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Alwar rape case: NCW chief says FIR should be lodged against Rajasthan govt after BJP leader shares video claiming evidence tampering

OpIndia Staff
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Alwar rape case: NCW chief says FIR should be lodged against Rajasthan govt after BJP leader shares video claiming evidence tampering

Rajasthan BJP ex-state spokesperson Laxmikant Bhardwaj has shared a video through his official Twitter handle with claims that the Congress government in Rajasthan has erased evidence from the spot where the specially-abled minor girl was found abandoned at Tijara flyover in Alwar, Rajasthan.

In the muted footage, some labourers are seen sweeping the sidewalk of what appears like a flyover. The BJP leader has claimed that the area which is being cleaned is the spot where the specially-abled minor girl was found and the Congress is trying to destroy all the evidence before CBI reaches the crime scene.

In response to the BJP leader’s video, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma suggested that an FIR be filed against the Rajasthan government for tampering with evidence in a heinous crime against the Alwar minor girl.

Specially abled minor gang-raped left bleeding on Rajasthan flyover

It may be recalled that on January 12, a specially-abled minor girl was found abandoned at Tijara flyover in Alwar, Rajasthan. She was bleeding from her private parts and was admitted to the hospital. According to a report in Patrika, a few men came in a car on January 11, Tuesday night at the flyover and left the minor girl covered in blood there.

The incident caused widespread outrage. Protestors had hit the streets to question the deafening silence of the senior Congress party leaders over the horrific rape of the specially-abled girl at the Tijara flyover in Alwar, Rajasthan. Several videos had emerged in which protestors are seen demanding justice for the victim from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary and UP in charge.

A video had surfaced where several protesters reached outside the hotel in Rajasthan where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was staying for her birthday and raised slogans including ‘stop the torture against women’ and ‘who is against women- Congress party’ in Hindi.  

Rajasthan police concluded Alwar victim who was found bleeding profusely was not abducted or raped

Following the massive protests, the state police had rushed to conclude that the minor was not raped or abducted but reached the Tijara Bridge on her own. Police claimed that while CCTV footage from numerous sites showed her strolling in many areas of the city and on the bridge, no camera detected her in a disturbed state on the bridge.

While the Rajasthan police had said that there is little possibility of rape, Dr Pramila Sharma, a surgeon at the Jaipur hospital where the girl is admitted, said the wound at the perineum “was a very extensive wound”. Not to forget that the minor was bleeding from her private parts when she was rescued from the flyover.

However, as public outrage grew, the Congress government in Rajasthan turned the issue over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). IThe decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot on January 16 (Sunday).

Congress, TRS share clipped video of BJP MP Pragya Thakur to claim that she endorsed consumption of alcohol: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Congress, TRS share clipped video of BJP MP Pragya Thakur to claim that she endorsed consumption of alcohol: Here is the truth

On Thursday (January 20), the Congress party took potshots at the ruling BJP by sharing a clipped video of MP Pragya Thakur and alleged that she endorsed the consumption of alcohol by people in the State of Madhya Pradesh. The development comes 2 days after the BJP government slashed retail prices of liquor in the State by 20%.

In a tweet, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) spokesperson Narendra Saluja tweeted, “BJP MP Pragya Thakur is saying that alcohol works as a medicine but can harm if taken in large quantities. As per the Parliamentarian, everyone should understand that limited consumption of alcohol is not harmful.”

The Congress leader went on to conclude that Pragya Thakur was not against alcohol consumption but against the quantity of alcohol consumed by an individual. To substantiate his claims, Saluja cropped out a 23-second clip from a 48-second video byte of the Parliamentarian.

He further alleged that the BJP wanted the residents of Madhya Pradesh to remain in an intoxicated mood. “Alcohol is being made cheaper and available at homes, malls, supermarkets and airports,” Saluja added. The PCC spokesperson claimed that the saffron party wants everyone to remain intoxicated so that they ‘forget’ to question the State government on its election promises.

