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Indore: Protesters booked for demonstrating against the arrest of Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj

OpIndia Staff
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Indore: Protesters booked for demonstrating against the arrest of Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj

A group of 50 unidentified protesters were booked in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore for demonstrating in support of Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj, who was arrested last week for his purportedly derogatory remarks against MK Gandhi during a speech at an event on December 26 in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

As per reports, the protests, which was held on Sunday, also saw people chanting slogans in support of Nathuram Godse besides calling for the release of Kalicharan Maharaj.

“Close to 50 unidentified Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and Bajrang Sena activists on Sunday carried out a protest and raised slogans at Regal Square without the administration’s permission. They then advanced towards to the police commissionerate to submit a memorandum on Kalicharan Maharaj’s arrest,” said Savita Choudhary, police in charge of Choti Gwaltoli police station.

The police official informed that the unidentified protesters were booked for violating the prohibitory order issued by the district collector which forbids rallies, processions and dharnas in public places without the prior permission of the administration.

“An FIR has been registered against the protestors for violation of this order under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant),” the police officer said.

However, Choudhary said she was not aware of whether the protesters shouted slogans praising Nathuram Godse.

Raipur court denies bail to Kalicharan Maharaj in sedition case

Meanwhile, a Raipur Court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Kalicharan Maharaj who was arrested under charges of sedition.  He has been remanded to judicial custody until January 13 upon his arrest.

On December 30, Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj was arrested by the Chhattisgarh Police from Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. He was staying at Wagheshwar Dham from where he was arrested.

Kalicharan Maharaj was reportedly arrested for his alleged remarks during ‘Dharma Sansad’ in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on December 26. In his comments, he criticized Gandhi for India’s partition and hailed Nathuram Godse for killing Gandhi. After the video of his speech went viral, Awhad approached Naupada police and filed a complaint against Kalicharan Maharaj. A case was filed based on the complaint under Sections 294, 295A, 298, 505(2) and 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code. Another complaint against him was filed by Pramod Dubey of the State Congress Committee at Tikrapara Police Station and Civil Lines Police Station. 

‘Garv se kaho hum Hindu hai’: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath slams ‘accidental Hindu’ Rahul Gandhi in Amethi

OpIndia Staff
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‘Garv se kaho hum Hindu hai’: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath slams ‘accidental Hindu’ Rahul Gandhi in Amethi

Yogi Adityanath, speaking at a public event in Amethi, slammed Rahul Gandhi for his veiled ‘Hinduism vs Hindutva’ jibes while emphatically telling his audience to be proud of being a Hindu. “We are Indians and Hindus are our cultural identity. Say proudly that we are Hindus,” the Chief Minister said, amidst a loud cheer, adding that he has no qualms in declaring that he is a proud Hindu. Amethi was previously a Congress stronghold that Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani in the 2019 election.

Yogi Adityanath further added that the sense of Hinduism does not divide on the basis of caste and religion. This is our cultural identity which if these people (in an obvious reference to the Congress) had attempted to recognise then India would not have been split in the year 1947.

Yogi Adityanath then went on to say that the Congress party’s greed and lust for power have wrecked the country and ripped it of its glory. To imprison the Hindus of the country, they (Congress) solicited the enactment of Article 370 in Kashmir, halted the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, lobbied for the demolition of the Ram Setu, also brought the anti-communal law. Except during election season, when they hurry to identify themselves as Hindus, they have always toyed with the Hindu beliefs, said Yogi.

Continuing his no-holds-barred attack on the Gandhi scion, the Uttar Pradesh CM went on to call him an ‘accidental Hindu’. He said that Rahul Gandhi ‘election tourist’ who does not even know how to sit in a temple.

“Former MP from Amethi (in an obvious reference to Rahul Gandhi) doesn’t even know how to sit in a temple. In 2017, during the Gujarat elections, the former MP from Amethi went to a mandir and sat on his knees to offer puja. The priest of the temple he had visited had to teach him how to sit. When he told him to fold his legs and sit the former MP replied that he was not aware of how he should be sitting. The priest had to remind him that he had visited a mandir, not a masjid. At least learn the basics before preaching about Hinduism and Hindutva”, quipped Yogi Adityanath.

“If those who lack a basic understanding of rituals begin disseminating erroneous information about Hindutva and Hindutva, it can only be interpreted as a lack of intelligence”, said Yogi.

“Those who have always accepted divisive politics, disintegration, and division as part of their genes, whose forefathers used to declare we are Hindus by chance, they cannot call themselves Hindus,” the CM remarked.

Yogi Adityanath’s attack on Rahul Gandhi comes after the Congress leader’s recent rants in which he sought to emphasise the distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva.

Before NDTV journalist Vishnu Som rushes to cast aspersions on the shelf life extension to Covaxin, he should read his own channel’s report: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Before NDTV journalist Vishnu Som rushes to cast aspersions on the shelf life extension to Covaxin, he should read his own channel’s report: Details

Besides their penchant for peddling fake news, NDTV and its journalists are also notorious for indulging in faux outrage in their bid to target the Modi government. Recently, NDTV Vishnu Som took to Twitter to cast aspersions on the shelf life of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

Som quoted a tweet by a user who had shared a picture of a letter extending the shelf life of COVID-19 vaccines to insinuate that children in schools are being experimented upon by administering them with expired stocks of Covaxin doses.

