size of his feet. They have also alleged that the size of his eyes has reduced with a change in the shape of the eyes. They also claimed that the voice and body language of the released person is different when compared to the original Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

The petitioners have further stated that the interactions of Ram Rahim are different now when compared to his pre-prison period. He is contradicting the statements given by the ‘original’ Baba, and is even struggling to identify the old friends of Ram Rahim.

The petitioners have alleged that the original Baba Ram Rahim has been kidnapped and taken to Udaipur, and he will be replaced by this dummy to take control of the huge immovable property belonging to Dera Sacha Sauda, as Ram Rahim is the only owner of the trust controlling this wealth.

Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim SIngh Insan is currently serving a life sentence

In October last year, Ram Rahim was convicted in a murder case by the special CBI court in Haryana. The special CBI court had found Ram Rahim and 4 others guilty in the murder case of Ranjit Singh. He was awarded a life sentence in this case of murder.

Ram Rahim was already serving a long prison sentence after being convicted in a rape case by the same CBI court in 2017. He has been out on parole since the 17th of June.

The petition from Baba’s followers over the authenticity of the released Baba will be heard by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the pre-lunch session on the 4th of July.

After profiling Osama Bin Laden as ‘good husband’ and Terrorist Burhan Wani as ‘son of teacher’, whitewashers now profile Zubair

OpIndia Staff
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After profiling Osama Bin Laden as ‘good husband’ and Terrorist Burhan Wani as ‘son of teacher’, whitewashers now profile Zubair

On July 3, Alt News co-founder Muhammed Zubair was sent to 14-days of judicial custody by Patiala House Court. Zubair has been accused of hurting religious sentiments, allegedly accepting donations from countries like Pakistan and Syria, and the Police are also probing if he was running any kind of nexus online to push an agenda on social media. Amid the array of allegations against the so-called fact-checker, the professional ‘whitewashers of the crimes’ have come to save the day for Zubair.

The News Minute has described him as some superior gully cricketer who had spent his younger days being the one who would call everyone to play cricket on the weekends. According to TNM, Zubair was never interested in politics before 2014. The portal seemed to have talked to his friends and colleagues, who claimed they do not recall any instance where he had shown interest in fact-checking and politics.

Suggesting he was a telecom engineer, TNM said he left his “comfortable life” to “draw attention towards misinformation”. Interestingly, Zubair himself ran a parody page where he “satirically” spread misleading information using the name of BJP leader Subramanyam Swamy. It was only after Swamy threatened him with consequences that he added the word “unofficial” to the Facebook page. This is not something we are claiming, but it was written in TNM’s report.

Eldest of the siblings, someone who was told by his father to “be an example” for his siblings, a quiet and studious person who was the “first to graduate in his family”. This is how portals like TNM and The Quint have described Zubair in their attempts to whitewash the alleged crimes he has committed.

Interestingly, knowingly or unknowingly, The Quint pointed out how strong the ecosystem is of which Zubair is a part. It said, and we quote, “Many had come out in support of Zubair, including followers of his work, leaders from several opposition parties, as well as international journalist networks. #IStandWithZubair was trending at number 1 on Twitter globally just hours after his arrest.”

Within hours of his arrest, the ecosystem managed to trend demand for his release on Twitter. Zubair, a person who was literally nothing in the political arena before 2014, became so strong in just eight years that a whole cabal of the international ecosystem came running to rescue him from the Indian legal system.

The Hindu, while profiling him, started their report with a quote from an interview that Zubair had given in October 2021. It read, “They cannot file a complaint against me for writing a story because we have facts with us in our stories.” Well, this is not the first time someone has claimed that Zubair or Alt News do not lie or spread misinformation. However, OpIndia documented ‘the tip of the iceberg’ by making a list of 20 instances where Zubair was caught red-handed, and he had to either apologise or simply delete the fake claims he made quietly. The list was prepared for Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi after she demanded to show one instance where Zubair had spread fake news.

The Hindu even moved a step forward and mentioned Zubair and Pratik Sinha’s so-called Nobel Prize nomination by the director of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo. Interestingly, the author who wrote the profile missed mentioning that PRIO’s list was unofficial, and the institute itself says that the list the director releases every year has literally no impact on the nominations for the Nobel Prize.

