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Braving snow and cold: Watch ‘Himveers’ from ITBP celebrating 73rd Republic Day with the Tricolor held high

OpIndia Staff
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Braving snow and cold: Watch ‘Himveers’ from ITBP celebrating 73rd Republic Day with the Tricolor held high

Holding the Indian Tricolor with high esteem and pride, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel braved inhospitable conditions in Ladakh and Uttarakhand to celebrate the 73rd Republic Day. The ITBP soldiers, unfurled the national flag at 15000 feet above the sea level as the temperature recorded minus -40 degrees Celsius in Ladakh.

The ITBP shared the videos of the ‘Himveers’ marching slowly through the fresh snow in Ladakh. “Happy Republic Day from Himveers of ITBP, from Ladakh”, it tweeted.

The force also posted videos of soldiers braving the freezing temperatures not only at Ladakh but also at different heights at peaks of the Himalayas where they are posted to secure the India-China border. One such video appeared from the state of Uttarakhand where the ITBP Himveers were seen skiing on a snow-clad mountain in a formation with the Tricolor, at 11,000 feet in minus 20 degrees Celsius.

On the other hand, the officers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Chatha of Jammu and Kashmir celebrated the 73rd Republic Day by organizing a cultural event. The soldiers flaunted their love for India via music and dance. “We reiterate our steadfast commitment to serving the nation with courage, valour, and devotion”, CRPF tweeted wishing happiness on Republic Day.

The Border Security Force also celebrated the historic day by exchanging sweets and greetings with Border Guard Bangladesh at ICP Pertrapole and other Border Out Posts. “A joint retreat ceremony was also organized at ICP Petrapole”, the BSF said.

It is worth noting that the daredevil bikers of the ITBP will showcase 10 different types of formation at the Rajpath on the Republic Day Parade.

According to the reports, Lotus Formation, Border Man’s Salute, Fly Riding, Pawan Chakki, Horizontal Bar Exercise, Six-Man Balance, Arrow Position, Jaguar Position, Sentinels of the Himalayas and the theme-based Pyramid on ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on the 75th Anniversary of India’s independence will be showcased as formations on the moving bikes by the force’s ‘Himveers’.

A total of 146 personnel and 33 Bullet Motorcycles of ITBP will participate in the Mission Daredevils. Also, the Republic Day Parades will witness the tanks, Dhanush howitzers, electronic warfare system and six marching contingents of the Indian Army including the Rajput Regiment and Assam Regiment and 17 military bands.

Complaint filed in the case of sexual harassment of Hindu women, whose pics were pornographically morphed for ‘stud Muslim men’

OpIndia Staff
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Complaint filed in the case of sexual harassment of Hindu women, whose pics were pornographically morphed for ‘stud Muslim men’

On January 25, West Bengal resident Ankita, whose photograph was misused on Reddit, had filed a complaint with the cybercrime division in the matter. In her complaint, she said an unknown person sent her a link on Twitter, and when she opened the link, she found her photograph was morphed and used on a Reddit group by user Radha Sheikh (Radha_seikh).

Ankita further added that though the post had been deleted after she shared it on social media to bring it to the attention of people and authorities, she would want to take action against the person who morphed her photograph. She said, “Today, they did this with me tomorrow with some other woman.” She further urged the Police to take action against Reddit and the person who morphed photographs of women.

In the thread, Ankita mentioned she was not the only one, and there were many women whose photographs had been morphed and misused on the internet. While she thanked everyone who poured support for her on social media, Ankita tagged Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, and said, “Sir, I hope you will read this and amplify. Hundreds of groups are present on many social media platforms, yesterday this happened with me, tomorrow it can happen with another woman, kindly take action against all these groups on social media.”

‘We all are together in this’

Ankita further asked those who were criticising BJP for not supporting its worker. She said, “To the people who are constantly writing that BJP is not taking care of me. I want to tell you that many people are with me, not everything everyone can show, please keep your propaganda away from my name.”

She further added she was overwhelmed with the support she got on social media platforms. She said, “Keep supporting me to fight all the odds. We all are together in this. It’s really sad that Hindu women are being targeted like this every day. I was pained to know that I was not the only one many other girls’ pictures are still present. I will fight for those women and for all the women in this world.”

