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Rajasthan: Congress MLA Ganesh Ghogra resigns from the party, says ‘was being ignored’

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Rajasthan: Congress MLA Ganesh Ghogra resigns from the party, says ‘was being ignored’

Rajasthan Congress MLA and State’s Youth Congress president Ganesh Ghogra has resigned from the party alleging that he is being ignored even after being MLA of the ruling party. Ghogra is a 38-year-old MLA from Dungarpur in the state assembly and is known to be a close aide of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Congress MLA Ganesh Ghogra’s resignation letter. Courtesy: Yatharth Mishra on Twitter

In a letter directed to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Ganesh Ghogra complained that the administration does not listen to him when he brings up people’s problems. He said that even after sitting on the administerial posts in the government, his concerns were not being addressed. In his letter, he states that after being sidelined by the people in the administration, he has been prompted to take such a step.

According to news reports, Ghogra was miffed when local authorities did not pay heed to issues raised by him over land distribution. His resignation letter, which has been published on social media mentions Congress stalwarts including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, state representative Ajay Maken, and State Congress Chief Govind Singh Dotasra among others. Ghogra, who was anointed as the Rajasthan State President of the Indian Youth Congress in April 2020, has parted ways from the Congress while state assembly elections are due next year.

Amidst the polarising rivalry between CM Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, Ghogra remained an important apostle of the CM’s causes in the Gehlot faction. It is said that in 2020, Ganesh Ghogra was made the State Youth Congress President after removing MLA Mukesh Bhakar, a Pilot aide. Ghogra’s resignation comes hours after Hardik Patel from Gujarat resigned from Congress just months ahead of Gujarat’s state assembly elections. Patel’s discontent with Congress too emerged from a similar reason of being neglected in the party.

In the coming months, it would be difficult for the Congress party to hold together the sentiment of its youth leaders given that assembly elections in many states are around the corner.

Mathura: Hindu Mahasabha seeks permission for consecration of Laddu Gopal in Shahi Idgah, court admits plea

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Mathura: Hindu Mahasabha seeks permission for consecration of Laddu Gopal in Shahi Idgah, court admits plea

Dinesh Kaushik, National Treasurer of All India Hindu Mahasabha, submitted a plea with Civil Judge Senior Division Mathura on Wednesday seeking permission to consecrate Laddu Gopal at Shahi Idgah. After accepting his petition, the court set July 1 as the date for the next hearing.

The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha had previously announced Laddu Gopal’s Jalabhishek at Shahi Idgah in Mathura on December 6, 2021. However, due to the administration’s strictness, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha was unable to perform the Jalabhishek. Now, the Mahasabha has petitioned the Mathura Civil Court for permission, which will be heard on July 1.

It is pertinent to note that on Friday, two applications were submitted in the civil judge’s court in Mathura requesting the appointment of an advocate commissioner to conduct a survey at the Shahi Idgah masjid next to Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi. Another plea has also been filed in court, seeking that the Shahi Idgah Masjid be sealed and security be provided to preserve Hindu sacred artefacts from vandalism.

The Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah case

The Shahi Idgah mosque was established after a portion of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, which encompassed 13.37 acres of land, was demolished, according to the petitioners. They want the mosque to be demolished and the land surrounding the temple restored to them.

In one case, a petition was made to remove the Shahi Idgah mosque, which was built in Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi. The court-filed complaint sought the demolition of a mosque established in 1669-70 on the instructions of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the 13.37-acre complex of Katra Keshav Dev Temple near Lord Krishna’s birthplace. The hearing in this case in Mathura’s Sessions Court ended on May 6. The court postponed its decision in this matter until May 19.

On Thursday, the Allahabad high court also directed the Mathura court to decide within four months on petitions claiming ownership of the whole property on which the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi stands and seeking to demolish the adjacent Shahi Idgah Mosque.

Hanuman Chalisa Sacrilege: Burnt copy of Hanuman Chalisa found in Bathinda in Punjab, probe initiated

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Hanuman Chalisa Sacrilege: Burnt copy of Hanuman Chalisa found in Bathinda in Punjab, probe initiated

On May 16, a case of sacrilege was reported in Bathinda as a burnt copy of Hanuman Chalisa was found in Bathinda near Qila Sahib. As per reports, some miscreants burnt the religious book and threw the remains in the garbage. The Police were informed about the incident, after which they confiscated the burnt pages and initiated a probe.

