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26,000 more loudspeakers removed from Uttar Pradesh religious places taking the total to 37,000, volume of 55,000 lowered: Police

OpIndia Staff
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26,000 more loudspeakers removed from Uttar Pradesh religious places taking the total to 37,000, volume of 55,000 lowered: Police

On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh Police removed additional 26,000 loudspeakers from religious places across the state and reduced the volume of 55,000 loudspeakers to the permissible levels as per the guidelines. The action by the UP Police is being taken based on the CM Yogi Adityanath-led state government’s order in which all religious places were asked to comply with the UP Pollution Control Board on loudspeakers by April 30.

This comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh Police took down 11,000 loudspeakers and reduced the volume of 35,000 loudspeakers to the permissible levels. As of April 29, the total number of loudspeakers removed is 37,000. According to the reports, the maximum number of loudspeakers was removed from Lucknow while other cities that saw the maximum impact of the order were Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Prayagraj, and Bareilly.

Additional Director General Prashant Kumar on Friday said that the Police had undertaken a statewide drive to remove loudspeakers from religious places and set their volume within permissible limits. He added that loudspeakers were being removed from all religious places without any discrimination.

As reported earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police is following the High Court order, which has set specific decibel levels for loudspeakers. “The order regarding this has been sent to district administrations. A committee has been formed to look after this. We are also talking to religious leaders as most of the loudspeakers are mounted at religious places. The drive has received a positive response”, Kumar said.

Last week, CM Yogi Adityanath held a meeting with senior officials to discuss the law and order situation in the state. The Uttar Pradesh CM had said that everyone has the right and freedom to follow the religion of their choice but they should ensure that others should not get disturbed. “Though microphones can be used, make sure the sound does not come out of any premises. Other people should not face any problem”, he had noted.

After the order was issued by the state government, many religious leaders from both Hindu and Muslim communities agreed to reduce the volume of the loudspeakers. The first one to bring down the volume was Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura. They decided not to broadcast the famous ‘Manglacharan Aarti’ that was played every day for an hour from 5 am on the loudspeaker at Bhagwat Bhawan within the temple premises.

Later, Shaktipeeth Devipatan Tulsipur Temple in Balrampur removed three out of four loudspeakers from its premises and reduced the volume of the remaining loudspeaker as per the guidelines. Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, Rajeshwari Temple, and Kali Paltan Temple in Meerut also lowered the volume of the loudspeakers. Similar steps have been taken in Kanpur and Ayodhya by the temple authorities

Meanwhile, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, Imam, Eidgah, has also issued directives to all Sunni mosques to reduce the volume of the loudspeakers. To date, a total of 37000 loudspeakers from atop various religious places have been taken down in the state of Uttar Pradesh and the volume of 55000 loudspeakers has been reduced to permissible levels.

UP: Muslim mob blocks road, chant Allahu-Akbar after Alvida Juma in Saharanpur over Namaz not allowed on road, police blames media

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Muslim mob blocks road, chant Allahu-Akbar after Alvida Juma in Saharanpur over Namaz not allowed on road, police blames media

A large number of Muslims gathered on the road in front of mosque in Saharanpur, chanting Allahu Akbar and other slogans. After the Alvida Juma, or the last Friday prayers during the Ramzan, at the Jama Masjid in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, a large number of Muslim youths protested on the street, reportedly against the state government’s guideline to not offer namaz on roads.

The Muslim devotees had arrived at the Jama Masjid for the Alvida Juma, and the religious rituals were conducted peacefully and everyone offered namaz inside the mosque. But after people started leaving the mosque, a large number of them assembled on the road and started shouting slogans. Chanting Allahu Akbar and slogans against the state government, they protested against the decision to stop offering namaz on roads.

It may be noted that as per the guideline issued by the UP govt, the committee of Jama Masjid in Saharanpur had appealed the Muslims in the area not to use public places for the Alvida Juma. In a public letter, the mosque had asked the Muslims of the entire district to offer namaz in their local mosques, and not to occupy roads, markets and traffic intersections for the same.

