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After reports of death of Ukrainian pilot known as ‘Ghost of Kyiv’, Ukraine says reports are wrong because ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ is the ‘collective spirit’ of their pilots

OpIndia Staff
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After reports of death of Ukrainian pilot known as ‘Ghost of Kyiv’, Ukraine says reports are wrong because ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ is the ‘collective spirit’ of their pilots

On Friday (April 29), British national daily The Times reported that a Ukrainian fighter pilot named Major Stepan Tarabalka was killed while fighting the Russian Air Force on March 13 this year. The publication pointed out that 29-year-old was popularly known as the ‘Ghost of Kyiv.’

“Major Stepan Tarabalka, 29, a father of one, had allegedly shot down more than 40 Russian aircraft. He was killed when the MiG-29 he was flying was shot down on March 13 while fighting “overwhelming” enemy forces, according to local reports,” it stated.

According to the British daily, the deceased pilot was awarded the ‘Order of the Golden Star’, and the title of ‘Hero of Ukraine’ by President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 20, 2022.

Screengrab of the news report by The Times

The Times further reported, “His helmet and goggles — all that was seen of him when Ukrainian officials promoted his heroism — are now set to be auctioned in London.” Major Stepan Tarabalka is now survived by his wife Olena and a son.

Shortly after his death, National Press Radio (NPR) interviewed the parents of the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’. Major Tarabalka’s father had said, “We know he was flying on a mission. And he completed the mission, his task. Then he didn’t return. That’s all the information we have.” His parents, Nahtalia and Evon, informed that it was the deceased Ukrainian pilot’s life-long dream to fly higher than the clouds.

Ukrainian Air Force ‘debunks’ the myth of ‘Ghost of Kyiv’

However, all such claims of the pilot being the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ has been dismissed by the Ukrainian Air Force. In a tweet, it said, “The information about the death of ‘The Ghost of Kyiv’ is incorrect. The Ghost Of Kyiv is alive, it embodies the collective spirit of the highly qualified pilots of the Tactical Aviation Brigade who are successfully defending Kyiv and the region.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Ukrainian Air Force

The Turkey Bureau Chief for Middle East Eye, Ragip Soylu, quoted the Ukrainian military and remarked, “The ghost of Kyiv is a superhero legend who was created by the Ukrainians! This is rather a collective image of the pilots of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade defending the sky of the capital. Which suddenly appear where they are not expected.”

The claims made by the Ukrainian Air Force were also corroborated by Illia Ponomarenko, a Defence reporter with The Kyiv Independent.

Does the “Ghost of Kyiv” really exist? 

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, social media was rife with rumours of a mysterious MiG-29 jet appearing over Kyiv to defend Ukrainian skies from Russian aerial attacks. Netizens had shared clips of a Ukrainian fighter pilot, named the “Ghost of Kyiv”, who had allegedly shot down six Russian aircraft.

The videos of the “Ghost of Kyiv” had spread like wildfire on social media. Many on Twitter were calling the Ukrainian pilot the “first European ace since World War II”. In aerial warfare technology, an ‘ace’ is a pilot who has shot down five or more aircraft during combat.

On February 27, 2022, the official handle of the Government of Ukraine tweeted, “People call him the Ghost of Kyiv. And rightly so — this UAF ace dominates the skies over our capital and country, and has already become a nightmare for invading Russian aircrafts.”

Besides common Ukrainians, who were posting unverified videos and images, former Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko had also posted a photo to claim that the pilot was the “Ghost of Kyiv”.

It was speculated that Poroshenko’s tweet is just an attempt to boost public morale rather than confirming the existence of a mystery pilot. At that time, fact-checkers had analysed some of the viral videos and established that some of them were unreal and doctored.

AAP Himachal Pradesh social media President Harpreet Singh Bedi deletes Twitter account after his pro-Khalistan tweets surface

OpIndia Staff
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AAP Himachal Pradesh social media President Harpreet Singh Bedi deletes Twitter account after his pro-Khalistan tweets surface

On Sunday, old tweets of Aam Aadmi Party’s Himachal Pradesh state social media president Harpreet Singh Bedi went viral on Twitter in India over his pro-Khalistan stances. The AAP member from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh deleted his Twitter account after his blatant demands for a separate Khalsa state created a controversy on social media.