New IT rules give power to users to get objectionable content removed

Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar, while replying to a post by netizen Anshul Saxena urged Ankita to immediately write to Reddit to get the objectionable content removed.

Quoting Rule 3(2)b of the IT Rules, he said, “She has powers to seek removal quoting rule 3(2)b of the new IT Rules. I request Ankita to immediately write to Reddit. The new IT rules make platforms accountable to users.”

Rule 3(2)b of the IT Rules

In 2021, the Government of India issued new Rules under which the intermediary has to act on the complaint filed in relation to any objectionable content. Rule 3(2)B reads, “The intermediary shall, within twenty-four hours from the receipt of a complaint made by an individual or any person on his behalf under this sub-rule, in relation to any content which is prima facie in the nature of any material which exposes the private area of such individual, shows such individual in full or partial nudity or shows or depicts such individual in any sexual act or conduct, or is in the nature of impersonation in an electronic form, including artificially morphed images of such individual, take all reasonable and practicable measures to remove or disable access to such content which is hosted, stored, published or transmitted by it.”

Rape fantasies, sexual objectification and harassment of Hindu women on social media platforms

In a new form of communal hatred, social media is being used to sexually objectify and harass Hindu women, but it is not being reported properly. There are tons of images of women who are portrayed as Hindu with bindi, mangal sutra, sindoor and saree and posted with comments like how they are ‘waiting’ for a ‘Muslim d*ck’ as only he could ‘satisfy’ her. The sexually explicit images are often morphed to show the woman in a derogatory way, and sometimes even threatening way. The sexually explicit images are posted with hashtags such as ‘HSlut4MStud’ (Hindu sl*t for Muslim stud).

Due to the hate and propaganda against ‘Sanghis’, a term used for those who disagree with self-proclaimed liberals and Congress fans, it does not come as a surprise that people fantasising of rape of Hindu women, specifically by Muslim men, are either ignored or shielded by the so-called liberals who dismiss the very idea of Hindus being victims because ‘how can a religious majority in India be a victim’.

‘What’s the harm in learning Hindi as the third language?’ Madras High Court asks Tamil Nadu Government

OpIndia Staff
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‘What’s the harm in learning Hindi as the third language?’ Madras High Court asks Tamil Nadu Government

In a petition for the adoption of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the state of Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court has stated that teaching Hindi as a third language alongside Tamil and English in educational institutions would not do any harm.

Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Munishwar Nath Bhandari heading the first bench of the court on Tuesday inquired from the state government as to why Hindi can’t be taught as the third language in Tamil Nadu and what harm it would do.

The bench was hearing Arjunan Elayaraja’s public interest lawsuit, in which he sought directives for the implementation of the NEP, 2020, in educational institutions across Tamil Nadu. Elayaraja had argued that in view of the NEP 2020, the state cannot opt-out of supporting Hindi and Sanskrit in the state.

It may be recalled that in 2019, the DMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu had strongly opposed the three-language formula in the draft National Education Policy alleging that it was tantamount to thrusting Hindi language on the non-Hindi speaking states. In 2020, the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had rejected the three-language policy proposed by the Union government in the National Education Policy (NEP) and said the state will not deviate from its two-language policy, being followed for decades.

The bench stated that the state had the authority to make such decisions. The court did note, however, that people from Tamil Nadu will be at a disadvantage if they travel outside the state without understanding Hindi.

‘Not knowing Hindi might be a barrier in getting jobs’, says Madras HC batting for Hindi being taught as third language in Tamil Nadu

Citing examples of people being rejected jobs because they didn’t know Hindi, Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari said that this shouldn’t be a barrier for Tamil Nadu residents.

“For taking a job in the state of Tamil Nadu, there is no difficulty but outside the state there would be difficulty,” he noted.

Responding to the observation made by the Judge, Advocate General (AG) R Shunmugasundaram said, “The Tamil Nadu government follows two language policy and not three language policy as it would be overburdening the students.” Moreover, no one is stopped from learning Hindi in Tamil Nadu. “There are institutions like the Hindi Prachar Sabha where one can learn Hindi,” he added.