“So my son went to get his first vaccine, the drive for kids begin today and realized that the vaccine had already expired in November. Then a letter was shown wherein it seems the shelf life has been extended!! How, why, on what basis? To clear stock you experiment on kids?” the tweet by Navanita Varadpande read, along with the picture of the aforementioned letter.

Without checking the veracity of her claims, Som presumptuously reacted to her allegations by quoting her tweet and asking Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya if the formal notification clearing expired vaccines for use on children could be released.

NDTV journalist rushes to cast aspersions on Covaxin, gets reminded of extension of shelf life
Source: Twitter

As it turns out, the extension of the shelf life of Covaxin from 6 months to 12 months was not a recent phenomenon. It took place more than two months ago, in the first week of November 2021, after the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India’s national regulatory body for drugs, granted Covaxin the approval of an extension of shelf life based on “additional data” accessed by it.

“This approval is based on the availability of additional stability data, which was submitted to CDSCO. The shelf life extension has been communicated to our stakeholders,” Bharat Biotech said in a statement issued then.

And more importantly, NDTV was one of the media organisations that covered the news about the extension granted to Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine. The report on NDTV was published on November 3, 2021, exactly two months ago.

Yet, in his haste to attack the central government and accuse them of compromising the health of the country’s children, Som did not bother to check reports published by his own media organisation to ascertain if the allegations peddled by the Twitter user held water. Instead, he recklessly propagated her unfounded fears that the government was palming off their expired vaccines by extending the shelf life of Covaxin.

Netizens take a dig at NDTV journalist for casting aspersions against Centre without checking reports published by his own organisation

Many social media users were quick to remind Som that the extension of shelf life for Covaxin was already granted and the news about it was also covered by his own organisation. Some of them took a swipe at the NDTV journalist for not trusting his own organisation which they claimed was prone to spreading fake news and misinformation.

The vaccination for children in the age group 15 to 18 has started from today, i.e January 3, 2022. PM Modi, in his address to the nation on December 25, 2021, announced that vaccination against COVID-19 for children belonging to the age group of 15 to 18 will start from January 3 while precautionary COVID-19 dose for frontline and healthcare workers will commence from January 10, 2022.

From rolling back of Char Dham law to Modi’s pat on the back: How Uttarakhand CM might be paving the way for BJP’s return

OpIndia Staff
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From rolling back of Char Dham law to Modi’s pat on the back: How Uttarakhand CM might be paving the way for BJP’s return

As the state inches closer towards the much-awaited Assembly elections, the majority of the opinion polls have predicted that the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to retain power this year’s tight electoral contest in the hilly state of Uttarakhand.

The BJP, on its part, is also leaving no stone unturned to retain the power in the state. During his recent visit to Kedarnath Dham PM Modi inaugurated several development projects there. Recently, when PM Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore in Haldwani in Uttarakhand, he said that this decade belonged to Uttarakhand.

Lately, in the state of Uttrakhand, everything appears to be falling into place and in the BJP’s favour. Prior to March 2021, however, the scenario in the state was not so favourable for the incumbent BJP government. The sadhus and saints, whose feelings and emotions are crucial in this Char Dham state, appeared outraged. Alongside, rebellious voices began to emerge within the party. at this time, Uttarakhand witnessed a change of Chief Minister, resulting in a large churn in the Uttarakhand BJP. Trivendra Singh Rawat was replaced by Tirath Singh Rawat in March 2021.

One element that worked in the BJP’s favour was that both Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tirath Singh Rawat were affiliated with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), therefore there was neither any conflict and nor was any development projects stalled as a result of the change of leadership in Uttarakhand.

Despite this, the situation seemed to be quite grim for the BJP government in the state. Speculations were rife that changing Uttarakhand CM may spell trouble for BJP in elections.

The situation reached Maharashtra’s Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who previously served as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and is one of the state’s most senior figures. He also met with a group of BJP legislators to discuss the issue. The Congress in the state had suddenly become pro-active, openly criticising numerous BJP officials in the state.

It may be noted that Uttarakhand is a state where the OBC community, as well as Brahmins and Rajputs, are politically significant.

Even though the opposition did not accuse the BJP of corruption in the state during this time, it was alleged that the bureaucracy was acting arbitrarily and that BJP workers/leaders were unable to get any job done for the public. In such a situation, CM Tirath Singh Rawat’s controversial remark over ‘ripped jeans’ had added salt to BJP’s injuries in the state. Additionally, in July 2021, since Tirath Singh Rawat could not become a member of the Uttarakhand Assembly, which he needed to within 6 months of becoming the CM, he resigned citing “constitutional crisis”. Until this time, he couldn’t even quell the sages’ and saints’ anger with the ‘Char Dham Devasthanam Board.’