On Sunday, many Twitter users including popular user @BefittingFacts pointed out Harpreet Singh Bedi’s Twitter presence, which included Pro-Khalistani quotes, replies and tweets from his handle since 2012. Netizens pointed out Bedi demanding Khalistan as a ‘constitutional right’ in his many conversations on the social media platform. OpIndia conducted a further scanning of his account in which his open support for Khalistan comes out. This comes at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has already been accused of taking Khalistani support to win the recent Punjab assembly elections.

Since AAP social media convenor Harpreet Singh Bedi’s Twitter handle @iHarpreetSBedi no longer exists, here is a gist of his pro-Khalistani exercises on social media, layered with separatist sentiments against the Indian state. In 2012, Bedi put out tweets asking vehemently in reference to one Jathedar Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana that Amritsar and Khalisatan should be declared free and one must continue to fight for freedom. “Such is the power of a true saint-soldier of the Khalsa Panth. Stand tall and pledge Orange and Pledge Khalistan!” he was seen tweeting.

Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi
Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi
Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi

In the same year, he was seen hilariously sharing a morphed image of conceptualised ‘Khalistani Dollar’ with an image of terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the Golden Temple in Amritsar in the back.

Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi

Furthermore, Bedi was also seen justifying giving separatist slogans for demanding Khalistan as non-seditious. “If saying Khalistan is Deshdroha (sedition) then saying Hindustan is also the same according to the constitution,” one of his tweets reads. In a conversation with another Twitter user, he referred to draftsmen of the Constituent assembly as ‘Your leaders’ suggesting a difference from his own. As late as May 2020, Bedi could be seen reiterating his demand for Khalistan, which suggests that he stood for what he demanded for more than 10 years until now.

Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi
Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi
Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi

Bedi could be seen arguing with Congress leaders from the state over the 1984 genocide of Sikhs and the operation Blue-Star led by Indira Gandhi as a basis for his demand for a separate Khalsa state. He was seen accusing former Punjab CM Capt. Amrinder Singh that he was the one who had signed papers for Khalistan earlier. Bedi was seen trolling Congress leaders and state party handle over the same.

Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi
Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi

Bedi in a June 2020 tweet was seen accusing the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi of butchering (Sikhs). He pointed out the alleged hypocrisy of Congress leaders in supporting a movement for Khalistan and thereafter killing the Sikhs in his tweets directed to the party.

Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi

Bedi was also seen seeking legitimacy for the Khalistan movement by citing ‘The Gandhi family’s role in attacking the Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.

Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi
Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi

In 2019, Bedi was seen asking Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra, ‘Since Muslims and Dalits are being allegedly killed in the name of Ram and Cow, Why can’t Khalistan Zindabad be said when Constitution gives the right to do so?”

After Harpreet Singh Bedi was caught in the controversy over his Khalistani sympathetic behaviours on Twitter, he took no time to deactivate his account. As of now, his Twitter handle no longer exists on the social media platform.

@iHarpreetSbedi no longer exists on Twitter

How is Harpreet Singh Bedi associated with AAP?

Harpreet Singh Bedi’s Twitter handle described himself as State President for Social Media AAP Himachal. According to his bio, he was a former Punjab representative for Chattra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, the youth wing of AAP. When his controversial tweets were pointed out by people on Twitter, he tried to hide his credentials related to AAP by deleting his bio before his account was deleted altogether.

Screengrab of an original tweet from @iHarpreetSbedi

Information on his association with AAP was cross-verified on Facebook after the same person was seen posting an update about his role in AAP Himachal Pradesh in June 2021. Bedi was also seen posing with Lal Chand Kataruchakk who currently serves as the Food & Civil Supplies Consumer Affairs Minister in the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP Government in Punjab.

Facebook Screengrab of Harpreet Singh Bedi’s account

After Harpreet Singh Bedi’s continued open support for Khalistan was exposed, accusations of AAP rallying support from Khalistanis during the Punjab assembly elections have been underlined yet again. On Friday, Clashes erupted between Khalistan supporters and members of a Hindu organisation outside the hallowed Ma Kali Temple in Punjab’s Patiala. In February, former AAP member Kumar Vishwas had also called out Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal for extending support to Khalistani separatists. 

