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Sikh cab driver assaulted, turban ripped off by unidentified person in NY, State Dept condemns after India raised issue with US authorities

OpIndia Staff
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Sikh cab driver assaulted, turban ripped off by unidentified person in NY, State Dept condemns after India raised issue with US authorities

An unidentified man assaulted an Indian-origin Sikh man earlier this week at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in a suspected hate crime. After a video of the event was shared on Twitter on Tuesday, it went viral on social media.

On January 4, Navjot Pal Kaur shared an undated 26-second video to the microblogging site Twitter, depicting a man attacking a Sikh Indian-origin cab driver outside the airport. A bystander at the airport, she said, captured the footage.

The assailant can be heard reportedly abusing the victim with vulgarities. The assailant was seen continually striking and punching him, causing his turban to fall off.

“This video was taken by a bystander at John F. Kennedy International Airport. I do not own the rights to this video. But I just wanted to highlight the fact that hatred continues to remain in our society and unfortunately, I’ve seen Sikh cab drivers get assaulted again and again,” Ms Kaur Tweeted.

There were no further facts regarding the driver or the reason of the accident available at the time of writing of this report.

Twitter users reacted angrily to the video. Many people were outraged by the occurrence and asked that it be investigated thoroughly.

“Another Sikh cab driver assaulted. This one at JFK Airport in NYC. So upsetting to see. But it’s crucial that we don’t look away… What I am sure of is how painful it is to watch our fathers and elders get assaulted while they’re just trying to live an honest life.”

“For those who aren’t Sikh, I can’t put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off — or to see someone else’s turban knocked off. It’s visceral and gut-wrenching and just so disheartening to witness,” Simran Jeet Singh tweeted.

“That humble man is on defensive because he is on a foreign land and he doesn’t know if he will have community support. You try this here!” tweeted Partho Chakravarty.

Executive response to the incident

The event has been termed as “deeply disturbing” by India’s Consulate General in New York, that raised it with US authorities and urged them to investigate.

On Saturday, the Indian Consulate General in New York tweeted, “The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident.”

The attack on the Sikh cab driver at JFK International Airport was termed as “very disturbing” by the Department of State’s South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau, which condemned all forms of hate-based violence.

Similar incidents of attack on Indian-origin Sikh drivers in past

This is not the first time a Sikh cab driver in the United States has been assaulted. In a suspected hate crime, an Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was beaten and racially harassed in the US state of Washington in 2019. The driver informed cops that he believed his race led to the attack.

A 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was beaten and had his turban ripped off by intoxicated passengers in 2017.

Delhi police arrests mastermind behind Sulli Deals app: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi police arrests mastermind behind Sulli Deals app: Here is what we know so far

In a major breakthrough, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) of Delhi Police Special Cell arrested the creator and mastermind of the Sulli Deals app. The development comes days after cops nabbed three accused in the Bulli Bai app case.

As per reports, the accused has been identified as 25-year-old Omkeshwar Thakur. He was nabbed based on the inputs given by the creator of the Bulli Bai app, Niraj Bishnoi. During interrogation, Thakur informed that he developed the Sulli Deals app on GitHub in July last year, where pictures of Muslim women were put up for ‘virtual auction.’

The creator of the Sulli Deals app is a BCA student. He has revealed the involvement of several people in the case.

Delhi Police arrests main culprit of ‘Bulli Bai’ app case from Assam

Months after the controversial ‘Sulli Deals’ app, which had offered pics of Muslim women as ‘deals’, one ‘Bulli Bai’ app appeared on the open-source code repository Github on January 1 this year. Niraj Bishnoi, the alleged mastermind behind the controversial ‘Bulli app’ was arrested by the Delhi Police, IFSO special cell on January 6 from Jorhat in Assam. The accused, a 21-year-old engineering student, has confessed to his act, police said in a statement.

Three other suspects were previously apprehended by Mumbai police. Bishnoi had criticised the Mumbai police for arresting the other suspect whom he claimed were innocent. Bishnoi disclosed during his interrogation that he created the ‘Bulli Bai’ app on Github as well as the @bullibai_Twitter handle and others too, police said.

During interrogation, he stated that the GitHub application was established in November 2021 and updated a month later. “The Twitter account was set up on December 31st. Bishnoi further revealed that he created a second Twitter account, @Sage0x1, to tweet about BulliBai, but that he later deleted it,” DCP IFSO KPS Malhotra stated.