Similar claims were made by Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation (TSMDC) Chairperson Krishan K. He uploaded only 11 seconds of the video byte and alleged, “Defending BJP Government reducing Liquor Prices, this BJP MP says Alcohol cheap or costly, its a Medicine. Do you have anything to say?”

The actual video byte of Pragya Thakur

As per a report in Mid Day, Lok Sabha MP Pragya Thakur had come out in support of former Union Minister Uma Bharati in her ‘crusade’ to ban alcohol consumption in the State of Madhya Pradesh.

“See, there must be a prohibition on the consumption of alcohol. Drinking alcohol leads to clashes at home, which are unbearable most of the time. Many people commit suicide due to this, especially women who don’t even drink alcohol. They have to put up with alcoholic husbands. So, there must be a ban on the consumption of alcohol in the State (of Madhya Pradesh),” Pragya Thakur told reporters in a 48-second video byte.

On being asked whether the reduction of prices of alcohol will lead to its increased consumption, the BJP MP pointed out, “Alcohol, in limited quantity, is used as a medicine in Ayurveda. When used in limited quantity, it can act as medicine. But, alcohol can become ‘poison’ for the body if consumed in excess. Everyone must understand the harm caused due to excess intake of alcohol and stop its consumption.”

What is the Truth behind the claims?

PCC spokesperson Narendra Saluja had suggested that Pragya Thakur was only against the excess consumption of alcohol. This is despite the fact that in her byte to reporters, Thakur made it clear at the very onset that she favoured a State-wide ban. The BJP Parliamentarian, while calling for total prohibition, also pointed out the significance of alcohol in Ayurveda. This was not an endorsement to drink alcohol in low limits. Her comment was specifically directed towards the use of alcohol for medicinal use and not recreational purposes.

TRS leader Krishan K had suggested that the medicine angle was projected to shield the BJP’s decision to cut down excise duties on alcohol. However, nothing can be further from the truth. Ayurvedic texts such as Charaka Samhita points out how alcohol can be used for therapeutic purposes, despite being a toxin.

A report in MAPI emphasised, “In the Charaka Samhita the chapter dealing with alcohol consumption and alcoholism begins with the warning that alcohol is considered a toxin. It provides a list of strict rules for the consumption of alcohol and states strongly that if alcohol is taken, strict rules apply, and only then should it be consumed. The ayurvedic texts declare that a medicine properly used becomes nectar and improperly used becomes poison.”

“According to Ayurveda, If consumed In moderation, alcohol could be good for us as It aids healthy digestion, relieves stress as well as gives us good sleep. In fact, Ayurveda prescribes alcohol as a co-drink vAth certain Ayurvedic medicines like Trayodashang Guggulu. Then there are also Anstham or herbalized wines which are a part of Ayurvedic treatment, But remember, alcohol is best avoided,” an article in Suayu pointed out.

Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi gives out a clear message to China, Says ‘Operation Snow Leopard still on, troops on alert’

OpIndia Staff
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Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi gives out a clear message to China, Says ‘Operation Snow Leopard still on, troops on alert’

While talks between India and China regarding disengagement in Ladakh are underway, the Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Y K Joshi on Saturday affirmed that ‘Operation Snow Leopard’ is not over and that it was still on. He also said that Indian soldiers are vigilant in the ice-clad region and have retaliated in befitting replies to Chinese troops in numerous areas of East Ladakh.

Joshi was speaking at the Northern Command’s Investiture ceremony at its headquarters in Jammu and Kashmir today, where the units involved in the Ladakh operation were given major share of appreciation certificates.

While interacting with the CO’s of units deployed along LAC with China and part of Operation Snow Leopard, he said that it is Indian soldier’s valor, determination and courage that gives a clear, loud message to China. “Indian Army is alert and ready in all ways possible”, he was quoted.

Operation Snow Leopard was launched in the year 2020 by the Indian Army to strategically occupy important heights in the South bank of Pangong Tso in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control. Further stating that year 2021 was ‘watershed’ year for India, he said that Indian troops have showcased immense courage against the aggressive designs of China.