Hindu organizations staged a protest against the incident of sacrilege of Hanuman Chalisa. Leaders of Hindu organizations and BJP leaders received the information late evening about the incident. Speaking to OpIndia, BJP leader Sukhpal Saran said, “In most probability, those who left Hindu and Sikh religions are involved in these incidents. Such incidents of sacrilege have been happening for a long time. They choose days like Dusherra, Diwali, Gurupurab and other festivals for such incidents to provoke Hindus and Sikhs. Cases were registered against such elements.”

Blaming Aam Aadmi Party for inaction, he said, “I would like to point out that since Kejriwal became active in Punjab politics, such incidents have increased. I feel this is political propaganda to defame religious groups and political parties like BJP and Akali Dal.”

Saran added, “Notably, in the previous cases, no concrete solution was provided by the previous governments as per law. People are angry, and AAP is getting benefitted from the anger. He promised to take strict action against incidents of sacrilege, but nothing happened since AAP came to power.”

He said the failure of previous governments brought AAP to power, and the results are still the same. He said,d “When sacrilege incident happened during the time when Akali Dal was in power, they could not take proper action. The people voted for Congress out of anger and hoped that they would take some action, but the result was the same. The frustrated people of Punjab ditched both parties and voted for AAP this time. If you notice, 20 such incidents have taken place since Kejriwal got active in Punjab.”

Saran said AAP is trying to divert attention from the inability of fulfilling mountainous promises the party made before the elections. He said, “AAP had made mountainous promises like Rs 1,000 to every female above age of 18 and free 300 units of electricity. They are trying to take away the attention of the people from the fact that they failed to fulfil the promises.”

Speaking to Hindi Daily, Dainik Bhaskar, J Elanchezian, SSP Bathinda, said that the Police are investigating the matter. “The CCTV footage is being checked, and those who insulted Hanuman Chalisa will be arrested soon.”

Sacrilege of Gutka Sahib

Another incident of sacrilege was reported on May 17. Unknown miscreants tore pages of Gutka Sahib and threw them from the tenth floor of DD Mittal Tower. The Police reached the spot after getting information about the incident and confiscated the pages.

The incident was first reported by a child who lives on the fourth floor of the building. When the elders living in the building noticed that the pages thrown were of Gutka Sahib, they gathered at the spot in large numbers. DSP Chiranjeev said the investigation is underway.

Uttarakhand AAP’s Chief Ministerial face Col. Ajay Kothiyal resigns from membership of the party

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand AAP’s Chief Ministerial face Col. Ajay Kothiyal resigns from membership of the party

Aam Aadmi Party leader Col. Ajay Kothiyal, who was the Chief Ministerial candidate for the party from Uttarakhand, has resigned from the party membership on Wednesday. He announced his resignation publicly on Twitter stating that he is doing so keeping in mind the sentiments of ex-servicemen, elderly, women, youth and intellectuals.

Posting his resignation letter from AAP on Twitter, Col. Kothiyal wrote, “Keeping in mind the sentiments of ex-servicemen, ex-paramilitary, elderly, women, youth and intellectuals, I am giving my resignation from the membership of Aam Aadmi Party.” It was last year in April 2021, that Col. Ajay Kothiyal joined the Aam Aadmi Party in the wake of the upcoming 2022 Assembly elections in the state.

Keeping in mind the fact that the state of Uttarakhand has a large ex-servicemen population, the Aam Aadmi Party had made Kothiyal its CM face. The party had banked on the military service credentials of Kothiyal apart from the promise of providing 300 units of free electricity if it comes to power. It should be noted that Kothiyal had an illustrious career in the military with a host of awards including the Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, Vishishta Seva Medal, and Parakram Padak to his name.

While AAP failed to win a single seat in the elections, a barrage of revolting leaders from the party including Sagar Bhandari blamed Kothiyal for AAP’s defeat in the state. “Elections were fought in the name of Colonel Kothiyal in the state. Every banner had his photo. So he should also take responsibility for the defeat. But till now he has neither done this in front of the media nor to any party workers,” AAP leader Bhandari had commented after the party’s defeat.

After facing internal opposition within the party and its lacklustre electoral performance, Col. Ajay Kothiyal has decided to part ways with AAP while tendering his resignation from the party’s primary membership.