Farmer leader turned politician says he has proof of AAP selling tickets after AAP workers thrashed each other and heckled Raghav Chadha for it

OpIndia Staff
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Farmer leader turned politician says he has proof of AAP selling tickets after AAP workers thrashed each other and heckled Raghav Chadha for it

Balbir Singh Rajewal, founder of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) and the political front of farmer unions Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), has alleged he has proof that Aam Aadmi Party is selling tickets in Punjab. During an interview with Times of India, when Rajewal was asked if there was any possibility of forming an alliance with AAP, he denied the possibility and said, “AAP is behaving like other traditional parties, where tickets are sold. We have proof of it. AAP wants to take Punjab water to Delhi.”

On the contrary, Raghav Chadha, co-in-charge, AAP Punjab, refuted the allegations that his party was taking money to distribute tickets for Punjab assembly elections. Calling the allegations absurd, he said, “These are absurd allegations. There is no amount or person who can buy Raghav Chadha, the AAP, or Arvind Kejriwal. I want to say this very clearly to my opponents.”

Chadha further called the ‘fist-fight’ among AAP workers over ticket distribution an ‘internal matter of the party. He said there are always some differences among the workers that would be resolved within the party.

Interestingly, Chadha tried to present the ruckus AAP workers created on Friday as a good sign. He said, “Have you ever seen anyone fighting for BJPs ticket? I do not want to say anything about any party, but have you seen anyone fighting in any other party for a ticket from a particular constituency. Competition over tickets happens in only that party which is going to form the next government and the party which has a wave going for it.”

AAP workers indulged in a fist-fight in Jalandhar

On Friday, AAP workers created a ruckus at the press conference and indulged in a fist-fight over ticket distribution. The incident took place when Chadha was to induct Dinesh Dhall, a former Congress leader, into the party. Dr Sanjeev Sharma and Shiv Dyal Mali, who were looking forward to securing a party ticket to the contest from Jalandhar, reached Jalandhar Press Club, where the press conference was taking place with their supporters.

The supporters of the two raised black flags and slogans against Chadha, leading to an argument with the AAP workers present at the press club. Within a few minutes, the fist-fight started, and Chadha was seen escaping the Press Club in an SUV. The AAP workers protesting against their own party raised slogans like “Raghav Chadha Chor Hai”. The ruckus continued for around 40-50 minutes.

Alec Baldwin blames ‘right-wing hate’ for ‘misinformation’ about the ‘Rust’ shooting, compares hate against him to Capitol Hill siege

OpIndia Staff
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Alec Baldwin blames ‘right-wing hate’ for ‘misinformation’ about the ‘Rust’ shooting, compares hate against him to Capitol Hill siege

On Saturday (January 8), Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin, currently under investigation, mysteriously blamed ‘right-wing hate’ for “misinformation” about the investigation process in the killing of Director of Cinematography Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie ‘Rust.’

In a video posted on Instagram, the actor said, “The best/only way we can honour the death of Halyna Hutchins is to find out the truth.” He claimed to have been insisting investigative agencies do everything in their power to find out what had actually happened.

“Any suggestions that we are not complying is a lie…As soon as we go for this process, by all means, we will comply. I have no worries about that. That will work itself out, regardless of what they say in these right-wing rag sheets and people who are all about hate,” Alec Baldwin alleged. He then went on to compare the ‘hate against him’ for the ‘accidental death’ of Hutchins to the US Capitol Hill siege of January 6.

During his 4:47 minute monologue, the actor claimed, “Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that’s bullshit. That’s a lie.” His comments came at the backdrop of a search warrant issued by a New Mexico court.

Alec Baldwin suggested that the delay in investigation is due to the fact that he lived in New York while the incident took place in New Mexico. Alec Baldwin blamed the ‘investigation process’ for any ‘perceived delay’ in the probe, adding that the police force from another State need to follow certain protocols to seek information from him.

“They have to specify what exactly they want. They can’t simply go for your phone, your photos or love letters to your wife…We are 1000% going to comply with all that,” he concluded.