The two-judge bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice P D Audikesavalu reacted by saying: “Learning is different from teaching.”

“If you give the option of three languages to the students, only then will they be in a position to opt for one or two or three. If everybody is opting for Tamil, (it is) fine. There is no difficulty. But they should be having the option to go for English or Hindi or any other language they require,” Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari stated.

When the AG said the state is following two language policy and not a three-language policy, ACJ questioned, “What is the harm if you follow the three-language policy (with Hindi).”

The bench granted Arjunan Elayaraja of Cuddalore’s petition four weeks to file the counter-affidavit, notwithstanding the AG’s request for eight weeks.

Home Minister Amit Shah slams those indulging in language politics

It may be recalled how in 2019, HM Amit Shah, on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, had appealed to the citizens to increase the use of Hindi. Speaking at a function to commemorate Hindi Diwas, Shah hailed the diversity of languages and dialects in the country that he stressed was the “strength of our nation”.

His statement was, however, distorted and used to stir controversy. Immediately media was abuzz with reports that Amit Shah was seeking a common language for the country and had proposed Hindi’s name. This got the ball rolling and raised the hackles of political leaders in some non-Hindi speaking States, especially in South India.

This supposed proposal was criticised by South India’s actor turned politicians like Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth who claimed that a common language cannot be implemented in India.

He had then cleared the controversy fomented by the opposition over his remarks on the Hindi language. Slamming those indulging in language politics Shah said he has never asked for imposition of Hindi anywhere in the country but advocated its use as the second language after one’s mother tongue.

Kerala lynching case: Court questions repeated absence of the special public prosecutor representing the dead tribal man

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala lynching case: Court questions repeated absence of the special public prosecutor representing the dead tribal man

The Mannarkkad SC / ST Special Court on Tuesday has questioned the repeated absence of the special public prosecutor representing the dead tribal man Madhu. A 27-year-old tribal man from Palakkad was lynched by a mob in 2018 over suspicion of theft of food.

The Special Public Prosecutor for the dead tribal man Madhu was absent today when the case was being heard before the special court. Earlier on November 15 last year, the court had postponed the hearing to January 25 since the prosecutor was not present on that day as well.

The court has again adjourned the case further until February 26, 2022. Earlier V. T. Raghunath was appointed as the prosecutor for the deceased in August 2019. However, he has never appeared in court to this day. Before the trial was supposed to start on January 25, the news of Raghunath resigning from his post stating medical reasons came.

The absence of prosecutors has delayed the trial for the case due to varied reasons. For an incident that took place in February 2018, even finding a fitting prosecutor for the victim has not come easy. Madhu’s family has now alleged that the trial is being delayed intentionally. Madhu’s mother, Malli awaits justice for her son, while she says, “It has been four years since my son was lynched. We don’t know why the trial has not started. We just want justice.” Malli while speaking to the media about having no idea from whom to demand justice for her son, further said, “They (the police) cite different reasons, which I do not understand. We have no money and influence. All the accused men have been walking freely all these years.”

The Special Investigation Team formed after the incident has drafted a 3,500-page charge sheet in May 2018 while naming a total of 16 persons accused. While the accused have been charged with murder and offences under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, all of them are currently out on bail. Critics are also questioning the CPI(M) govt.’s delay in appointing a permanent public prosecutor to represent Madhu before the court. The Government is also accused of wielding political influence in the case as, Shamsuddin, one of the accused was elected as the CPI(M) branch secretary in September 2021. However, the decision was revoked after much opposition.

Padma Awards 2022: CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh, Satya Nadella, among others conferred with the highest civilian awards of India

OpIndia Staff
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Padma Awards 2022: CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, Kalyan Singh, Satya Nadella, among others conferred with the highest civilian awards of India

Ahead of the 73rd Republic Day, the government of India has released the list of Padma Awardees who will be conferred with amongst the highest civilian awards later this year by the President of India. Among those honoured with the prestigious award include late CDS General Bipin Rawat, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Cyrus Poonawalla, Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra and several others.