Bangladesh: Hotel manager Manzoor Ahmed arrested for serving beef to Hindu customers. Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Hotel manager Manzoor Ahmed arrested for serving beef to Hindu customers. Here is what happened

A hotel manager named Manzoor Ahmed was arrested in Bangladesh and sent to police custody for serving beef to Hindu customers, despite instructions to the contrary. The incident took place on Wednesday (April 27) in the New Chaktai area, which falls under the jurisdiction of Bakalia police station, in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh.

As per a report in Chattogram Pratidin, a Hindu man named Supan Pal had gone to a restaurant named ”Dubai Restro and Biriyani House’ to celebrate his birthday party. He was accompanied by 12 of his friends.

Given that it was a Muslim-owned restaurant, Supan had made it clear to the waiters to not serve them beef. As such, he had ordered chicken biriyani for his friends.

Halfway through their dinner, Supan’s friend Suman Pal (45) realized that they were served beef by the restaurant. While speaking about the matter to Chattogram Pratidin, Supan said, “After cutting my birthday cake, I along with my 12 friends visited the Dubai Restro and Biriyani House. When asked about the menu, I was informed that only beef tehri and chicken biriyani are available.”

He added, “We told them that we are Hindus and we won’t eat beef. We then placed the order for chicken biriyani. After we were served our dishes, one of my friends noticed a piece of beef in the chicken biriyani.”

Supan solicited the truth from the waiter by asking him a trick question. “On inquiring whether the meat was fresh, the waiter informed that the restaurant owner had slaughtered a cow in the morning and as such the meat was fresh. It was then we realized that the restaurant fooled us (hurt our Faith) by serving beef with chicken,” he added.

Restaurant manager arrested for serving beef to Hindus, other accused on the run

When Supan and his friends confronted the restaurant manager Mohammed Manzoor Ahmed (45), they were treated with indignation. “They must have served it by mistake. What is the big deal? If you don’t want to eat, then you can leave,” Manzoor told the group of Hindu customers. He also misbehaved with them, prompting Suman and his friends to lodge a police complaint.

A case was filed by Suman against Manzoor, waiters Mohammed Kareem (35), and Mohammed Babu (27) at the Bakalia police station. While Kareem and Babu have been absconding since the incident, the police have arrested Mohammed Manzoor Ahmed. He was produced before a local court, following which Manzoor was remanded to police custody.

The accused hails from Satkania Upazila of Chittagong district while Kareem and Babu are said to be residents of Noakhali district.

Three cats and a horse, all worth several lakhs, conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s gifts to Jacqueline Fernandez

OpIndia Staff
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Three cats and a horse, all worth several lakhs, conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s gifts to Jacqueline Fernandez

On Saturday, April 30, Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets worth over 7 crores of Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez in the extortion case against high-profile conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Now it has been revealed what expensive gifts Sukesh gave to Jacqueline. According to a report by News18, the gifts included 3 cats worth rupees 9 lakh each, a horse worth rupees 52 lakhs, and diamond jewelry.

The ED had filed a charge sheet in Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s case in the court last year. The charge sheet also mentioned the expensive gifts given to Jacqueline Fernandez by the conman. During the interrogation, Sukesh Chandrasekhar confessed to giving the gifts to Jacqueline. The ED estimates that Sukesh Chandrashekhar had given gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to her. Apart from that, Jacqueline’s relatives were given a hefty sum of US$173,000 and 27,000 Australian dollars as loans. Now the list of the gifts given by Sukesh Chandrashekhar to Jacqueline Fernandez has come to light.

The gifts included three Persian cats each worth rupees 9 lakh, an Arabian horse that costs 52 lakh rupees, a diamond set with 15 pairs of earrings, expensive crockery, designer bags of expensive brands like Gucci and Chanel, two Gucci brand gym outfits, several pairs of Louis Vuitton brand footwear, two Hermes brand bracelets, a Mini Cooper car, and many Rolex brand watches.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar, in his statement to ED last year, had claimed that he had gifted jewelry worth Rs 7 crore to Jacqueline Fernandez. She was also given the BMW X5 car. Sukesh Chandrashekhar had also reportedly gifted a Maserati car to Jacqueline’s parents and a Porsche car from Bahrain to her mother.