Journalist accuses Hollywood actor of not co-operating with investigation agencies

Jack Posobiec, the Senior Editor of Human Events, pointed out how the actor had tried to blame the shooting of Halyna Hutchins and the January 6 incident on right wing hate. While emphasising that Baldwin had not been cooperating with the authorities, Posobiec stated, “He also claims he is complying with the investigation while obviously recording the video on his phone that the sheriff has ordered him to turn over.”

The Background of the case against Alec Baldwin

On October 21 last year, American actor and producer Alec Baldwin was in the news for ‘accidentally’ shooting cinematographer Hutchins with a prop gun on the set of a movie ‘Rust’. Reportedly, the director of the movie was injured while the director of cinematography Halyna Hutchins was killed in the incident. The incident took place at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County in New Mexico during the shoot of the film.

In December 2021, a search warrant was issued by the police for Alec Baldwin’s phone to be searched in connection with the death of Hutchins. The warrant was issued by a Sante Fe court in New Mexico. It said, “there may be evidence on the phone” that could be “material and relevant to this investigation”. Investigators were asked to confiscate Mr Baldwin’s Apple iPhone that is “believed to be in his possession”.

Only two weeks after Alec Baldwin gave his first interview about the shooting, the police thought that there could be evidence on his phone. The police now want to check the emails, photos, text messages, call logs and web browser history on Baldwin’s phone. According to reports, the police also want to see if any private messages were sent over social media platforms.

The Hollywood Actor has been known over the years for his violent antiques and eccentric behaviour, from fights with photographers to calling his then eleven-year-old child Ireland Baldwin a “rude, thoughtless little pig”

Assembly elections: 50,000 troops to be mobilised, Punjab to get 75 CAPF companies, UP to get 150

OpIndia Staff
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Assembly elections: 50,000 troops to be mobilised, Punjab to get 75 CAPF companies, UP to get 150

On January 8th, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said sufficient CAPF companies would be deployed in all poll-bound states looking at law & order situation and threat perception. S Karuna Raju, Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab, said that 75 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) had been allotted for Punjab. Out of these 75, 50 would reach the state on January 10.

He added once these companies reach Punjab, they would start area domination operations. Furthermore, he held meetings with Deputy Commissioners-cum-District Electoral Officers (DCs-cum-DEOs) and police commissioner and SSPs and issued directions for strict implementation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Approx 500 companies of CAPF including CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB, comprising of around 50,000 troops, are being mobilised in the initial phase in the poll-bound states. In the coming days, additional 100-150 companies could be added if required. Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum Assembly seats (403), will get 150 companies to avoid any unwanted incident during the elections.

Free Press Journal quoted a UP police official said, “Thirty Companies of Border Security Force (BSF) and Sashastra Seema Bal, 20 companies of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), 50 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been included in the total companies of 150 Central Armed Police Forces which are being provided by the Centre.”

He further added, “The centre is providing these agencies so that election could be conducted in a fair and efficient manner. We will get the service of these companies by January 10. It will also reduce the sensitivity and vulnerability during the polls. We hope that the elections will be conducted in a fair manner.”

The CAPF companies will be deployed in each district based on the sensitivity and vulnerability of the districts. The earmarked companies for the state of UP would start taking their positions from January 10. These companies would carry out area domination exercises and provide additional security to the polling booths. It is noteworthy that the EC has increased the number of polling booths by 16 per cent amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic to ensure social distancing.

Elections in five states

On January 8, the Election Commission announced the poll schedule for five state assemblies, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. While Punjab, Uttarkhand and Goa elections will be done in a single phase, the elections of Manipur will be completed in two phases and that of Uttar Pradesh in seven phases.

In all five states, around 18.3 crore people are eligible to vote, including 8.55 crore women.

While Punjab CM claims there was no breach of PM’s security, state govt appoints new DGP and transfers several police officials

OpIndia Staff
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While Punjab CM claims there was no breach of PM’s security, state govt appoints new DGP and transfers several police officials

Punjab Government, on Saturday 8th January 2022, has appointed Viresh Kumar Bhawra as the new Director General of Police (DGP) of the state. Bhawra is a 1987-batch IPS officer. Viresh Kumar Bhawra will be at the top post for a minimum period of two years from the date of assumption of office. Alongside, the state government has also transferred seven IPS officers including Senior Superintendent of Police, Ferozepur. The changes in the police administration were made despite CM Charanjit Singh Channi claiming that there was no security breach with PM’s convoy, and it was a minor incident.