Accordingly, the Alvida Juma namaz was offered inside the Jama Masjid, but the Muslim youths decided to protest against the decision after the namaz. They continued sloganeering for more than half an hour, blocking the road completely. Repeated chants of Allahu-Akbar can be heard in the videos of the protest. A sense of fear prevailed among the shopkeepers and locals in the area, as any small spark could create a bloody violence.

Police arrived at the scene after being informed about the situation, and tried to control the situation, but the protesters resisted them.

However, the police and the administration officials were able to prevent escalation of the situation, and brought the situation under control. A large number of police forces from several police stations arrived the scene and the traffic blockage was removed. Rapid Action Force troops were also deployed.

DM Akhilesh Singh also arrived at the spot to take stock of the situation. He and other officials talked to the protesting Muslim youths to calm them down, after which the sloganeering was ended and after some time the crowd started leaving the place.

However, the police have blamed media for inciting the crowd, and assured action against media for allegedly inciting the situation. SSP Akash Tomar said that the youths were agitated after some journalists asked them provocative questions. They started sloganeering after the questions by the journalists, the police officer said. He also added that appropriate action will be taken against media houses for spreading misleading reports about the incident.

China, which puts Muslims in ‘camps’ and bans everything Islamic, tells Sweden, where Quran was burnt, to respect Muslim beliefs

OpIndia Staff
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China, which puts Muslims in ‘camps’ and bans everything Islamic, tells Sweden, where Quran was burnt, to respect Muslim beliefs

On April 20 this year, the Chinese government took potshots at Sweden, for allegedly not ‘respecting’ Muslim beliefs, after riots broke out in the Scandinavian nation over the burning of a copy of the Quran by anti-immigration activist Rasmus Paludan.

In a statement, the spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry Wang Wenbin remarked, “Freedom of speech cannot be a reason to incite racial or cultural discrimination & tear society apart.”

“We hope Sweden can earnestly respect the religious beliefs of minority groups including Muslims,” he had concluded.

Riots in Sweden

On April 14, 2022, a frenzied mob went on a rampage in the Swedish town of Linköping. Amidst chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’, the masked men attacked police vehicles and set them ablaze. According to independent researcher Hugo Kamman, a total of 4 police officers were injured during the attack. 

On the following day, riots broke out in the Swedish city of Örebro during which a violent mob attacked the police and engaged in arson attacks. As per a report published by Reuters, the rioters pelted stones, broke through police cordons and set 4 vehicles on fire. Violence was also reported in the Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby and Navesta in Norrköping over the scheduled Quran burning event.

While reacting to the violence, National Police Chief Anders Thornberg said, “We live in a democratic society and one of the most important tasks of the police is to ensure that people can use their constitutionally protected rights to demonstrate and express their opinions…The police do not get to choose who has this right, but must always intervene in case of violation.”

More than 40 people were arrested after the clashes that followed between Muslim protestors and the Police in Sweden. Eight people were arrested in Norrkoping whereas 18 people were detained in the neighbouring city of Linkoping where the protests emerged for the first time.

Chinese hypocrisy and treatment of Uyghur Muslims

Although China is one of the worst abusers of human rights on the planet, it has, of late, been championing the cause of ‘Islamaphobia’ (just like its ally Pakistan). Despite its dismal track record, the repressive Communist Party of China is patronising Sweden, where citizens enjoy utmost freedom to practice their Faith.

In July last year, the Chinese authorities detained more than 170 Uyghur Muslims for questioning after they offered prayers without permission during the occasion of Eid-al-Adha (Qurban Heyt). The incident took place in Aksu city in Aykol township in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Radio Free Asia reported that the cops did not storm into mosques to verify the age of those attending religious prayers but instead employed ‘neighbourhood spies’ to check if someone secretly prayed at their residence. The spies were responsible for providing information about 10 households that fall within their jurisdiction. 

Although XUAR is home to about 12 million Muslims, it is believed that about 1.8 million of them are held in detention camps since 2017. Often dubbed as ‘vocational centres’, the Chinese authorities claim to use such camps to prevent religious extremism in XUAR. 

While China has been facing criticism and worldwide condemnation over its brutal treatment of the Uyghur Muslims, China had aggressively refuted the allegations and dubbed it as a conspiracy against the Communist-run-nation.