Everyone, including these three portals and media houses, has questioned the arrest because of the tweet that was posted in 2018. Five years have passed, and according to them, it is not an old tweet that should not be dug. Interestingly, many of them have targeted filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri for his old tweets to mock him for his current stand for Hindu rights.

The Quint wrote, “A day after Zubair’s arrest, PM Modi signed the ‘2022 Resilient Democracies Statement’ along with G7 countries in Germany pledging to “protecting the freedom of expression and opinion online and offline”. Many commentators pointed out the irony.” The irony is not what PM said. The irony is The Quint is pointing fingers at the arrest of Zubair but completely missing out on the point that if that is the case, the Halla bol against Nupur Sharma should also have never happened. What PM said should apply to each and everyone irrespective of his or her caste, religion, race, gender and more.

How media houses have whitewashed crimes in the past

This is not the first time a media house or a left-liberal portal has tried to whitewash the crimes. Newslaundry, in 2021, was accused of misquoting Sreedathan, the founder and managing director of the website Indus Scrolls in a quest to whitewash the terror links of the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) member and ‘dubious’ journalist Siddique Kappan, who was arrested in UP for conspiring to create communal tension in Hathras.

The Quint whitewashed Delhi anti-Hindu riots and accused Shahrukh Pathan, who had brandished a gun at the Police and threatened them. The writer of Pathan’s profile romanticised his criminal act. “Unfazed by the policemen in riot gear, he shot bullets in the air while media persons captured his acts in astonishment. The fact that the gym enthusiast, who was also a local, did not wear a mask to hide his identity made his ‘bravado’ seem peculiar and odd,” the author said. It also brings in his family because there is nothing like showing him as a regular ‘biryani loving guy’. The Quint does not even try too hard to break the stereotypes.

Not to forget, the same portal, which claims to be the actual flag bearers of liberty, has portrayed terrorists like Osama Bin Laden as magnanimous and great saints like Swami Vivekananda as an ordinary “cigar-smoking monk”! Similarly, terrorist Burhan Wani was championed as the son of a teacher.

Maharashtra: NCP leader Jayant Patil makes casteist remarks on Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, backtracks after Dy CM Fadnavis objects

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: NCP leader Jayant Patil makes casteist remarks on Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, backtracks after Dy CM Fadnavis objects

During a motion to greet the newly elected Speaker of the Maharashtra state legislature, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Jayant Patil made casteist remarks about the house’s Deputy Speaker. Jayant Patil noted during his address that the deputy speaker, Narhari Sitaram Zirwal, performed a good job even though he is a tribal. He said, “Despite being a tribal, Narhari Zirwal did a good job.”

Narhari Zirwal is a NCP MLA and he had been presiding over the sessions in assembly after previous speaker and Congress leader Nana Patole resigned to become the chief of Maharashtra Congress.

Following Patil’s remarks, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis objected to what he stated. Fadnavis said that Patil should not be using such a language for a respected member of the house and that such a language has no place in the house. Several members also objected to the same and requested that the remarks made by Patil be removed from the recordings of the proceedings of the house. Following the demands, the comment was expunged from the records of the assembly.

Later commenting on the issue, Jayant Patil said that as his remarks have been expunged from the records, the matter is over. He also said that he was only appreciating the work done by Narhari Zirwal, and his remarks were misinterpreted.

Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Legislative Council Gopichand Padalkar lambasted NCP State President Jayant Patil for his remarks. Talking to reporters, Padalkar said, “The party has gone from power but the attitude has not gone. When NCP leader Jayant Patil came to speak, he talked about Deputy Speaker Narhari Jirwal and said that he did a good job even coming from the tribal community. How does it matter if he belongs to a tribal community?”

Padalkar continued, saying, “Your hatred isn’t quite ready to leave. What’s in your stomach makes its way to your lips. Is it impossible for someone from a tribal, backward class, nomadic tribe, or nomadic poor caste to do anything here?”

It is worth noting that Jayant Patil was caught making a mockery of Hindu rituals in April of this year while sharing the podium with another politician, Amol Mitkari. Amol Mitkari, an MLC from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, mocked Hindu practises such as Kanyadaan during weddings while speaking at the NCP Pariwar Samwad Yatra in Islampur, Sangli district, Maharashtra, on April 19, 2022. Jayant Patil was there in his company and burst out laughing when Amol Mitkari made the remarks.