These decisions have come after serious lapses in the PM’s security that had occurred on 5th January 2022 when PM Modi was on his visit to Punjab. PM Modi was heading towards Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district of Punjab to visit National Martyr’s Memorial and subsequently address a public meeting. His convoy was stuck on a flyover for about twenty minutes as the so-called farmer protesters had blocked the roads. Ferozepur SSP came in the centre of the controversy when the farmers claimed that they were informed about PM’s road route to his destination by the Punjab Police.

Punjab government appoints new DGP

The Punjab government has appointed Viresh Kumar Bhawra as the new DGP of the state, replacing Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, who was made the DGP less than a month ago. Siddharth Chattopadhyaya was reportedly the choice of Navjot Sidhu for the post of DGP, who had replaced the earlier DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota. Reportedly, State Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Home Minister Sukjinder Randhawa preferred to keep Sahota as the DGP, Sidhu wanted his man Chattopadhyaya in the post, and was successful in this.

An IPS officer of the 1987 batch, Bhawra has assumed the charge on Saturday 8th January. The State Government order said, “On the consideration of the panel received from the Union Public Service Commission, the Governor of Punjab is pleased to appoint Shri Viresh Kumar Bhawra, IPS, as Director General of Police, Punjab (Head of Police Force). His term shall be for a minimum period of two years from the date of assumption of office in pursuance of the orders of the Supreme Court dated July 3, 2018.”

After assuming charge, Viresh Kumar Bhawra said the Punjab police will ensure smooth conduct of elections. He also said that his focus would be on eradicating drug menace and terrorism. He said people-centric policing and public service delivery are among his top priorities. Bhawra further added that the Punjab police will make optimum use of technology for carrying out investigations of crimes.

Ferozepur SSP transferred

Among other major transfers, IPS officer Harmandeep Singh Hans, SSP Ferozepur, has been posted as Commandant 3rd IRB, Ludhiana. Hans was Ferozepur SSP during the security lapse incident that occurred on Wdnesday 5th January, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy was stranded on a flyover. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) chief Surjeet Singh Phul, whose union had blocked the road in Ferozepur, said it was the SSP Ferozepur who had informed them Narendra Modi was coming by road. The Union home ministry had issued a show-cause notice to Hans yesterday.

Meanwhile, other police officers who have been transferred are Naunihal Singh who has been appointed as Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar. A.K. Mittal has been posted as Inspector General of Police, Roopnagar, while Sukhchain Singh has been posted as Amritsar Commissioner. Nanak Singh has been appointed as SSP Gurdaspur and Alka Meena will be SSP Barnala. Two PPS officers Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh and Kuljit Singh have been given new additional and new posting orders.

Election commission bans political rallies, roadshows till Jan 15 amidst a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Election commission bans political rallies, roadshows till Jan 15 amidst a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases: Details

As the number of COVID-19 cases in India rises, the election commission of India, on Saturday 8th January 2022, has directed that no physical political rallies and roadshows will be allowed till 15th January 2022.

Even after that, the rallies and election campaign meetings will be allowed only in designated places and with prior permissions of district administration. Earlier, the election commission had declared the schedule of the assembly elections to be held in five poll-bound states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra during the briefing on the election schedule, on Saturday, said that the election commission aims to conduct covid-safe elections in all the five poll-bound states with maximum participation. He stated that the opinion of health experts is being taken to ensure covid-safe elections.

No campaigning till 15th January 2022

In the revised guidelines the ECI said, “No roadshow, Pad-yatra, cycle, bike, vehicle rally and procession shall be allowed till 15 January 2022. The commission shall subsequently review the situation and issue further instructions accordingly. Further, rallies and meetings shall be allowed only in earmarked places and with prior permissions of district administration.” The election commission further said that all the parties or candidates have to furnish an undertaking in the application and allocation of public spaces will be done using the Suvidha app.

However, physical rallies during the campaign period, as and when permitted after the decision of the Commission shall be conducted subject to adherence to extant COVID 19 guidelines. “The maximum limit of persons allowed for indoor and outdoor rallies and meetings shall be as per the existing direction of respective State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAS)”, it said.

COVID-19 guidelines released by Election Commission for rallies and meetings

“For these meetings, political parties shall distribute masks and sanitisers to persons attending and maintain COVID protocol at entry and exit point,” it said. The ECI said that between 8 pm and 8 am no rallies and public will be allowed on any campaign day, while the Nukkad Sabhas will not be allowed on public roads, roundabouts or public streets or corners.