Yogi govt disallows Namaz on roads of Uttar Pradesh on Alvida Juma, clerics appeal to Muslim to limit themselves to mosques

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi govt disallows Namaz on roads of Uttar Pradesh on Alvida Juma, clerics appeal to Muslim to limit themselves to mosques

The Uttar Pradesh administration has directed that no one will be allowed to offer namaz on the public roads on Alvida Juma, the last Friday of Ramzan. According to the reports, the Uttar Pradesh government has directed the authorities to ensure that Alvida namaz is only offered at mosques and not on the roads or public places.

Following the directive, several clerics have asked Muslims to offer namaz at mosques in their locality and avoid public places. The government officials had met religious leaders and issued strict orders to them to prevent people from offering namaz in public areas. The administration has also asked Muslims to keep the sound of loudspeakers according to the prescribed standards. 

Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, the head of the Islamic Centre of India and Imam of Aishbagh Eidgah, has also appealed to the people to maintain peace and adhere to prescribed Covid-19 protocols.

Similarly, Sunni cleric Sufiyan Nizami of Darul Uloom Farangi Mahal said that prayers should be offered inside the mosque premises and not on the road. 

The state government has made elaborate security arrangements ahead of Friday namaz to ensure no untoward incident occurs. 

“Elaborate security arrangements have been made. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had issued guidelines regarding Friday prayers only last week, after which these arrangements have been made in the entire state,” ADG Law and Order UP Prashant Kumar said.

The order comes in the backdrop of the recent order issued by the Yogi Adityanath government to remove loudspeakers from religious places. As many as 37,000 loudspeakers so far have been removed from minarets of mosques and temples across the state. The volume of 55,000 loudspeakers has been reduced to the permissible levels as per the guidelines. 

Mob of Khalistan supporters hurl stones and brandish swords at Maa Kali temple in Patiala, assault ‘Khalistan Murdabad’ march

OpIndia Staff
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Mob of Khalistan supporters hurl stones and brandish swords at Maa Kali temple in Patiala, assault ‘Khalistan Murdabad’ march

Clashes erupted between Khalistan supporters and members of a Hindu organisation outside the hallowed Ma Kali Temple in Punjab’s Patiala on Friday. The incident took place during the ‘Khalistan Murdabad’ march carried out by Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray when Khalistan supporters attacked the march with stones and swords.

Stones were hurled and swords brandished as the Khalistan supporters ran amok, barging into the Ma Kali Temple in Patiala. The skirmishes reportedly broke out after Khalistan supporters raised slogans hailing Khalistan and attacking the participants of the ‘Khalistan Murdabad’ march. The armed Sikh mob which was a part of the pro-Khalistan rally organised in opposition to the ‘Khalistan Murdabad’ march attacked the Kali Mata Temple after Hindus had taken shelter inside the temple premises.

Videos of Khalistan supporters hurling stones and raising slogans in support of Khalistan have emerged on social media.

In one of the videos that have emerged on social media, a bevvy of protesters could be seen blocking a roundabout in Patiala and shouting “Khalistan Zindabad” slogans.

As per reports, several people have been injured in the clashes. The police reached the spot shortly after the riots broke out between the two sparring parties. The law enforcement officials fired in the air to control the situation. However, a Hindu leader, Karmaveer Singh, was injured, along with SHO Tripathi.

SHO Tripathi was attacked by Khalistan supporters with a sword, a report published in Dainik Jagran said. Around 15 rounds of aerial shots were fired by the police to bring the situation under control.

OpIndia spoke to Harish Sangla, the Punjab working head of Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray, about the clashes that erupted between Khalistan supporters and Hindus. Sangla said a ‘Khalistan Murdabad’ march was organised by his party to protest against a small section of Khalistan supporters harbouring secessionist mentality.

“We had organised a ‘Khalistan Murdabad’ march to mark our protest against a minuscule section of people who are still harbouring secessionist ideology and support the idea of Khalistan. This march was against proponents of Khalistan who have caused grave pain to the people of Punjab, who were victims of Khalistani terrorism and had lost their loved ones to it. Our protest was against Khalistan and we will never allow Punjab to become Khalistan,” Sangla said.