The ED had recorded Jacqueline’s statements in August and October last year. In the statement, she had admitted to taking gifts and loans from Sukesh during the course of the questioning. Jacqueline had said that the gifts from Sukesh included three designer bags from Gucci and Chanel, two gym outfits from Gucci, pairs of Louis Vuitton shoes, two pairs of diamond coils, and a bracelet made of multi-color stone, and two other bracelets from Hermes. The actress had also told the ED that Sukesh had gifted her a Mini Cooper car, but she had returned it. Jacqueline had said that Sukesh had given her sister Geraldine $1.5 million as a loan. Apart from this, she also admitted to transferring Rs 15 lakh to the account of her brother Warren, who is living in Australia.

The 200 crores extortion and money-laundering case

While jailed as an undertrial, Sukesh Chandrasekhar allegedly extorted 200 crores from the wife of the promoter of Religare enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh. Pretending to be a senior government official, Sukesh conned Shivinder Singh’s wife Aditi Singh assuring her that he can secure Shivinder’s bail. Sukesh and his wife, actress Leena Maria Paul used hawala routes and shell companies to launder the proceeds of their scam.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar and his wife were then arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) over an alleged extortion racket being run from jail. Sukesh was allegedly bribing prison authorities to keep his cons running from the prison. Several Bollywood personalities like Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi allegedly kept coming to the prison to meet him during his stay.

Congress leader, journalists and trolls share misleading videos to claim that Muslim man was knocked down on road due to his religion

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader, journalists and trolls share misleading videos to claim that Muslim man was knocked down on road due to his religion

On Friday, Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress leader Raksha Ramaiah took to Twitter to share a video of a biker crashing onto another rider on a busy street.

Sharing the video, the influential Congress leader claimed that the video pertains to an incident of a youngster knocking down a Muslim guy deliberately for ‘fun’. “Look what the hate has come to now, this youngster knocks down a Muslim guy riding his bike ‘for fun’,” Raksha Ramaiah tweeted.

Sharing the video, Raksha Ramaiah insinuated that the rider deliberately hit the Muslim guy out of hatred for him, subtly targeting the Hindu community.

The video has gone viral on the internet, with more than 8,000 people liking it and over 6,000 people retweeting it. Many social media Twitter users, including far-left accounts, Islamists, and foreign journalists, have shared the video on their timeline, claiming that the rider chased down the Muslim bike to crash him deliberately.

According to them, there is an intense hate brewing against the Muslims in the country, which is now leading to such ‘attacks’ against Muslims in the country. Islamists were the first to share the video aggressively on Twitter, saying that Muslims have become a joke in India.

Another Muslim social media user Nadeem Khan shared the purported video claiming attacks on Muslims. He peddled propaganda, saying that hate is increasing daily in India.

Not just ordinary trolls on social media but influential social media users also shared the video. Rakesh Sharma, a far-left Twitter user, said this incident, allegedly an attack on Muslims, depicted the new India of the dreams. This is what people voted for, he asked, questioning people whether they would continue to support it.

Sharing the purported video, Rakesh Sharma asked whether this is the New India the young children of the country will inherit.

Assed Baig, the journalist at Al-Jazeera, propagated misinformation saying right-wing Hindu bikers targeted Muslims by crashing onto them in India. He also added that Hindus were filming such acts.

Harini Calamur, another journalist, also put out a misleading video to claim that something is terribly broken in the country.

Rupa Gulab, another far-left writer, claimed that this was religious persecution and an attempt to murder.

Not just Indians, even Pakistanis shared the purported video to claim that the situation of Muslims in India is very bad. A Pakistani user said that the one rider knocked down a Muslim from his bike to hurt him just for fun.

However, the video being shared on social media, thanks to Raksha Ramaiah, claiming that the rider is being crashed by another person only because of his Muslim identity is not true.

Fact check:

In the purported video shared by the congress leader, it is clearly audible that the person who shot the video said that the man who crashed is drunk.

The red-shirt clad rider can be seen acting weirdly on the road after being drunk. He then loses control of his bike and crashes onto the rider who was seen wearing a cap. According to the Marathi dialect spoken in the video, the incident occurred somewhere in Maharashtra.

In addition, the claim that the Muslim guy was attacked is also not true. There is no evidence that the victim was a Muslim. The far-left users, Islamists, declared that the victim was a Muslim because of the fact that he was seen wearing a cap.

However, social media users have pointed out that it is common for Hindus to wear such a white ‘Gandhi cap’ in Maharashtra. So, it is wrong to say that a Muslim man was attacked without confirming the identity of the victim.