Joshi also went on to mention that Indian troops have foiled several infiltration attempts by Pakistan. He said a year-long ceasefire with Pakistan has helped in improvising the local lives along the LoC. “People have boycotted terrorism and have shown no place for separatism”, he added. He also said that the strategic importance of Ladakh and J&K is known to all and the same is secured by the Indian Army.

According to the reports, Lt Gen YK Joshi at the event handed over Certificates of Appreciation to 26 units for their exemplary performance in Operation Meghdoot, Operation Rakshak, Operation Northern Borders, and other operations.

Uttar Pradesh: Class 8 girl dragged out of house and raped in Baghpat, victim’s father brutally assaulted for trying to protect her

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Class 8 girl dragged out of house and raped in Baghpat, victim’s father brutally assaulted for trying to protect her

A 14-year-old girl of class 8th was raped in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. The victim’s father who was trying to resist the crime was also brutally assaulted by the accused. This crime took place in a village that falls under Chandinagar police station of Baghpat. The victim’s parents have filed a complaint in the SP office after which a case was registered.

The victim’s father has said that he was sleeping in a room along with his two daughters. He has alleged that the accused entered the house, dragged the elder daughter out of the house, and raped her. As the girl started to scream, her father rushed to the spot and tried to restrain the 45-year-old accused. In this fight, the accused assaulted the father of the girl. The accused hit him with the butt of a country-made pistol. The girl’s father got injured by this. The accused then threatened the father and managed to escape from that place.

The station house officer Omprakash has said that a case has been registered in this regard and efforts are being made to arrest the accused as soon as possible.

It is notable that the victim girl’s mother had died a few years back. The accused was stalking the girl for a long time. But the family did not file any case owing to social stigma. Now as the girl faced this unfortunate incident and her father is also assaulted, they had met with the SP, and then the case is registered.

There have been repeated rape incidents in the Baghpat area, especially in the last few months. It has rather become a matter of concern for the girls of minor age in this area. Earlier, similar incidents have happened and were reported here in November 2021 and in July 2021 before that. In some cases, the accused rapist had also forcefully converted the victim girl into Islam.

First open-heart surgery under Ayushman Bharat Yojana performed successfully at Agartala Government Medical college in Tripura

OpIndia Staff
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First open-heart surgery under Ayushman Bharat Yojana performed successfully at Agartala Government Medical college in Tripura

Under the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health plan, the first free open-heart surgery was successfully performed in Tripura’s Agartala Government Medical College and GB Pant Hospital on Statehood Day on Friday (January 21).

Madhabi Rani Das, 46, of Udaipur underwent open-heart surgery on January 21 at GBP hospital, according to reports. The whole operation was done free of cost as the patient is a beneficiary of the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The medical college’s Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery and Interventional Radiology (CTVS and IR) facilities were installed two years ago, but there was no surgeon or competent surgery team, as said by Dr Sanjib Debbarma, Medical Superintendent of Agartala Govt Medical College (AGMC) and GBP Hospital.

Dr Kanak Narayan Bhattacharjee, Consultant of the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department at the GB Pant Hospital, stated to ANI, “This is the first time such a surgery has been performed under my observation. In this complicated surgery, all of the technicians, anesthesiologists, and staff nurses performed a critical role.” 

Manjushri Roy, the Principal of Agartala Medical College, addressed the reporters, “We are pleased to inform you that a complex operation like open-heart surgery was successfully performed at the GBP hospital in Agartala. This would allow people from all over the state to receive tertiary care right at their doorstep.”

When asked if more of these surgeries will be carried out in the future, Roy remarked, “These operations are extremely critical and need much planning on the part of both the patients and the surgeons. We can’t conduct two surgeries a day due to limited resources, but this is a continuous process.” 

The successful operation took 5 gruelling hours. The patient is currently in a stable state. Dr Kanak Narayan Bhattacharjee, consultant and In-charge, CTVS & IR department, Dr Anindya Sundar Trivedi, and Dr Surjit Pal headed a team of 15 specialists that performed the operation.