He further added, “Initially, a handful of pro-Khalistan supporters tried to stop our march but we drove them. Then, they brought with them a large number of people to attack the Kali Mata Temple.”

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann termed the clashes “unfortunate” and claimed that the “situation is under control”.

He said, “I spoke with the DGP, peace has been restored in the area. We are closely monitoring the situation and will not let anyone create disturbance in the state. Punjab’s peace and harmony are of utmost importance.”

Following the clashes, the situation remains tense in and around the Kali Mata Temple. At present, the temple has been closed for devotees and a large contingent of police personnel has been deployed at the place to maintain law and order.

Uttar Pradesh: Action expected against Nishad party MLA who stopped bulldozing of illegal property of supporter

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Action expected against Nishad party MLA who stopped bulldozing of illegal property of supporter

According to reports, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken serious note of an incident and may take action against an MLA who was seen threatening administrative officers who were on their way to demolish an unlawful encroachment on government land.

A video showing Ketki Singh of Nishad Party, the MLA from Bansdih constituency, yelling at and threatening a Tehsildar for taking action on an illegal encroachment has gone viral. It can be seen in the video that she is scolding the officer and asking him to answer why he did not stop the demolition even after the MLA ordered it to halt.

In the video, it can be seen that first, the MLA inquired about the basis for the demolition, to which the officer responded that the home was erected on Gram Sabha land, which was unlawful, and so he was taking action. Following that, the MLA threatened to set fire to the Tehsil office if her supporter’s home was destroyed. During the conversation, her supporters became upset and were heard shouting that it is an issue of the MLA’s honour, not “razing a house.” 

Deep Shikha Singh, Sub Divisional Magistrate in Bansdih, clarified the issue, saying the problem had come to light through social media. The SDM made a statement that reads, “A new construction was being raised for the past two to three days in a house built by a man on government land. Despite being asked repeatedly by the Tehsil administration, the construction continued.”

According to a senior official from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, CM Yogi has been made aware of the situation and action would be taken against the MLA if necessary. The case is being investigated, according to District Magistrate Ballia Inder Vikram Singh.

Maharashtra: Police Inspector ‘unknowingly’ disrespects holy seat of Narad Muni in a Warkari Kirtan, apologizes after local BJP MLC intervenes

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Police Inspector ‘unknowingly’ disrespects holy seat of Narad Muni in a Warkari Kirtan, apologizes after local BJP MLC intervenes

A police official in Maharashtra has apologised after disrespecting a Hindu deity. Police Inspector KK Patil of the Chalisgaon City police station in Maharashtra had disrespected the holy seat of Narad Muni in a Warkari Kirtan organized near the Sapta Shrungi Devi temple on 27th April 2022 at the night, when he had been there to ask the organizers to switch off the loudspeakers as it was already 10 PM then.

Police Inspector KK Patil apologized in front of all and the idols of Lord Pandurang and Maharaj Shivaji. Image Source: Twitter

On the next day, as the news spread, Hindus, especially the followers of the Warkari Sampradaya outraged against the police inspector. Looking at the situation and considering the excellent services of KK Patil during his tenure in Chalisgaon city, the local MLC of the Bharatiya Janata Party Mangesh Chavan intervened and police inspector KK Patil apologized for the mistake he committed while performing his duties. He also added that he had done it ‘unknowingly’.

Warkari Sampradaya of Maharashtra and its Kirtan tradition date back to the thirteenth century. The 7-century-old tradition is still practiced by the devotees. One such Kirtan was organized in front of the Sapta Shrungi Devi temple in the Hanumansingh Rajput Nagar area of the Chalisgaon city of Maharashtra on 27th April 2022 in the evening. At around 10:15 PM, when the Chalisgaon city police inspector KK Patil was patroling in the Nagat Road area, he heard the sounds from a loudspeaker at the venue of the Kirtan. As the usage of loudspeakers from 10 PM to 6 AM is prohibited by the orders of the Supreme Court of India, he went there to ensure that the organizers of the Kirtan switch off the loudspeakers.