Moreover, even if the victim turns out to be Muslim, it still does not prove that he was targeted because of his religion without a proper investigation. The video suggests that it was a routine road accident and most probably the bikers didn’t know each other. Only after the man who knocked the other man down is caught and interrogated, the fact can be known.

Hence, the claim made by Congress leaders and assorted trolls on Twitter that a Muslim rider was deliberately knocked by another person for his religion is untrue and misleading.

Amidst rising mercury and an increase in coal demand in India, here is what the government has to say on the alleged shortage

OpIndia Staff
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Amidst rising mercury and an increase in coal demand in India, here is what the government has to say on the alleged shortage

India just had one of the hottest Aprils on record and the prediction for May suggests there will not be any let-up in the heatwave in the country. With the temperature rising across the country, electricity supply from coal-powered plants has reportedly been affected in several parts of the country.

During this prevailing heatwave, many cities across the country are experiencing hours-long power outages. Several politicians have started blaming the Centre for the alleged coal shortage in the country which is resulting in these power cuts. Amidst these coal shortage rumors, government-backed coal mining company Coal India Limited has reported a 27.2% increase in coal production and a 5.8% increase in coal dispatch in April 2022 compared to the same month last year.

In its statement, the Ministry of Coal said, “Coal production by Coal India Ltd (CIL) hiked by 27.2% in April 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021 & coal dispatch hiked by 5.8%. Coal stock at CIL is 56.7 MT & at SCCL is 4.3 MT… Thus, sufficient coal stock with coal companies is available.”

The Ministry stated that adequate coal is available, despite states citing a supply crisis. Peak electricity consumption in April 2022 is around 207.11 GW, up from 182 GW in April 2021 and 133 GW in April 2020, according to sources citing official statistics. India’s electricity consumption has also reached a four-year high, according to a separate statement from the power ministry.

The Ministry of Power stated in a tweet on Friday that the highest supply in a day reached an all-time high of 207.11 GW on Friday, April 29.

The Ministry further said, “The coal stock at Good Shed sidings, washery sidings & port is about 4.7 MT & is ready to be moved to power plants immediately. Apart from this, around 2 MT coal stock is also available at the CIL sidings.”

“Indian Railways is fully geared to move this stock to power gencos (generation companies) across the country. CIL offered 5.75 MT of coal to State/Central gencos & 5.3 MT of this coal was agreed to be booked by the gencos. This will help in coal stock buildup at TPPs,” it added.

Railway board chairman VK Tripathi said that Demand & consumption of coal has gone up significantly in comparison to last year and Indian Railways is operating extra coal rakes on top priority.

In addition, according to a report published on April 1, Coal India Limited recorded a record coal output in FY2021-2022 of 622.6 million tonnes, indicating a 4.4% increase year on year.

Coal output was 595.2 million tonnes (MT) in 2020-21. Coal shipments to power generation companies reached a new high of 540.4 MT in FY22, up 21.4 percent from 445 MT in FY21.

As illegal Mazars in Noida keep mushrooming, VHP warns of state-wide agitation if the district administration fails to remove them

OpIndia Staff
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As illegal Mazars in Noida keep mushrooming, VHP warns of state-wide agitation if the district administration fails to remove them

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has opposed the mushrooming of large-scale Mazars in Noida adjoining the national capital Delhi. The VHP has warned the local administration that if illegal Mazars growing in the city like mushrooms are not removed, a major state-wide agitation will be launched.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Meerut chief Dr. Raj Kamal Gupta said that these illegal Mazars are popping up all over the city, and the district administration should take action against them without any delay.

Dr. Gupta further said that they suspect that the people constructing these illegal Mazars are protected by the police. He said, “VHP and Bajrang Dal activists went to give a memorandum regarding these Mazars to the Noida Authority and the District Magistrate of Noida. While returning, they were attacked by some people outside the sector-39 police station. Those people in plain clothes were later described by the police as their employees. Even after this, there was a vicious attempt to implicate our workers in a false case.”

He further said, “We demand that the policeman who made a public threat to kill our activist in front of the police station by pointing a revolver at his chest should be arrested without delay and strict action should be taken against those who have booked false cases against the activists. All cases against VHP activists should also be withdrawn.” He also said that if there is any laxity in the matter, the activists of VHP and Bajrang Dal will be forced to go on a state-wide agitation along with the entire Hindu society.