India’s Foreign Sec recalls 26/11 Mumbai, recent attack on Texas synagogue, says ‘active international terror network has long-lasting implications’

OpIndia Staff
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India’s Foreign Sec recalls 26/11 Mumbai, recent attack on Texas synagogue, says ‘active international terror network has long-lasting implications’

On Friday, India recalled the dastardly terrorist attack on Mumbai in year 2011 and said that global threat of terrorism required unambiguous and collective response. India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla at a conference on the ‘Potential for Indo-European/German cooperation in Indo-Pacific’ also condemned the recent terrorist attack in Texas and affirmed that the active international terror network has long-lasting implications.

Welcoming the growing interest of European countries including Germany, to intensify their engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, Shringla said that the key area of cooperation between the strategic partners would be action on countering terrorism. “Failure to cooperate can only embolden terrorists towards more audacity”, he was quoted.

He recalled the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack in which Indians, Germans and many people of other nationalities had lost their lives and noted that the global threat of terrorism requires an undivided and effective response. The Foreign Secretary also drew the panel’s attention to the recent attack by British Islamists in Texas, United States. “It demonstrates the international network of terror, with its epicentre in Pakistan, is very much active and has long-lasting implications”, he said.

According to the official statement, Shringla reiterated India’s position by quoting EAM S Jaishankar who had said that there cannot be any exception or any justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivations behind such acts. Two days ago, India had condemned the terrorist attack in Texas act and had said, “any attack on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure was completely unacceptable; would be in blatant violation of international law, and against all civilized norms”.

Deepening cooperation with Germany on matters of national security, Shringla appreciated its proposed strategies on the Indo-Pacific, particularly strengthening multilateralism, the rule of law and democracy, climate protection, trade and digitization and said that Germany’s interests closely match with that of India.

He also invited Germany to participate in the third ‘No Money for Terror’ Conference to be held in 2022.

Mother of M Lavanya, who committed suicide because of forced conversion by missionary school, blasts media for doubting her daughter’s dying declaration

OpIndia Staff
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Mother of M Lavanya, who committed suicide because of forced conversion by missionary school, blasts media for doubting her daughter’s dying declaration

The mother of M Lavanya, a student of standard 12th in Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Thirukattupali in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, who had committed suicide on January 20 has slammed the media for questioning the dying declaration of her daughter. In a video acquired by OpIndia, the deceased student’s mother has opened up about the torture perpetrated on her daughter by the missionary school authorities to convert to Christianity, that compelled her to take her life.

She is heard stating unequivocally that her daughter killed herself as a result of the treatment she was put to by the missionary school for refusing to convert to Christianity.

Miffed by the media trying to grill her over the ‘conversion angle’, the mother remarked angrily, “Do you want to say what she said in her dying declaration is false”. Her strong reaction came after the journalist told her that the police have maintained that the allegation that Lavanya was facing pressure to convert to Christianity from the school authorities was false.

Further explaining her deceased daughter’s plight which compelled her to end her life, the aggrieved mother said that they have lost their daughter today due to the torture and pressure exerted on her to convert by the authorities of the govt-aided Christian missionary school. “She was compelled and tortured and now she is no more…We want Justice, lamented the mother, as she revealed that her daughter was being pressured and coerced to take up Christianity for the last two years.

“She was asked to wash bathrooms and do other chores and was tortured…”, said the mother as she demanded the arrest and capital punishment for the two school wardens, identified as Sahay Mary and Rocklyn Mary who she said were responsible for the death of her daughter.

“We have lost our daughter but we do not want the same to happen with anyone else’s child…she should be the first and last to go through this torture”, said the mother demanding strict action against the school.

‘If she becomes like us she will get the respect and stature she deserves’, mother reveals how the TN missionary school was after her to let her daughter convert

M Lavanya’s mother recalled how the school had directly asked her to let the child convert to Christianity. “How are you going to make your daughter study, let her become like us. If she becomes like us she will get the respect and stature she deserves,” they had said. She added that she had a fight with the wardens regarding this but to no avail. “They continued to harass my daughter. They used to tell her that she is a bright girl and even threatened her that if she revealed these things to us they will spread rumours about her character. Probably that’s the reason why she did not reveal anything to us”, revealed M Lavanya’s mother.