As per the list released by the government, the President, this year, has approved conferment of 128 Padma Awards including 2 duo cases (one award is given to two persons). The list includes 4 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards.

Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

Ms Prabha Atre, Shri Radheshyam Khemka(posthumous), General Bipin Rawat(posthumous), and Kalyan Singh(posthumous) are conferred with Padma Vibhushan.

The list of Padma Bhushan award includes eminent citizens from different walks of life, including Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Bengali actor Victor Banerjee, former Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, MD of SII Cyrus Poonawalla, Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella of Bharat Biotech, among others.

Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra was conferred with Padma Shri for his outstanding contribution in the field of sports. Other recipients of Padma Awards include Ms Badaplin War from Meghalaya, Ms Durga Vyam from Madhya Pradesh, Dr Kamlakar Tripathi and Shri Sivananda from Uttar Pradesh. Ms Gamit Ramilaben Raysingbhai has been bestowed with Padma Shri for her exemplary work in the field of social work. Similarly, Ms K V Rabiya from Kerala has been feted with the prestigious honour for her contribution to social work.

The entire list of Padma Awardees can be read here.

Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami Hind objects to Surya Namaskar on Republic Day; asks Muslim students to boycott such “idolatrous practice”

OpIndia Staff
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Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami Hind objects to Surya Namaskar on Republic Day; asks Muslim students to boycott such “idolatrous practice”

The Karnataka unit of the radical Islamist outfit Jamat-E-Islami Hind has taken strong objection to the central government’s directive to perform ‘Surya Namaskar’ on R-Day and asked Muslim students and parents to refrain from participating in the event as it is against Islam.

Dr Muhammad Saad Belgami, JIH President has, however, said on Tuesday that, “Surya Namaskaar” is against Islam. We don’t prostrate before our prophet and we believe in the oneness of God. “Surya Namaskar” is not allowed for Muslim students,” he said.

“We also strongly advise Muslim parents and children not to participate in this idolatrous practice. This should also be an occasion to make children understand the concept of the oneness of God and its demands. We urge the management of schools and institutions to respect this diversity and freedom of choice,” he added.

“We wish to say that “Surya Namaskar” is devotional Yoga practice involving prostration to the Sun and chanting of hymns. Islam strongly prohibits any act of worship or devotion to any of the creation,” he said.

JIH Karnataka chief calls it violation of their fundamental and constitutional rights

“Islam strictly recommends that is permissible only to the creator of the entire universe – Allah. Muslims are not allowed to prostrate even to the beloved personality of Prophet Muhammad. We have been asked not to perform Namaz, including prostration at the exact time of dawn or dusk to avoid any doubt of resemblance to sun worship,” Muhammad Saad said, adding expecting or requiring Muslim children to participate in this will be a violation of their fundamental and constitutional rights.

According to the chief of the Karnataka unit of the radical Islamist outfit Jamat-E-Islami, the government should not impose the religious customs of one society on another since it violates secular ideals and goes against the spirit of equality, fairness, and liberty.

It may be noted that on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day celebrations, the central government has directed that special programmes to perform ‘Surya Namaskar’ with musical instruments be organised across the country. The goal is to reach a 75-crore ‘Surya Namaskar’ target by involving three lakh students across 30 states and 30,000 institutes.

AIMPLB objects to ‘Surya Namaskar’ programmes at schools, calls it unconstitutional

Notably, on January 4, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board(AIMPLB) had also objected to the central government’s directive to organise ‘Surya Namaskar’ in schools between January 1 to 7 on the 75th anniversary of Independence Day, stating that Islam prohibits ‘Surya Namaskar’ as it is a form of Surya puja.

The statement issued by the Muslim Personal Law Board and signed by general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said that customs and rituals of the majority community cannot be imposed on all religions. The letter also asked Muslim students to stay away from the Surya Namaskar program. The letter also called the government order issued to all states through the Ministry of Education to observe Surya Namaskar unconstitutional.