It is notable that on Thursday, there was a ruckus after a scuffle broke out between the police and Bajrang Dal activists. The case took place at around 3.30 PM outside Noida’s Sector-39 police station. According to a report by Dainik Jagran, Bajrang dal workers first misbehaved with a policeman at the police station. After this, a heavy police force reached the spot and the higher officials intervened in the case. Some activists were detained in the case but were later released.

Nagpur: Pro-Vidarbha activists paste ‘Vidarbha’ stickers on state government office boards on Maharashtra Day

OpIndia Staff
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Nagpur: Pro-Vidarbha activists paste ‘Vidarbha’ stickers on state government office boards on Maharashtra Day

On the occasion of Maharashtra day, Pro-Vidarbha activists have taken to protest demanding a separate ‘Vidarbha’ state out of Maharashtra on May 1, 2022. Protestors have pasted ‘Vidarbha’ stickers on the signboards of certain state administrative offices in Nagpur on Sunday, covering the word Maharashtra.

Every year, May 1 is celebrated as statehood day for Maharshtra and Gujarat after the two separate states were carved out on a linguistic basis out of the erstwhile colonial Bombay Presidency on May 1, 1960. However, the same day is observed as ‘Black day’ among many in the eastern region of Maharashtra who demand separate state of Vidarbha. On Sunday midnight, pro-Vidarbha protestors pasted Vidarbha state stickers on signboards of Maharashtra state administrative offices in Nagpur.

Nagpur, which is officially the second capital of Maharashtra after the state formation sees similar protests every year on this day. The protestors have demanded that since the inclusion of the region in Maharashtra, Vidarbha has been sidelined in terms of development. They have alleged that as compared to other regions in the state, the development of Vidarbha has been abysmally low and has been stalled.

The protestors tried to stage a protest when Cabinet Minister in the state government Nitin Raut was presiding over a function to commemorate Maharashtra Day in the Nagpur’s Kasturchand Park on Sunday morning. The protestors gave slogans in support of a separate Vidarbha state while Raut was about to give his speech during the event. The city police detained pro-Vidarbha activist Ahmed Kadar and five others following the incident.

The Movement for separate Vidarbha

The movement for carving out a separate Vidarbha state dates back to the 1950s when scholars and thinkers from the region demanded an independent state owing to its long history. Modern-day protests have emerged after a sentiment rose that Vidarbha, which is located far away from the state capital of Mumbai and other political power centres in Maharashtra, has been sidelined in terms of development. Pro-Vidarbhites while raising prevailing issues of farmer suicides, droughts and power cuts that grapple the region think a separate statehood for Vidarbha would solve their problems.

In the run-up to the 2014 state assembly elections, many BJP leaders including Central Minister Nitin Gadkari had supported the cause of Vidarbha amidst rising independent sentiment. However, when Devendra Fadnavis became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and represented Vidarbha on many fronts, the movement for Vidarbha diluted further. In the recent development, activists have again taken up the cause of separate statehood in many districts of Vidarbha.

As Raj Thackeray’s deadline on loudspeakers in mosques approaches, here is what politicians in the country have to say on the topic

OpIndia Staff
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As Raj Thackeray’s deadline on loudspeakers in mosques approaches, here is what politicians in the country have to say on the topic

Since Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray took up the issue of Azaan using loudspeakers and issued an ultimatum to the Maharashtra state government to remove the loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, 2022, numerous politicians in the country have joined in and commented on the subject.

Raj Thackeray had warned the Maharashtra government that if loudspeakers aren’t removed from the mosques, he will install double the number of loudspeakers in front of every mosque and play Hanuman Chalisa recital through them. He had given the government time till Eid to remove the loudspeakers.

Speaking on the question of loudspeakers, Tejaswi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, stated that individuals who do not grasp the core of religion and karma add religious flavour to trivial problems. He stated that no religion or God need a Loudspeaker.

He sent a tweet on Sunday that reads, “Loudspeaker was invented in 1925 and its use in temples/mosques of India started around the 70s. When there was no loudspeaker then God was not there? Without loudspeaker prayer, awakening, bhajan, devotion and Sadhna would not have happened?”

In a subsequent tweet, Yadav said, “In fact, those who do not understand the essence of religion and karma, they give religious colour to unnecessary issues. A self-conscious person will never compare these issues. God is always with us. He pervades every moment and every particle.”