She further added that they asked the school for a Transfer Certificate (TC) but the school was shut due to Covid. “We were waiting for the school to reopen and give us the TC so that we could apply to some other school. We approached the school after the Pongal holidays and asked for the TC which they denied. Our daughter was an excellent student. She placed first in the class. We wanted her to continue her studies. If something like this can happen to a student who use to come first in class imagine what would happen to the lesser bright students of the school”, remarked the irked mother.

Mother refutes police claims of no conversion angle

When the journalist tried to badger her with the police claims of no conversion angle being present in the suicide case, she lambasted, “Do you want to say what she said in her dying declaration is false”.

Notably, while speaking to News18, M Lavanya’s disgruntled mother reiterated their demands. “We demand that they be jailed and the school must be sealed immediately. We have three more children, we want them to study well. I hope that somebody helps us get justice for our daughter”.

Answering the same question posed to her regarding the police claims, she said, “we are ordinary daily labourers, so the police did not take our complaints seriously. Officials did not believe anything we said regarding the case.”

In an appeal to PM Narendra Modi, the aggrieved mother said: “We want to extend a request to PM Modi as well and say that please don’t let this happen to any other girl. All we want is justice for our daughter.”

Meanwhile, a massive row has erupted in Tamil Nadu following the death of the class 12 student. Many BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu has hit the streets demanding justice for the deceased class 12 student M Lavanya and her family and demanded stringent action against the missionary school which compelled the student to end her life.

Tamil Nadu police to probe suicide of student based on her dying declaration alleging ‘forced to convert’ by missionary school

It may be noted that only yesterday, the Tamil Nadu police had agreed to register the girl’s dying declaration in the case, where she alleged that the govt-aided Christian missionary school she went to had been pressuring her to convert to Christianity, and base the probe on it.

Prior to this, the initial FIR filed by the TN police had simply mentioned that the student was residing at the hostel and that on January 9, the warden reportedly compelled her to undertake household tasks. She apparently attempted suicide because she couldn’t stand the brutality any longer.

Speaking about this development, Thanjavur Superintendent of Police Ravali Priya Gandhapuneni had said that the girl’s parents’ initial statement was bereft of the conversion angle. She added that a new petition has been filed, in which the angle will be investigated as well.

It may be recalled that a video of Lavanya’s call for help was published on social media where she was seen talking about her torture. The video, originally in Tamil (translated by The Commune) says, “My name is Lavanya. They (school) had asked my parents in my presence if they can convert me to Christianity and help her for further studies. Since I didn’t accept, they kept scolding me.” She also named one Rachael Mary who had allegedly tortured her.

Times of India publishes story on cricketers who married cousins, includes Sehwag who didn’t marry cousin to ‘secularise’ the story

OpIndia Staff
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Times of India publishes story on cricketers who married cousins, includes Sehwag who didn’t marry cousin to ‘secularise’ the story

On January 19, Times of India did a web photo story on cricketers who married their cousins for its entertainment section. While the story contained cricketers from Pakistan and Bangladesh who have married their cousins, for some mysterious reason, TOI included Virender Sehwag and his wife Aarti Ahlawat in the story, who are actually not cousins. Not just that, they also used the photo of the couple as the cover photo for the story, completely misrepresenting facts.

The story titled ‘5 Cricketers Who Married Their Cousins’ includes 5 such couples, but actually, only 4 of them are true as per the title. The story mentioned the marriages of Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi with his maternal uncle’s daughter Nadia, Saeed Anwar’s marriage with his cousin sister Lubna, Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman’s marriage with his maternal cousin Samia Parvin, and Pakistani player Barba Azam’s upcoming wedding with his cousin.

As all the cricketers who married their cousins are from Pakistan and Bangladesh, and all of them belong to ‘a particular community’, Times of India felt the need to ‘secularise’ the story. But as they couldn’t find a suitable example of a similar wedding to ‘balance’ the report, they decided that being politically correct is more important than being factually correct.