Local veteran members of Warkari Sampradaya forgave police inspector KK Patil and hailed his good works as an officer. Image Source: Twitter

As KK Patil approached the dais to instruct the organizers, he walked onto the holy seat of Narad Muni placed there, without putting his shoes off. According to KK Patil, he was unaware of the fact that every dais of the Warkari Kirtan program has a holy seat of Devarshi Narad who is supposed to be the first person to perform Kirtan as a part of worshipping the Hindu deities in general and Lord Vishnu and his incarnations in particular.

As the news of the inspector disrespecting the holy seat spread, it created a feeling of anger amongst the local Hindus. Even from various parts of the state, many followers of the Warkari Sampradaya started contacting their fellows in Chalisgaon to know more about the incident and condemn this act. Many Hindu organizations also contacted the local Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Mangesh Chavan and informed him about the incident.

Mangesh Chavan called a meeting of the important local members of the Warkari Sampradaya and the police inspector at the Antyodaya Janseva Karyalaya, where, in front of Lord Pandurang and Maharaj Shivaji’s idols, the police inspector KK Patil apologized for ‘unknowingly’ disrespecting the holy seat and hurting the sentiments of the Warkari people. KK Patil said, “I also belong to a family that believes in the Warkari tradition but unfortunately I was unaware of the holy seat of Narad Muni in the Warkari Kirtan. When I was patrolling in that area it was already 10:15 PM. Therefore, when I heard the sound of the loudspeaker, I went there to ensure that the orders of the court are followed. I was in my police uniform. I went to the dais with the same and therefore the act is unknowingly done by me. I apologize for this.”

MLC Mangesh Chavan said, “Though this act by inspector KK Patil has hurt the feelings of Hindus and especially the Warkaris, this incident happened just because he did not know the importance of the holy seat of Shri Narad Muni. Warkari Sampraday is a Bhakti tradition known for forgiving everyone. But as the disrespect that unknowingly took place and caused an outrage from the society, KK Patil Saheb himself showed the maturity to apologize.”

Mangesh Chavan further said, “Since when KK Patil joined the Chalisgaon police station, illegal activities in the area are reduced. He put a check on the crime rate here. Vagabonds wandering on the roads and teasing the local girls now fear the police and their discipline. All this could happen only because KK Patil is performing his duties very promptly. And I am not saying all this just to praise him as a local MLC. In fact, we all have witnessed this change. Even members of the Warkari Sampradaya have noticed this thing. It happens when you are doing your duty very well, something happens unknowingly. I appeal to all the Warkaris to forgive this good officer who is really doing well for society. I request all not to paint this incident in any unsolicited shade and maintain harmony.”

A senior member from the local Warkari Sampradaya said, “Considering the intense feelings of all the Warkaris over the incident that took place yesterday, inspector KK Patil apologized for his mistake in presence of MLC Mangesh Chavan and other senior members of the Warkari Sampradaya including the organizers, singers, devotees and the chief Kirtankaar of the program he visited. KK Patil Saheb expressed his feelings. He swore by his only son and said that he really did not know that this is the holy seat of Narad Muni. After all, I am also a Hindu, but I did not know this. This has happened unknowingly. He asked us to kindly forgive him. We hail all the good works he has done so far for this city. It is KK Patil Saheb who has made sure that our girls are safe.”

All other Warkaris and Kirtankaar people also agreed that it is KK Patil who ensured that Weekly Kirtans and Week-long Kirtans both are organized again as these traditional events were discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic. MLC Mangesh Chavan shared the whole incident from his Twitter handle.

Congress party targets Modi govt, makes six claims on alleged ‘pulses scam’: Here is how they are off the mark on all 6

OpIndia Staff
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Congress party targets Modi govt, makes six claims on alleged ‘pulses scam’: Here is how they are off the mark on all 6

On Thursday, the Congress party claimed that it has exposed a Rs 4,600-crore food scam of the centre and had added that the Modi government had changed the rules of the auction in 2018 under a scheme to provide pulses to the poor and armed forces only to benefit certain “few big millers”.

Addressing a press conference, senior party leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said that the alleged scam has exposed the “real face” of the Narendra Modi government and demanded a full disclosure as well as punishment for those involved. At the press conference, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi had also claimed that the CAG had allegedly found how NAFED allowed only big millers to swindle tonnes of pulses meant for the poor with the conventional auction rules rewritten.