Rajkot: Underbridge named after late CDS General Bipin Rawat inaugurated by Gujarat CM

OpIndia Staff
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Rajkot: Underbridge named after late CDS General Bipin Rawat inaugurated by Gujarat CM

On Monday (January 24), Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated an underbridge in the Lakshmi Nagar area in Rajkot city of Gujarat. The new infrastructure project has been named after the late Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat.

As per reports, the underbridge has been constructed at a cost of ₹42.38 crores. It will be known as the ‘Shahid CDS Bipin Rawat bridge’. The project was built as a part of the government’s initiative to free cities from railway crossings.

The underbridge will help relieve traffic congestion and benefit about 6 lakh commuters. A separate pathway has also been created for cyclists. With a 4.5 metre height and 7.5-metre width, the underbridge, it will help ease vehicular traffic and even accommodate school buses.

During the virtual inauguration, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel congratulated Rajkot Municipal Corporation for completing the project in record time. He had assured to develop urban infrastructure to prevent inconvenience to people.

The untimely death of General Bipin Rawat

On 8th December 2021, a military helicopter carrying 14 people on board crashed on its way from Sulur Air Force base in Tamil Nadu to Wellington where Gen Rawat was to deliver a lecture in Defence Staff college.13 of them perished during the accident. They included CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col H Singh, Wg Cdr PS Chauhan, Sqn Ldr K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A, Hav Satpal, Nk Gursewak Singh, Nk Jitender, L/Nk Vivek and L/Nk S Teja.

Group Captain Varun Singh, Shaurya Chakra awardee, was admitted to the hospital with severe burn injuries. He was maintaining his vitals and was shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru. As per reports, his health has improved slightly. However, he, too, unfortunately, succumbed to injuries.

Telangana: 18-century Bansilalpet step-well to soon serve with clean, fresh groundwater as the restoration project nears completion

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: 18-century Bansilalpet step-well to soon serve with clean, fresh groundwater as the restoration project nears completion

The 18th-century old stepwell at Bansilalpet, Secunderabad has been launched to revive with fresh water gushing from deep below, after more than 500 tonnes of garbage was removed from near the Nalla Pochamma Temple, to unearth the 53 feet deep water stream.

The stepwell had become a dumping ground for years until the removal of silt and debris began last year. According to the reports, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation engaged workers and labourers, for the cleaning process and had announced plans for the restoration of the heritage structure.

Kalpana Ramesh, the founder of the Rainwater Project is supporting the government in the restoration process that involves methods to recharge the groundwater as well. Reports mention that the Rainwater Project has already restored five-step wells in the city at Gachibowli, Kokapet, Kondapur and Narsingi.

According to Kalpana Ramesh, the water capacity of the Bansilalpet stepwell is 22 lakh ltr and this would have helped in saving crores of litres of water if it was well maintained for the last 40 years. “The well after restoration will help improve the groundwater security, reducing urban floods and groundwater pollution. The clean water discharged out of the well will prove to be a great resource for the people”, said Ramesh.

She also added that there is clinical evidence proving the better quality of water that will soon be available for use. She said that the stepwell is 53 feet deep and every night 5 to 6 feet of clean water fills up naturally.

Urban Development Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar meanwhile tweeted pictures of the stunning transformation of the structure on Saturday and said that the government was rediscovering Bansilalpet step well step by step. He also shared pictures from before and after the restoration on Social Media.

Reports mention that restoration process will be completed within 6 to 8 working months and additional facilities will also be put in place to make it a tourist attraction.

‘Imran Khan is a coward for always playing it safe’: Senior journalist slams Pakistan PM for not condemning Taliban, Hafiz Saeed

OpIndia Staff
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‘Imran Khan is a coward for always playing it safe’: Senior journalist slams Pakistan PM for not condemning Taliban, Hafiz Saeed

Pakistani senior journalist Marvi Sirmed described Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as a “coward” while decoding his cryptic speech during his public engagement programme “Aap Ka Wazir-e-Azam, Aap Kay Saath.”

Speaking during a television program the journalist opined that Khan has always played it safe in every field, including cricket. “Imran Khan is a coward man. If you see his journey including his career in cricket. He is not a brave man as a person…he plays safe always,” she said during the TV show, citing examples of the Taliban regime.