Therefore, they included Virender Sehwag, even though his wife is not his cousin, mentioning that they are ‘distantly related’. The story itself mentioned that Sehwag’s Cousin had married his wife Aarti Ahlawat’s aunt, which means there are no blood relations between them, and no way they can be called be cousins, not event distant cousins.

The story also correctly mentions Viru had married his childhood love in 2004, as he had met her first when he was seven and she was five. In fact, they had met each other in the abovementioned wedding between their respective relatives. As Sehwag’s cousin had married Aarti’s aunt, it is evident that Aarti is not Sehwga’s cousin, and even if they are ‘distantly related’, it is completely wrong to include them in a story on cricketers who married their cousins. More importantly, there is no blood relation between the two like cousins, as the two became ‘distantly related’ only after the marriage between their relatives.

But not only did Times of India include them in the story, they even went to the extent of using their photo as the cover photo, making them the main focus of the story.

It is not that Times of India ran out of cricketers marrying cousins, and were forced to include the wedding of ‘distant relatives’. They could have included the examples of other cricketers, like Mosaddek Hossain from Bangladesh who had married his cousin Sharmin Samira Usha. But then, perhaps that would not be a ‘secular’ thing to do, hence TOI dropped Hossain to include Sehwag.

Netflix CEO anguished over its poor performance in India after shares plummet by 21%, netizens blame its ‘woke bullsh*t’

OpIndia Staff
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Netflix CEO anguished over its poor performance in India after shares plummet by 21%, netizens blame its ‘woke bullsh*t’

Popular video streaming and production company, Netflix, has recently witnessed a massive slump in the growth of its subscriber base. This has led to a slow start at the onset of the year and a fall of 21.79% in share value to $397.50 as of January 21, 2022.

As per reports, the investors have lost a whopping $45 billion in market value due to the aspersion that the company was going to enter a period of slow growth. Netflix is expected to add about 2.5 million subscribers to its user base in the first quarter of the year. In 2021, the company could add only 18.2 million customers, which was 50% less than that of 2020.

The current decline in Netflix’s growth is likely to continue for another quarter. The company is trying to identify key issues that have contributed to the slump. Although Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has been of the view that competition from rival streaming services is not a problem, company management has now conceded the impact of competitors, besides fall out of the pandemic and a tough economy in South America.

Stock performance of Netflix

On Thursday (January 20), Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings expressed his ‘frustration’ during an investor call over the slow growth of the video streaming company in the Indian market. He said, “In our experience in Brazil, it was brutal for the first couple of years. We thought we’d never break even. I know we’ve got this great business… The great news is that in every single other major market, we’ve got the flywheel spinning.”

“The thing that frustrates us is why haven’t we been more successful in India,” he also added. According to CFO Spencer Neumann, it was tough for the streaming platform to pinpoint the specific reasons as to why the subscriber acquisition did not recover to pre-Covid levels.

While speaking about the slash in Netflix’s pricing in India in December last year, COO Greg Peters noted, “We have been operating there and learning more about Indian consumers’ tastes, et cetera, and that’s broadening the offering of the service across many, many different dimensions. We felt it was the right time to decrease our prices there, to increase accessibility to all… we’re doing this through the lens of what’s the long-term sort of revenue maximisation.”

Annual subscriber acquisition by Netflix between 2015 and 2021, graphic via Bloomberg

Bloomberg reported that Netflix had achieved over 6000% growth in stock value between 2011 and 2021. During that period, the streaming platform acquired over 200 million subscribers. Given that markets in North America and Europe have become saturated, the company has shifted its focus to the Asia Pacific and Africa. Owing to the appreciation of the US dollar, it has become difficult for Netflix to break even in international markets. It is expected to lose $1 billion in sales in 2022.

Netizens pinpoint slump in Netflix’s growth to its ‘woke culture’

After CEO Reed Hastings expressed frustration over Netflix’s slow growth in the Indian market, netizens were quick to show the mirror to the streaming platform. “Meanwhile Netflix’s shows in India: Leila shows a Dystopian Hindu society, ‘Krishna & his Leela’, Vir Das keeps taking unfunny dumps on India. List goes on,” tweeted TFI senior Editor Shubhangi Sharma.