“Here is a government which is cheating over food products and allowing crooks to exploit something as basic as pulses. We have to thank Covid as this scam might not be unearthed so easily. With Covid, there was thought of distributing pulses for free or low cost, and it unearthed this scam,” Singhvi had alleged in the press conference.

In response, the government sources speaking to OpIndia have given a point-to-point rebuttal to the claims made by the Congress party leadership. The centre has dismissed the charges made by Congress and added that there are no such allegations or reports put out by the CAG, but the figures quoted are only imaginary.

Speaking to OpIndia, government sources said that there was no authenticity in the claims made by the Congress party as there is no such policy of favouring any millers. The government has also clarified that NAFED did the supply of milled pulses through competitive bidding on the basis of the outturn ratio (OTR) adopted from the beginning.

Here is a list of claims made by senior Congress leader Singhvi and the detailed response by the centre on the allegations that the government had committed an Rs.4,600 scam in the supply of pulses:

First claim: Modi government’s ministers have accumulated wealth for eight years by snatching away pulses from the common people

In response to the claim, the government sources have said that there is no question of snatching away daal meant for the common people. It also said that the government provided over 14 Lakh MT of daal to beneficiary households for eight months in 2020 and stranded migrant worker households for two months free of cost through the PDS system of States and Union Territories amid the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Second claim: Govt made NAFED change the policy to favour selected millers to make daal

The government has dismissed such charges saying that there was no authenticity in the claims made by the Congress party as there is no such policy of favouring any millers. The government has also clarified that NAFED did the supply of milled pulses in 2017 for the first time, and the millers were selected through competitive bidding on the basis of the outturn ratio (OTR) adopted from the beginning.

Third claim: Centre removed the L1 provision and the provisions of the minimum amount of pulses extraction, which led to cartelisation

Rejecting the argument put out by the Congress Party, the government said that the bid was awarded to the miller who quoted the highest OTR, i.e, the miller who converts a given quantity of raw pulses into the highest quantity of daal through a competitive bidding process, is selected.

The government also clarified that the L1 bidding adopted by some states was to directly invite bids from millers for the supply of daal, which does not involve turning the stock of raw pulses owned by the State into milled daal (pulses).

Fourth claim: CAG report says Rs 4,600 crore in less than four years, involving 5.4 lakh tonnes of pulses

The centre has said there is no such report of CAG as claimed by the Congress party. Therefore, the figures quoted are only the imagination of the reporter, the sources contended.

The Congress party had conducted a press conference based on a report by a left-wing media entity – The Reporters’ Collective, which had claimed that the Union government’s auctions to provide pulses to the poor and armed forces, worth more than Rs 4,600 crore, were rigged to benefit a few big millers. They had cited purported findings from the National Productivity Council, headed by commerce minister Piyush Goyal.

Fifth claim: Congress claimed that the NAFED demanded the revival of the old system of providing pulses

There is no old or new system, the government sources said, adding that there is no scam as such.

Sixth claim: Scam was unearthed because of Covid as there was talk of distributing grains and pulses

The government sources said there is no scam as such as imagined by the Congress party as the supply of milled pulses to States and UTs under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and AtmaNirbhar Bharat Scheme during 2020 was completed under the extremely challenging situation of Covid-19 pandemic when the availability of milling and logistics were limited.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar says sedition law must go, days after MVA govt slapped sedition charges against Rana couple

OpIndia Staff
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NCP supremo Sharad Pawar says sedition law must go, days after MVA govt slapped sedition charges against Rana couple

Less than a week after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra slapped sedition charges against MP Navneet Rana and her husband, Sharad Pawar, the chief of NCP, an alliance partner in the ruling government, has called for the revocation of the sedition law.

In an affidavit filed to the Bhima Koregaon Commission, Pawar contends that governments have misused Section 124A (sedition law) to stifle dissent, alleging that it is time to repeal the law. Besides, he also put forth several amendments in CrPC and IPC to authorise the police and the magistrates to control and prevent riot-like situations and maintain law and order.

Asserting that sedition law was inserted by the Britishers in 1870 to quell the fledgling freedom movement, Pawar said, “However, in recent times this section is often misused against people who criticise the government suppressing their liberty and tend to stifle any dissenting voice that peacefully and democratically expresses their difference of opinion,” he said.