Rebuking the Pakistan PM for hedging his bets, Marvi Sirmed further said, that Imran Khan never condemned the Taliban when they were killing our children, and when urged to do so, he answered, “Am I a fool, they would kill me as well.”

“He (Imran Khan) did not condemn Hafiz Saeed… he said that if Salman Taseer (former Punjab province governor) got killed, why should I say anything to them (Taliban)… he is a Coward man. So we cant expect from him that he alone stood in front of any powerful establishment,” the Pakistani journalist added citing the case of the Pakistani wanted terrorist who is the co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the chief of Jama’at-ud-Da’wah.

“Throughout his speech, Khan looked very nervous and stressed. He felt sidelined and felt that he is losing his grip (on the Pakistan government) and some power is trying to throw him away… but he (Khan) can’t say it directly,” she said referring to his speech during the public interaction programme ‘Aap Ka Wazir-e-Azam, Aap Kay Saath’.

Reham Khan, ex-wife of Imran Khan lambasts him after attack on her car

It may be recalled that earlier in the month, Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan had also slammed her former husband and Pakistan’s PM saying that Pakistan had become a land of ‘cowards, thugs and the greedy’ under Imran Khan’s rule. The statement came on January 3, after Reham Khan took to Twitter to reveal that her vehicle was fired at and held at gunpoint while she was coming back from her nephew’s wedding. She had attacked her ex-husband and questioned if the incident was a projection of his ‘New Pakistan’ rhetoric.

In a follow-up tweet, she said the government of Pakistan should be held accountable for whatever happened, and she was ready to take a bullet for her homeland. 

Reham Khan is a journalist of British-Pakistani origin. She was briefly married to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. She married him in January 2015 in a low-key ceremony and filed for divorce in October, just after ten months of marriage. In the autobiography she released in 2018, Reham had levelled sexual harassment accusations against Imran Khan.

This isn’t the first time Reham Khan has criticised Imran Khan. She has in the past called him ‘fake’ and a ‘hypocrite who would do anything to get power’. In 2019, she called Khan a closet bigot and claimed he regularly made derogatory comments on Hindus.

Locals meet BMC officials after latter chop off 100-year-old heritage tree, Mumbai police manhandle locals for objecting: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Locals meet BMC officials after latter chop off 100-year-old heritage tree, Mumbai police manhandle locals for objecting: Details

The residents and activists of Vile Parle (East) in Mumbai, where a 100-year-old heritage tree was hacked off by Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities three days ago, have met with the BMC committee and urged them not to remove the stump of the tree so that the tree could be restored and recovered.

The civic body has, however, requested a copy of the Bombay High Court ruling halting the tree’s chopping, as well as an explanation as to “why they believe the tree’s chopping is illegal?” The BMC further stated that if the residents fail to bring a copy of the orders, the stump will be removed.

Mumbai police heckles activist for questioning the cutting of a heritage tree

The issue gained traction after videos emerged on January 22, Saturday, wherein the Mumbai Police were seen manhandling a man and pushing him into a police van. The man in question was a Mumbai based environmental activist named Abhay Azad of the Save Aarey citizens’ group.

In a video that went viral on January 22, Mumbai cops were seen holding the activist by his neck and pushing him into the police van. Reports suggest the police had forcibly detained Abhay Azad for raising questions when a huge 100-year-old peepal tree was hacked in the Gaothan area of Vile Parle (East) on Saturday. He was also threatened with a First Information Report (FIR) after he protested against the same.

Speaking to ANI, the environmental activist Abhay Azad said, “A 100-yr-old tree was being cut in the Vile Parle area today. I asked BMC officers for permission under which it was being done. I was later forcefully put in a police van and was threatened with an FIR against me. Last year, the Maharashtra govt declared every tree above 50 years as a heritage tree. If trees will be cut down like this, there will be no heritage left in the city. It is unfair if a citizen is punished for raising the voice for the protection of trees.”

Azad in an exclusive interview with Mirror Now revealed that he received information on WhatsApp that a tree near his home was being cut down. He then rushed to the location and requested that the officials there show him valid permissions for the tree to be felled. He said that they showed him an outdated 2018 letter to justify their action.