It also advised Political parties and candidates to conduct their campaign as much as possible through digital, virtual, media platforms or mobile-based mode instead of physical mode ensuring strict compliance with COVID safety norms.

The ECI also directed the District Election Officer to identify dedicated grounds for public gatherings with clearly marked entry and exit points. It also said that the District Election Officer should ensure that markers for social distancing norms are put in place in advance by organizers of the meeting/rally.

Three doses of vaccination are mandatory for all election officials, the election commission said.

Besides, the Election commission has also declared guidelines for the number of vehicles in a convoy, distance to be maintained between two vehicles, the maximum number of people in a group for door to door campaigning, code of conduct for celebrating victory, arrangements to be made on polling stations etc.

The chief election commissioner expresses his hope for safe elections

During his address, the chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra also recited a couplet to express his hope that even though the COVID-19 cases are increasing, everything regarding these elections goes as per the set norms.

He said, “Yakin ho to koi rasta nikalta hai, Hawa ki oat lekar bhi Chirag jalta hai” which means if we have faith in our resolutions, we definitely find a way as a lamp may keep glowing even amidst heavy winds.

Bulli Bai: Accused Niraj Bishnoi tried harming himself twice in police custody, was habitual of hacking websites

OpIndia Staff
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Bulli Bai: Accused Niraj Bishnoi tried harming himself twice in police custody, was habitual of hacking websites

The Bulli Bai accused, Niraj Bishnoi who was arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly offering Muslim women on the internet, has tried to harm himself twice while being in police custody. It is also reported that he was habitual of hacking, defacing the websites and learning the same since he was 15. During interrogation, Bishnoi also accepted to have hacked various websites of schools and universities of India as well as of Pakistan.

DCP (IFSO) KPS Malhotra informed Niraj Bishnoi has an inclination towards a gaming character of Japan animation namely GIYU. “He had created various Twitter handles using the word GIYU. He had created the account with the word GIYU, through which he had challenged the law enforcement agencies to nab him”, he added.

Niraj Bishnoi had no links with any Hindu organisations: Police

The Bulli Bai case was transferred to the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operation (IFSO) unit of special cell yesterday who interrogated Bishnoi for uploading the photographs of hundreds of Muslim women without their consent for a virtual ‘auction’. The Delhi Police has also revealed that Niraj Bishnoi’s intention behind developing the derogatory app was purely to get publicity and make an identity of his own.

It was reported earlier that Niraj Bishnoi has no links with any Hindu organisations. Rahul Shivshankar in his Tweet on January 6 quoted Mumbai police as saying that with the arrest of ‘mastermind’ from Jorhat, the case has been solved ‘completely’. The ‘mastermind’ has no links to saffron groups, confirmed the Times Now journalist.

Reports suggest that Bishnoi’s parents had no idea about Niraj’s activities and were shocked to know the crime only when the police arrested him. Neeraj had received a free laptop from the Assam government under a scheme to encourage students who scored high marks in their Class 10 examination.

“He remained glued to the device and was practically locked inside his room since the first COVID lockdown in March 2020. When Niraj was in Class 11 and 12 at Nkem Science Academy, his laptop was seized by the school principal several times. I had to go to the academy many times to get the laptop back. I don’t know what he used to do with it,” Dasrath Bishnoi was quoted in a report.

Three other suspects were previously apprehended by Mumbai police in the case. Bishnoi had criticised the Mumbai police for arresting the other suspect whom he claimed were innocent. Bishnoi disclosed during his interrogation that he created the ‘Bulli Bai’ app on Github as well as the @bullibai_Twitter handle and others too.

‘They threatened to kill all Hindus and burn the village’: Know what exactly happened that led to Hindus boycotting Muslims in Chhattisgarh

राहुल पाण्डेय
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‘They threatened to kill all Hindus and burn the village’: Know what exactly happened that led to Hindus boycotting Muslims in Chhattisgarh

On Thursday, January 6, a video emerged from Kundikala hamlet in the Sarguja district in Chhattisgarh, showing Hindu locals swearing to boycott Muslims. In the video dated January 5, a man was seen leading almost 200 people in an oath banning Muslim sellers, boycotting any commercial transactions with members of the Muslim community and prohibiting the sale or lease of any land to a Muslim.