DU professor booked for making derogatory comments on Shivling found inside Gyanvapi disputed structure, seeks AK-56 rifles after mocking Hindus

OpIndia Staff
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DU professor booked for making derogatory comments on Shivling found inside Gyanvapi disputed structure, seeks AK-56 rifles after mocking Hindus

Supreme Court advocate Vineet Jindal has filed a case with the Delhi Police against Delhi University professor Dr Ratan Lal for offending religious sensitivities. The case follows a social media post by him in which Ratan Lal had made vile derogatory statements directed toward the Shivling inside the Gyanvapi disputed structure, which came to light during the Court-ordered survey.

According to the Delhi Police, a complaint was filed yesterday night against Ratan Lal. Cyber PS North District has filed a case under sections 153A/ 295A of the IPC. Here is the offensive post made by the professor.

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The post.

Ratan Lal, an Associate Professor of History at Hindu College in Delhi University, has faced widespread condemnation from netizens after the offensive remark was posted. Many people who responded angrily to the article also tagged the Delhi Police’s Twitter handle, demanding action.

RP Singh, a spokesperson of the BJP wrote “This hurts my religious sentiments. I will appreciate if Dr Ratan Lal is booked under section 153A IPC & other provisions of IPC and the case be pursued against him. @CPDelhi @DelhiPolice”

Notably, Ratan Lal also wrote a letter to the central government and the President of India requesting two AK56 rifle-equipped bodyguards or an arms licence so that he could obtain an AK56 gun. Mocking the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the President of India, He also said that commando training should be provided to him.

The tweet with the letter.

A Shivling was unearthed during the court-ordered study of the disputed Gyanvapi structure adjacent to the Kashi Vishvanath Mandir in Varanasi after the Wuzukhana in the premises was drained out. After the discovery, Civil Judge Varanasi (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar ordered the sealing of the disputed Gyanvapi structure on Monday, May 16th.

NCPCR summons Twitter India executive for not filing ‘Action Taken’ report on Kunal Kamra’s doctored clip on a minor boy

OpIndia Staff
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NCPCR summons Twitter India executive for not filing ‘Action Taken’ report on Kunal Kamra’s doctored clip on a minor boy

On Tuesday, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) summoned Twitter India’s communications director for not taking any action against ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra who had posted a doctored video of a minor boy singing a patriotic song for PM Modi in Germany.

The NCPCR said that the social media company had not yet filed an action taken report against Kamra. On May 5, the child rights body sent a letter to Twitter India seeking action against Kamra for tweeting the purported video. “A letter in this regard was sent to your good offices, calling for an ATR (action taken report) in the instant complaint within seven days or receipt of the letter. However, no such ATR has been yet received by the commission,” the NCPCR said on May 17.

“It has been 15 days but Twitter is yet to submit an action taken report with us. They haven’t even informed us if the video has been removed. This is not an isolated case with Twitter, but a repeating occurrence. If they want to operate in India, they will have to follow the law of the land,” NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo stated.

The NCPCR had taken the cognizance of the video in which Kamra had edited a song sung by a 7-year-old boy amid his interaction with PM Modi. The boy had sung the song named ‘Hey Janmabhoomi Bharat’ which was replaced by Kamra with lyrics ‘Mehengayi daayan khaaye jaat hain’. The NCPCR had written to the social media company and had sought immediate removal of the video. The organization said that the minor was being allegedly used by the ‘comedian’ to purport his political agenda.

It added that Kamra had practiced crime by using minors for propagating political ideologies which is a violation of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It also stated that using children for such promotional purposes was harmful and detrimental to their mental well-being.

According to the reports, the father of the boy also lashed out at Kamra for editing the video and asked him to keep his son out of politics. “He is my 7-year-old son, who wanted to sing this song for his beloved Motherland. Though he is still very young certainly he loves his country more than you Mr. Kamra or Kachra whatever you are. Keep the poor boy out of your filthy politics and try to work on your poor jokes”, the father had tweeted.

Reacting to the tweet Kamra argued that the video was in the public domain and posted by a news organization. “The joke is not on your son, while you enjoy your son singing for his motherland to the most popular son, there are songs that he should listen to from people of his country also,” Kamra tweeted.