Similarly, the Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Kamal Nath said that the loudspeaker is a personal matter and no one should make an issue of it. “Loudspeaker is used at several places but I believe that it should not be misused. People’s sentiments are attached to the loudspeaker. Nevertheless, action should be taken if it is used to instigate people,” remarked Kamal Nath.

Facing Raj Thackeray’s ultimatum in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar argued that this is just an attempt to move the country backwards by diverting attention away from other serious concerns.

The NCP head, commenting on the politics around loudspeakers stated, “If you turn on the television today, you’ll hear someone declare that they’ll host a sabha, and someone another demand that the Hanuman Chalisa be chanted.”

Samajwadi Party Supremo Akhilesh Yadav who was attending an Iftar party on Saturday said during the event that the issue of loudspeakers has been raised intentionally. Also, dragging in the use of bulldozers against illegal properties, he said, “No party is more of a liar than the BJP, the loudspeaker issue is intentional as they know that don’t have the figures for unemployment in UP. Law &order situation is deteriorating in UP; that’s why govt is running bulldozers so that there’s no debate.”

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar strangely branded the use of loudspeakers in places of worship as a religious practice on Saturday.

“Let us not talk about this nonsense. It is known to all that in Bihar we do not interfere in religious practices of any sort. Of course, some people think it is their business to make a fuss and they keep at it,” said Nitish Kumar.

Mumbai: Bakery owner Ansari kills 18-year-old ‘girlfriend’ Sonam Shukla and dumps the body in a creek in Malad, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: Bakery owner Ansari kills 18-year-old ‘girlfriend’ Sonam Shukla and dumps the body in a creek in Malad, arrested

The Mumbai police have arrested a 23-year-old man named Mohammed Ansari in connection to the brutal murder of an 18-year-old NEET aspirant girl named Sonam Shukla.

As per reports, the victim went missing after she left her home for tuitions at 4 pm on Monday (April 25). Sonam was a resident of Premnagar in the Goregaon West area of Mumbai. As per the police, the teenager did not attend her tuition classes and instead went to one of her female friend’s house, before leaving the place at around 9 pm.

When Sonam Shukla did not return home by 9:30 pm, her worried father called her to inquire about her whereabouts. “My daughter told me that she will reach home in some time as she is at her friend’s home. But when she did not reach till 11.30 pm, I got worried and again tried her number,” the victim’s father informed.

He added that the teenager’s phone switched off at around 11 o’clock at the night. The 19-year-old had gone to the residence of Mohammed Ansari, a graduate student and a bakery owner. At that time, his parents were not at home.

Sonam Shukla, who was allegedly in a relationship with Ansari, had a heated argument with him. The accused then strangled her with a wire till the victim became lifeless. He then tied her hands and legs, stuffed her dead body in a gunny bag and then dumped it near a creek in Malad West.

Ansari had hoped that the body would be eaten by fishes. On not finding his daughter, Sonam’s father lodged a missing complaint with the Goregaon West police. The cops discovered Sonam’s decomposed body only on Thursday (April 28) when it washed ashore at Barista Lane in Versova.

DCP (Zone IX) Manjunath Singe took cognisance of the matter and initiated a probe. The Versova police uploaded the photo of the victim on their WhatsApp group and learnt that a girl was reported missing by her parents at the Goregaon West police station. The cops notified the Sonam’s parents, who had earlier filed the missing complaint.

“I learned that my daughter was killed when the police sent a photo of a decomposed body of a girl but it was not in a position to identify her. So, we were asked to reach Cooper hospital where we identified her. Police said her body was stuffed in a sack and was washed ashore near Versova,” Sonam’s father lamented.

While speaking about the matter, a Versova police official said that they learnt about Ansari through local sources. The official added that the accused broke down during the interrogation and confessed to his crime.

The official added that Ansari befriended Sonam Shukla during her visits to the bakery shop. The victim’s father demanded stringent punishment for the accused. A case was registered against the accused under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 201 (disappearance of evidence) and 302 (murder).

“Our daughter was aiming to become a doctor. My child’s bright future has been cut short. We celebrated her 18th birthday in February and she was supposed to appear for NEET in two months. She used to put in at least 7 to 8 hours daily preparing for the entrance,” he lamented.

As per activist Saroj Gupta, the Goregaon police had initially registered a ‘missing complaint’ instead of a case of abduction. “The girl’s parents were harassed at the police station by the cops, “Gupta had added.

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