Azad further stated that three years ago, he and a fellow activist had made submissions to save the tree in question. The green activist said it was surprising to see BMC authorities arrive at the site years later and cut down the tree.

It may be noted that TOI that has named the aforementioned activist as Abhay Bavishi, reported that he has now written to the BMC, as well as state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray about the allegedly illegal tree cutting.

“This looks like an illegal tree cutting because the order to cut it is dated 2018. What was the need to hack it now, after nearly four years, when the tree was not coming in the way of anything? It looks like some builder lobby wanted to get rid of this heritage tree in order to develop the Gaothan area. It is tragic that this big peepal tree could not be saved,” TOI quoted another activist Zoru Bathena as saying.

Maharashtra Govt led by Uddhav Thackeray clears action plan for protection of heritage trees

It’s worth noting that the Maharashtra government passed an action plan in June 2021 to protect trees older than 50 years in urban areas, dubbing them as ‘historic trees’.

The plan that was passed on June 10, 2021, included the concept of heritage trees and conservation, a process to define the age of the tree, plantation as compensation, guidelines to be followed before cutting down trees, forming a Maharashtra Tree Authority, a local tree authority and their duties, tree census, selecting a tree plantation land, tree transplantation, and fines that would be imposed.

As per the plan, trees older than 50 would be termed heritage trees and a State-level Tree Authority would be formed to protect and preserve these heritage trees. 

Here it becomes imperative to recall how the Shiv Sena govt led by Uddhav Thackeray has been playing petty politics over the Aarey forest ever since the Shiv Sena supremo took over the Maharashtra’s chief minister’s seat.

Shiv Sena and its activism over Aarey Forest

The Uddhav Thackeray-led govt, in a vindictive order, had declared the Aarey area where the metro car shed was planed as ‘forest land’ and had shifted the facility to government land in Kanjurmarg. The decision to shift the metro car shed came after several left-wing activists and Sena prince Aaditya Thackeray had expressed their disapproval for the construction of the metro shed at Aarey.

Even though the metro project will substantially improve the environment by removing lakhs of fossil fuel-guzzling vehicles from the roads, the project was opposed due to political reasons. The decision to shift the metro car shed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg will now increase the project’s cost by at least Rs 4,000 crore, which was estimated by a committee appointed by the current government. Further, the project will also be delayed by several years due to ongoing litigation and the condition of the new site.

After cancelling Metro Shed project in Aarey, Maharashtra govt keen on monetizing ‘forest land’

Months after arbitrarily cancelling the much-needed Metro project near the Aarey area by claiming it as a ‘forest’ land, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra had suddenly appeared keen on monetizing the Aarey Forest land.

In a government resolution issued in May last year, the Maharashtra government had appointed a five-member committee headed by Madhav Kale, director of planning and transport of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, to suggest how the government can monetize its land and raise funds for its various projects.

U-turn of Shiv Sena on environmental activism

The ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which often advocates for eco-conservation by cancelling the metro project at Aarey on ‘concerns’ that trees are being cut, earlier took a U-turn by deciding to axe more than 300 trees for the construction of a metro line the elevated Metro-2A corridor between Dahisar and DN Nagar. Shiv Sena, especially under the leadership of Aaditya Thackeray, had been extremely vocal on the issues of environmental conversation, as the young Sena prince had opposed the BJP government’s decision of felling of trees at Aarey Milk colony to construct a Metro shed.

A month after extreme activism by Shiv Sena to impress its coalition parties – Congress and NCP, Sena had exposed its hypocrisy by ordering the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation to chop down 1,000 trees for a Bal Thackeray memorial in Priyadarshini Park. Interestingly, the environmental activists, NGOs and liberals who had hit the streets to protest against the then BJP government in the state for axing the trees at Aarey colony have now suspiciously chosen to remain silent. Perhaps, the activist seems to have come to a conclusion that it is a right step to axe the trees for the metro as the decision has been taken by the secular alliance of Shiv Sena, Congress and the NCP.

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