According to reports, the action by the miffed Hindus was deliberated by a scuffle that took place between residents of Aara village and Kundikala village on January 1. In what transpired, a Muslim family from the Aara village, which falls in neighbouring Balrampur district, had travelled to Kundikala village on January 1 to celebrate the New Year. On that day, the Muslim visitors allegedly got into a tussle with a local Hindu resident and thrashed him up. The victim alleged that the six Muslim visitors barged into his house and beat him up and two family members, including his niece. 

Subsequently, the victim family lodged a complaint against the Muslim assaulters. Based on the complaint the Chhattisgarh police arrested six people under sections 147, 294, 323, 506, 452 of the IPC, but all of them got bail from a local court the same day.

The Hindu villagers of Kundikala were enraged by the bias of the police. They accused police of shielding the accused by invoking trivial sections of the IPC in the case instead of the SC/ST Act. As the accused burst firecrackers and celebrated their bail, the miffed Hindus gheraoed the Lundra police station, in Surguja district, Chhattisgarh, on 5 January (Wednesday), claiming that the complaint should have been filed under SC/ST act as the victims were Adivasis. Accusing the police of being biased, the villagers gave the police a 10-day ultimatum, asking them to either take strict action against the accused or be prepared for a bigger protest.

The January 5 video appears to be a fallout of this brawl between residents of the two villages on January 1.

Following the incident, the police appealed to the residents in the area to keep calm. They said that the investigation into the case is ongoing. The FIR filed in this case named Inzamam, Mozid, Seraj, Fazal, and Suhail as the prime accused.

Copy of the FIR filed in the aforementioned case

Chhattisgarh police threatens, intimidates Hindu victims while shielding the Muslim accused

Meanwhile, another video has emerged from the day of the incident where, Dilbagh Singh, in charge of the local police station, was seen harassing a journalist who went to the victim’s village to cover the incident. At around 7.20-minutes into the video shared below, Dilbagh Singh is heard threatening to put the journalist in jail if he didn’t turn off the camera. The entire village protested in unison when the journalist was apprehended and taken away. This compelled the police to retreat. A video of the station in-charge excesses on the journalist had also surfaced online.

The YouTube channel Bharat Samman, which visited Kundikala village in Chhattisgarh to cover the news, also interviewed a girl who is seen in the above video with a bandage on her head. The girl in the video, who appears to be minor, claimed that she was pulled out of her house, beaten up by the accused who also attempted to drag her into a car.

Police rebuked us and asked us to remain silent: Victim divulges details of Chhattisgarh police apathy

A woman from the victim family told the channel: “I was inside the house when a heard my children weeping. Before I could know, the assailants barged into my house and started beating us up. The assaulters attacked whoever tried to intervene and save us. An attempt was also made to molest my daughter. Around 50 assailants had gathered with big sticks and lathis. Soon after, the cops arrived. When we sought to express our distress to the authorities, we were rebuked and asked to remain silent,” said the distressed mother, adding that when she opposed and told the cops that she would not keep quiet as her daughter had been assaulted, the cops asked her to sit in the police van and took them away.

When the reporter asked the mother whether they told the police about the molestation attempt, the mother said meekly: “We were so terrified that we couldn’t tell the cops anything.”

Further describing what transpired on January 5, the minor girl’s uncle told the reporter that they were attacked all of a sudden. The assaulters kicked our door and barged in. I was in the house that day. They grabbed my niece’s hand and started pulling her towards themselves. They abused and hit me also, said the victim’s uncle.

They openly threatened to kill all the Hindus and burn down the entire village: Victim family laments

He added that the main accused Ilyas, who is a Block Development Council (BDC) member, asked his accomplice to take out their respective weapons and kill all of them. “They hurled filthy abuses at us. The accused also burst firecrackers and celebrated in our village after getting bail. They openly threatened to kill all the Hindus and burn down the entire village. They are all Muslim. Why they have such enmity with us, we do not understand”, said the girl’s uncle.