The NCPCR has demanded strict action against the ‘comedian’ who has violated the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The doctored video has, however, been deleted by Kamra.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife Medha Somaiya files Rs 100-crore defamation suit against Sanjay Raut over his allegations of ‘Rs 100 crore Toilet Scam’

OpIndia Staff
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BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife Medha Somaiya files Rs 100-crore defamation suit against Sanjay Raut over his allegations of ‘Rs 100 crore Toilet Scam’

Maharashtra BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife Medha Somaiya has filed a defamation case against Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut in Mumbai’s Shivdi Court. She has accused Sanjay Raut of harassing and defaming her over the allegations of a said ‘Toilet Scam’.

Medha Somaiya had earlier lodged a complaint against Raut at the Mulund police station in Mumbai. Reportedly, a notice was also sent to him. Speaking to the media after filing a defamation suit against Sanjay Raut, Kirit Somaiya said that Sanjay Raut had made false allegations against him and his wife. This came after Raut on April 15, this year had challenged Somaiya to expose him over an allegedly committed ‘Toilet Fraud’. However, Raut as claimed by him earlier, failed to produce documents over the alleged scam.

In his accusations, Sanjay Raut had claimed that Medha Somaiya had committed a fraud of Rs 100 crore in the Toilet Scam. He also said that he has some documents in the case, which will expose the BJP leader. After lodging a complaint against Sanjay Raut last week, Kirit Somaiya had said that his wife Medha Somaiya was defamed and humiliated in this case. Medha Somaiya had demanded actions under IPC 503, 506 and 509 for character assassination against Raut in her complaint with the police.

However, after supposed inaction from the Mulund Police, the Somaiya couple reached the court and filed a Rs 100 crore defamation suit against Sanjay Raut today. “If I do not get justice from the Shivdi court, I am ready to take this matter to High Court as well,” Somaiya asserted while talking to the media. He had already announced taking legal action against Sanjay Raut earlier on his Twitter.

With the Somaiyas taking the legal route, the matter will now be heard on May 26 in the local court. “We have filed this petition to teach Uddhav Thackeray a lesson. The Thackeray government is trying to intimidate us,” Kirit Somaiya alleged.

The matter has taken a u-turn which started when Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in April had claimed that Medha Somaiya and the Yuva Pratishthan, a non-government organisation managed by the Somaiya family were involved in a Rs 100 crore toilet scam. “It is just hilarious how he’s come from INS Vikrant to such levels of fraud and committed a toilet ghotala. I was amused when I looked at the papers. How documents were made up. I will soon come out with the details. The NGO Yuva Pratishthan which they are running and the family is involved and we have all the fake bills that were made,” Raut said last month.

Maharashtra: RTI activist murdered in Yavatmal, accused Danish Sheikh and 3 others arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: RTI activist murdered in Yavatmal, accused Danish Sheikh and 3 others arrested

In a shocking incident that came to light on Monday 16th, May 2022 in the Parva village in the Ghatunji Taluka of Yavatmal in Maharashtra, an RTI activist who had asked for the information regarding the employment guarantee scheme was brutally killed by four men, including the contractor of the employment guarantee scheme. The police have arrested four accused in this case including the contractor.

Anil Ochawar (age 28) of Parva worked as an RTI (Right to Information) activist. He also used to run a xerox center in the village. On Sunday, at 12:30 AM in the night, he was called upon and killed. His dead body appeared near a public dust bin on the road near a local lake.

Anil Ochawar had filed an RTI application in the name of his wife to inquire about the works done under the employment guarantee scheme in the years 2019-20 and 2020-21 in the Parva forest section. It has now become clear that he was killed because he asked the concerned forest officials for the said information.

On Sunday 15th May 2022, accused Danish Sheikh Israel (age 24) called the deceased Anil Ochawar as late as 12:30 in the night. He told Anil Ochawar that he is being summoned for an important meeting. His wife let go of her husband believing his presence was important for an ongoing meeting.

However, on Monday morning, Anil Ochawar’s dead body appeared. Anil Ochawar’s wife registered a complaint at the local police station. The police arrested the four accused. The contractor Vijay Narasimhalu Bhashanwar (age 38), Javed Maula Katate (age 35), Danish Sheikh Israel (age 24), and Sumit Shankar Tippanwar (age 27) are taken under custody in connection with Ochawar’s murder. It is now clear that the four conspired and executed the murder.

Anil Ochawar’s body had marks of severe blows on his throat, chest, and stomach by a sharp weapon. Post mortem was performed at the Pandhar Kavda hospital and the dead body was cremated on Monday afternoon.