“Therefore, I propose to stop the misuse of Section 124A of IPC by bringing in amendments or repealing the said section,” said Pawar, adding that he is making such a proposal because provisions of the IPC and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) are sufficient for protecting national integrity.

MVA government in Maharashtra slaps sedition charges against Rana couple

However, Pawar’s proposal to scrap the sedition law comes five days after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government booked Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana under the same law. The police had arrested the duo for trying to recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside Matoshree in Mumbai, the residence of CM Uddhav Thackeray.

A Mumbai Court had then rejected the couple’s instant bail plea and remanded them in 14-day judicial custody where Navneet Rana was sent to the Byculla women’s jail, while her husband was sent to the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.

The Rana duo were produced before Bandra Court on Sunday, after their police arrest on Saturday from their house. Both of them were booked under Sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 135 of the Mumbai Police Act (violation of prohibitory orders of police). Public prosecutor Pradip Gharat said that IPC Section 124-A (sedition) is being attracted in this case as the Rana duo allegedly challenged the government machinery and made remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Can Arshdeep Singh’s death bowling be India’s trump card at the T20 World Cup?

OpIndia Staff
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Can Arshdeep Singh’s death bowling be India’s trump card at the T20 World Cup?

Arshdeep Singh has taken just 3 wickets in 8 games in IPL 2022, yet he is among the most impressive Indian fast bowlers this season alongside young pace sensation Umran Malik. Arshdeep, who was one of the players retained by Punjab Kings ahead of the mega auction, has shown why he deserved that faith from the franchise with one impressive spell after another at the death.

While Punjab’s batting has blown hot and cold this season with their all-or-nothing approach, chasing over 200 in one match and getting bowled out for just over 100 in the next, one consistent thing is Arshdeep’s death bowling. His combination of yorkers, slower balls, and bouncers have kept the batsmen guessing making it really difficult for them to get him away. In fact, if Punjab does make it to the playoffs through some miracle, Arshdeep’s death bowling will play a major part in it.

Arshdeep hasn’t been an overnight success in T20s, but it is the result of consistent improvement over the last few years. Even though he played only 2 games during India’s successful run in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, he impressed Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab at the time) to snap him up. His first season was hardly impressive as he played just 3 games conceding runs at over 10 runs an over.

However, by the 2020 season, he was starting to mature and taking up the responsibility to bowl at the critical junctures of the match and managed to pick 9 wickets while bringing his economy below 9. For someone bowling upfront in powerplay or at the death, these were decent numbers. 2021 was an even better season for him as he brought his economy rate further down while picking up an impressive 18 wickets in 12 games. His variations at the death were proving harder and harder to get away.

This season, even though the wickets aren’t coming, his bowling at the death is proving almost impossible to score off. After his excellent spell against Chennai Super Kings guided Punjab to a win, his teammate and South African spearhead Kagiso Rabada even called him the best death bowler in the IPL. Defending 47 off the last 4 overs against Rayudu, Jadeja, and MS Dhoni, Arshdeep conceded just 14 off his 2 overs, giving Rishi Dhawan a big enough target to defend in the last over.

With his consistent death over performances, and ability to stop even the biggest hitters in the game, Arshdeep must surely be in selectors’ minds when they sit down to select the Indian team for the World Cup later this year. His reliable bowling at the end of an innings will also help Jasprit Bumrah, who is the only option for the Indian captain at the death right now.

Bumrah can be used more flexibly throughout the innings when the Indian captain knows that he has 2 good overs in the bank from Arshdeep at the back end.

Throwing a youngster like Arshdeep at the deep end right at the start of his career may seem a little tough, but the only time India won a T20 World Cup was through youngsters.

Whether India does opt to look at Arshdeep Singh or not, Indian selectors right now must be very happy to see the performances of Indian bowlers during this IPL. While Chahal and Kuldeep look like they are back to their best dominating the bowling charts, old warhorses Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Shami have also been very impressive. Among all these options, Arshdeep may get overlooked because of his lack of wickets, but anyone watching the IPL will agree with Kagiso Rabada and say that he has been the best death bowler of this IPL.

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