Curious case of Alt News co-founder’s ears: Netizens wonder why Mohammed Zubair keeps hiding his ears from the camera

OpIndia Staff
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Curious case of Alt News co-founder’s ears: Netizens wonder why Mohammed Zubair keeps hiding his ears from the camera

On June 27, the co-founder of Alt News, Mohammed Zubair, was arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments based on the complaint filed by Sub Inspector Arun Kumar, posted at IFSO/Special Cell, Dwarka, New Delhi. Since then, police have added sections of criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and FCRA violation to the case against him.

On Saturday, July 2, the Delhi Court rejected his bail application and sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Since his arrest, Zubair has come across cameras several times while appearing for his bail hearings, or when police took him to his residence for collection of evidence. Whenever he has come across the camera, Zubair has understandably tried to hide his face by wearing a mask, and pulling a baseball cap low over his face.

However, one more interesting thing has caught the eye of several netizens. Most of the time, Mohammed Zubair has made a conscious effort to hide his ears from the camera while making these appearances. This weird act has left the netizens confused as to whether it is just an idiosyncrasy or something more.

A swayamsevak and Twitter user Rahul Kaushik tweeted, “Who’s Zubair? Every single photo he’s hiding not only face, but ears too.”

National Security Affairs Analyst Divya Kumar Soti said that the way Zubair hides his ears, he seems to be highly trained.

Another Twitter user @thinkerspad shared the curiosity of the other internet users and raised questions about the identity of the arrested person and whether it is the same person as in Zubair’s Twitter profile.

Whether it is something innocuous or inconsequential, or something far more sinister, we can not know, but this act of Mohammed Zubair covering his ears in front of the camera has definitely got social media talking.

Justice Pardiwala of Supreme Court roots for regulating social media, day after he was criticised for blaming Nupur Sharma for Udaipur murder in an oral observation

OpIndia Staff
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Justice Pardiwala of Supreme Court roots for regulating social media, day after he was criticised for blaming Nupur Sharma for Udaipur murder in an oral observation

After attracting severe criticism over the unwarranted oral remarks by a Supreme Court bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala, today justice JB Pardiwala advocated for censorship of social media and digital media. He made the comments while speaking at the 2nd Justice H R Khanna Memorial National Symposium hosted by Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow, National Law University Odisha, Cuttack, and CAN Foundation on July 3. He advocated for the regulation of social and digital media in the context of sensitive trials that are pending, and said that Parliament should bring law for the same.

Justice JB Pardiwala said that regulation of social and digital media, especially in the context of sensitive trials which are sub-judice, must be looked at by the parliament, citing incidents of ‘media trials’. He said that Social and digital media leads to legal issues becoming political.

Speaking at the conference, Justice Pardiwala said, “Social and digital media is primarily resorted to expressing personalised opinions more against the judges, rather than a constructive critical appraisal of their judgments. This is what is harming the judicial institution and lowering its dignity.”

“This is where digital and social media needs to be regulated throughout the country to preserve the rule of law under our constitution. Attacks on judges for their judgements lead to a dangerous scenario; where the judges have to think what the media thinks, rather than what the law actually says. This puts the rule of law on the burner,” Pardiwala further said.

According to Justice Pardiwala, the remedy for judgments lies not with social media but with higher courts in the hierarchy. Legal concerns become political as a result of social and digital media. He cited the Ayodhya judgement as an example of how a controversial civil case became a political issue.

He went on to rant against social media, saying social media is about personal opinions against the judges instead of providing opinions criticizing the judgements. This is what harming the judiciary in the country, justice Pardiwala alleged.

He also said that personal attacks on judges for their judgements lead to a dangerous scenario where the judges have to think about what media thinks instead of what the law really thinks.

It’s worth mentioning that Justice Pardiwala was recently criticized for his comments in a case involving ex-BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma. Nupur Sharma had petitioned the Supreme Court for the transfer of all FIRs filed against her in various states to Delhi for further probe. Sharma mentioned in her application that she is constantly being threatened with death. 

During the hearing, the bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB Pardiwala blamed Nupur Sharma for the gruesome Udaipur murder, claiming that her “loose tongue” set the entire country on fire and that she owed an apology to the entire country.

While Justice Pardiwala demanded the Parliament to enact law to regulate social and digital media, actually the union government has already taken steps in this regard. The IT Rules 2021 are aimed at regulating content on social media and digital media only.

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