Anil Ochawar also used to work for the Nationalist Congress Party. Yavatmal district’s Superintendent of Police Dr. Dilip Patil Bhujbal arrived in Parva on Monday to ensure that the situation did not slip out of control. Upper SP Dr. Khanderao Dharne, Deputy SP of Pandhar Kavda Pradip Patil, Sanjay Pujjalwar, and cyber cell officer Amol puri were among other officers who were present in the village at the time. This case was solved by Vinod Chavhan, police station in charge of the Parva village.

US says its war crime of bombing civilians in Syria was ‘not a breach of policy’, gives itself clean chit after internal probe

OpIndia Staff
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US says its war crime of bombing civilians in Syria was ‘not a breach of policy’, gives itself clean chit after internal probe

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that an inquiry into a US attack in Syria in 2019 that killed dozens of civilians showed no breaches of policy or deliberate negligence. The probe concentrated on a March 18, 2019, attack on an Islamic State stronghold in Baghouz by a special US team operating in Syria.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin directed the probe in November of last year after the New York Times reported that the US military had covered up scores of non-combatant fatalities during the original strike. According to the report, the strike killed 70 individuals, many of them were women and children.

The investigation discovered that the military’s initial evaluation of the incident was carried out erroneously at various levels of command, causing reporting delays and information gaps. According to three people knowledgeable about the findings, the bulk of those killed in the attack were most certainly Islamic State fighters, and military troops did not wilfully breach the laws of war or conceal casualties. Based on the findings, no disciplinary action was recommended.

Refuting the charges of attacking civilians, Gen. Michael X. Garrett, who headed the enquiry, claimed that commanders followed procedures to determine that no civilians were in the blast zone before the strike. On the other hand, Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby claimed that the U.S. ground commanders made the best decision they could with the information they had at the time. He said, “Yes, we killed some innocent civilians, women and children. We actually do feel bad about this.” But he immediately proceeded to defend by saying, “It was in the midst of combat, in the fog of war.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin instructed the military on Tuesday to change how it analyses complaints of civilian casualties following the investigation.

The Syrian strike in March 2019

According to a New York Times story published on November 13, 2019, a US F-15E fighter jet dropped a bomb on a huge throng of women and children gathered against a riverbank near the Syrian town of Baghuz on March 18, 2019, and then continued to drop several more.

According to one officer who was around, uniformed officers watching the live drone footage inside the US military’s hectic Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar stared on in utter astonishment. According to the report, a legal official classified the attack as a probable war crime that needed to be investigated. However, the military made almost every attempt to conceal the devastating strike.

According to the NYT report, the strike was ordered by Task Force 9, a covert American special operations force in command of combat operations in Syria. The task force operated in such secrecy that it did not even tell its own close allies of its operations at times. The American Air Force headquarters in Qatar had no clue the Baghuz bombing was going to happen.

Tamil Nadu: Hindu woman tries to set herself on fire over harassment, forced conversion attempts

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Tamil Nadu: Hindu woman tries to set herself on fire over harassment, forced conversion attempts

In a shocking incident, a Hindu woman from Tamil Nadu attempted to set herself on fire in front of the Ramanathapuram Collector’s office after being forced to convert to Christianity.

A video had gone viral recently on social media platforms in which a woman from Tamil Nadu, identified as Valarmathi, a resident of Pacheri village, tried to self-immolate after a person named Devdas reportedly harassed the Hindu woman and her family to convert to Christianity.

According to the reports, Valarmathi alleged that Devdas, a Christian, had been torturing her and her family since 2019 for refusing to convert. The woman said that the police also did not take any action, hence she attempted to set herself on fire. She has alleged that religious conversion has been happening in her village.

On May 15, Valarmathi reached the Ramanathapuram collector’s office to submit her complaint. As officials did not respond to her grievances, she tried to set herself on fire. However, the local police and the public who were present on the premises stopped her.

“Devdas’s family had blocked the path to my house and filed false cases against me. We went to the court, which ruled in our favour. Then they tried to run me over with a Tata Ace as well. So, I approached the police, Valarmathi said. She also accused Devdas of hitting her son, along with other men on the East Coast Road (ECR) road, but he was rescued by the public.

Meanwhile, the India Today report claimed that the issue between Devdas and Valarmathiwas is based on land disputes. The report also added that an enquiry had been ordered by the Ramanathapuram Superintendent of Police (SP) over the issue. The report said that the families of Valarmathi and Devdas had a dispute over a piece of land for more than a decade.

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