She added, “Maybe the Netflix India team needs a little reshuffling. It’s ridiculous how out-of-touch their content is with the Indian people. They keep facing boycott calls as well. Indians are already keeping alternatives. It’s not an easy market to woo while also peddling a woke agenda.”

Former Infosys Director, Mohandas Pai, blamed the slump in Netflix’s growth story in India on ‘anti-Hindu’ content of the company. “You insult the majority of Indians, hope to grow? Listen to your viewers,” he emphasised.

A Twitter user accused the streaming platform of being Delhi and Mumbai centric and thus failing to understand the pulse of the rest of the nation. “If you cast a Malhotra and a Dassani in a movie about Tamilians based out of Madurai, how will it pick up?” he added.

Another Twitter user stated, “This is because, India is still much sane for woke content which Netflix tries to serve. Even your non-woke content was for elites. The woke-heads at Netflix never promoted culturally relatable content.”

One Twitter user wrote, “They were too focused on Bollywood and best regional cinema went to rivals. Now it’s too late.”

Netflix has been under the scanner in India for peddling inappropriate content to users. In March 2021, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights took cognizance of online outrage after several Twitter users called out the OTT platform for wrongfully depicting children in the web series “Bombay Begums”. The apex child rights body had asked Netflix to stop streaming the web series, citing an inappropriate portrayal of children.

NCP MP Amol Kolhe faces backlash from his own party for playing Nathuram Godse in the film ‘Why I Killed Gandhi’

OpIndia Staff
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NCP MP Amol Kolhe faces backlash from his own party for playing Nathuram Godse in the film ‘Why I Killed Gandhi’

On Friday, a massive uproar erupted over NCP MP Amol Kolhe’s portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi’s killer, Nathuram Godse, in his new film ‘Why I Killed Gandhi.’ Kolhe’s party colleague and Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad has openly objected to Kolhe taking such roles, indicating the depth of the dispute. Awhad, angered by the trailer of the movie, has accused Amol Kolhe of ‘supporting’ Godse.

Amol Kolhe, a Lok Sabha MP from Shirur, is seen recreating Godse in the film’s trailer, which depicts Godse’s trial following Gandhi’s assassination, justifying his actions.

NCP Minister Awhad took to Twitter to say, “It is apparent from the trailer of Amol Kolhe’s film that Amol Kolhe has played Nathuram Godse. Nathuram Godse is endorsed his work, despite the fact that it is done as an artist. In the garb of an artist, you cannot applaud Gandhi’s killing “. He pointed out that actors Vinay Apte and Sharad Ponkshe had also received backlash for their portrayals of assassins, and hence he would reject the film.

The film ‘Why I Killed Gandhi’ will premiere on Limelight OTT on January 30th, Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary.

Kolhe, the film’s main character, has been acting since 2008 and has worked in a number of historical-themed films and TV shows. In past TV programs, the actor has played roles like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji. Later in life, he became active in politics and was a prominent Shiv Sena campaigner in 2014. The film was made in 2017, but it is just now being released. Kolhe played Godse in the movie while being a Shiv Sena member. In February 2019, he joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and beat Shivajirao Adhalarao Patil of the Sena in the Shirur Lok Sabha constituency.

Kolhe issued a video statement on Friday in which he clarified the position. ‘It appears that many individuals have been hurt as a result of my part as Godse in the Hindi film ‘Why I Killed Gandhi,” Kolhe stated. I never agreed with Godse’s acts or his anti-Mahatma Gandhi ideas. I never even promoted the movie. As an actor in 2017, I hoped to acquire a role in a film,’ he added, saying that it must be understood and viewed in that light.

Given the fact that the NCP leader has clarified its position following the protest, party head Sharad Pawar has stated that Amol Kolhe has taken the role as an artist. “Even Gandhi film has become quite famous,” he remarked. The actor who played Godse in the film was also a talented artist.”

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