Village panchayat secretary Pural Ram lamented: “When I returned home at 6 pm, the village felt abnormally crowded. Previously, there had been a disagreement that was settled through mutual understanding. The accused afterwards arrived in the form of a crowd. They broke into my house and started hurling obscenities at us. Ilyas was someone I was already familiar with. When I began to explain things to him, the person next to him began to verbally insult me. Then suddenly, Ilyas started to assault me. My granddaughter was also been up. My entire family was assaulted,” exclaimed Pural Ram.

“We want justice,” stated another elder in the same hamlet. “They were released by the police and are now celebrating. The police took no action against them”, the elder person remarked.

Meanwhile, many other villagers present there demanded in unison that the accused be charged with molestation and attempted murder. They criticised the police for being sympathetic towards the accused rather than helping the victims.

OpIndia learnt that the local police station in-charge Dilbagh Singh, who is suspected of protecting the accused, is already under investigation since villagers had accused him of faking cases and threatening to murder them when he was stationed in Shankargarh district in Balrampur in 2020.

Investigation order against Dilbagh Singh

When OpIndia contacted Dilbagh Singh to know his perspective he said that “right now, law and order is perfectly normal in the village. He maintained that the action taken by the police in the case was completely warranted and added that some communal minded people have tried to misrepresent the entire situation.

“There is social harmony here, and everyone will have to go back to living together after a while. The oath-taking video is being scrutinised. After the investigation is concluded, the police would evaluate the situation accordingly,” Dilbagh Singh told OpIndia.

Interestingly, Dilbagh Singh is quite active on TikTok. He frequently posts videos on the Chinses App. Answering the ‘Questions I get asked’ trend on TikTok, Dilbagh Singh had once said: “I’ve worked in the traffic department for a long time. Many videos have been produced to raise awareness. In none of my videos have I sent out wrong messages to the public. The age of social media is here. I’ve also been using social media to keep in touch with individuals. Due to the lockdown, I also worked in a Chhattisgarh film that has yet to be released. Don’t combine my personal and professional lives,” he had said.

After Maharashtra govt claimed 100% vaccinated with first dose, BMC says 96% Covid-19 patients on oxygen are unvaccinated

OpIndia Staff
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After Maharashtra govt claimed 100% vaccinated with first dose, BMC says 96% Covid-19 patients on oxygen are unvaccinated

On Friday (January 7), the Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Iqbal Chahal informed that about 96% of patients, who are on oxygen support beds in Mumbai, did not even take a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

As per reports, about 1900 patients are currently on oxygen beds in the city. While speaking to The Times of India, Chahal remarked, “Ninety-six per cent of the patients who are admitted on oxygen beds in 186 hospitals of Mumbai are unvaccinated. Otherwise, we have seen so far that vaccinated people are not reaching ICUs.”

He further added, “We have 21 lakh vaccine stocks available with us. The current hurdle in ensuring the entire adult population is vaccinated is the 84-day gap required between the two doses. Today, too, our vaccination percentage is the best in India.”

Screengrab of the Times of India report

BJP (Mumbai) social media member Pallavi pointed out the discrepancies between the claims made by the BMC Commissioner and the State Health Minister in November last year. “In Nov, BMC claimed to have completed 100 % first dose vaccination of all above 18 yrs. Yesterday you said that 96 % of those who are occupying oxygen beds in Mumbai haven’t taken even a SINGLE jab. What’s the truth?” she inquired.

She pointed out, “96 % of 1900 odd patients is 1824 patients Are all these under 18? Are all these from outside Mumbai? Or more dangerously, are these among the illegal immigrants staying in Mumbai ?”

In November 2021, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had claimed that the entire eligible population of Mumbai had been vaccinated with the first dose. A report published by The Mint claimed, “Mumbai achieved 100% first dose vaccination through 462 public and private vaccination centres that have the combined capacity to administer over 1,23,000 vaccine doses per day.”

Screengrab of the news report by Livemint

The report also claimed that Maharashtra’s vaccination programme began on January 16 last year and it achieved the massive feat of vaccinating all eligible individuals with one dose of Covid-19 vaccine by battling supply shortage and increasing vaccination centres. Given that 100% population above the age of 18 are vaccinated, netizens are now asking as to how 96% of patients currently requiring oxygen beds in Mumbai are unvaccinated? Are they below 18 years of age or from a different State?

The recent statement by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Chahal has put the Maharashtra government in the dock. It has raised suspicions on the claims of 100% vaccination in Mumbai made by the State Health Minister, besides manipulation of data.

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