Latest polls show BJP getting an edge in Uttarakhand Assembly polls, CM Dhami the first choice

On January 2, Times Now Navbharat conducted a survey in which BJP emerged as a clear winner in the upcoming 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly polls. According to the projections, BJP will comfortably acquire 42-48 seats in the 70-member house. The Congress is estimated to finish a distant second with 12 to 16 seats and AAP, managing just to make its entry in the assembly with four to seven seats. The high point of the survey was, however, something different.

The highlight of the survey was that when the respondents were asked about the most preferred CM, Uttrakhand’s incumbent CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, who took charge of the post merely 6 months ago, emerged to be the favourite. Almost 40.15% of the respondents predicted that Dhami would return as the CM of Uttrakhand. Interestingly, 73-year-old Congress bigwig Harish Rawat, who has been ignored by the party leadership, remains to be the second choice, with 25.89% of respondents still putting the weight behind him for the next CM of Uttarakhand. Surprisingly, his own party isn’t betting on him and has even issued angry statements against the high leadership.

AAP has entered the fray with Colonel Ajay Kothiyal as their CM candidate, but sadly only 14.25% felt that he might have a chance and make it to the CM position in the Uttarakhand polls.

What changed for BJP in the state of Uttarakhand

Maximum people were of the opinion that for the ruling BJP, changing three chief ministers within a span of four months in Uttarakhand may prove to be its Achilles’ heel in the 2022 assembly election. Then, what changed for BJP. First and foremost, the newly appointed CM of Uttarakhand- Pushkar Singh Dhami. Although he is the state’s youngest Chief Minister, the people of the state have known his name for a long time. Yes, he hasn’t been in the news in a few years. Dhami, 46, rose to prominence 20 years ago today as an ‘Officer on Special Duty’ and advisor to then-Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, who graduated from Lucknow University with an LLB degree, was elected state president of the BJP Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in 2008. During this time, he is credited with securing 70 per cent reservations for local youngsters in the state’s industry. He was previously affiliated with the ‘Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)’. In such a situation, Dhami, a resident of Tundi village in Kumaon’s Pithoragarh district, has been involved with the state from the start. His ancestors came from the village of Harkhola in this district.

Dhami represents Udham Singh Nagar’s Khatima Assembly Constituency. For the second time in a row, he has won from this position and will now attempt a hat-trick. Though he never held any ministerial office before becoming Chief Minister, he garnered a lot of support from the state’s students, which he is currently reaping the benefits of. Clearly, this favours the BJP as well. He is not even a name that the general public is unfamiliar with, having been prominent in student/youth politics since the 1990s.

What changed for the BJP in the state? The decisions that raised hopes for the upcoming election

The popularity of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami among the state’s youth went on to become the first major factor working in the BJP’s favour. The second and one of the most crucial points was that he managed to cater to the grievances of Sadhus in the state by rolling back the ‘Chardham Devasthanam Management Act.’ Hindu activists and the priests of the Chardham have been objecting to the board’s formation, seeing it as an infringement on their rights, and have been calling for its abolition.

Hindus were overjoyed with the ruling. This is why, when PM Modi arrived here after the reconstruction of Kedarnath to inaugurate development projects and the Shankaracharya statue, nearly all of the state’s great Sadhus and saints were present on the occasion.

Dhami managed to turn the tables in his govt’s favour by taking the timely decision sensing the mood of the public, otherwise, Congress had tried its best to foment trouble for the BJP by proclaiming that it would disband the board as soon as it acquired power. But his efficient management and strategy seized the opportunity from Congress’ hands. This timely decision helped PM Modi’s dream project to be completed without a hitch, and the popular outrage in Rudraprayag subsided, apart from Uttarkashi and Chamoli. The BJP received a timely boost from this judgement.

Recently, during the BJP rally at the Parade Ground in Dehradun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen patting Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the back and placing his hand on his shoulder. Though PM Modi had already lauded CM Dhami in Kedarnath, the message of PM Modi’s hand on his shoulders in the Dehradun rally, however, made it clear that he is pleased with CM Dhami’s tenure thus far.

This gesture had made people believe that PM Modi sent a similar message to BJP leaders in Uttarakhand as he had in Uttar Pradesh when he had similarly patted Yogi Adityanath, who had then gone on to become the CM face of BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The relevance of this gesture will be discussed in the near term due to the importance of symbols in politics.

The third major point is that the BJP’s internal turmoil has ceased, whilst the Congress-AAP is in jeopardy. Defection is common during elections, yet it does little to affect the BJP. Although AAP’s functioning state president joined the Congress, and BJP leader Yashpal Arya joined the party with his son Sanjeev, these decisions were made for personal reasons, and the BJP is unlikely to suffer a loss.

The BJP has appointed Prahlad Joshi, who is in charge of the coal and mining department, in charge of the party in Uttarakhand, in addition to parliamentary affairs at the centre. He has stated unequivocally that the party will run for office under the leadership of Pushkar Singh Dhami and will return to power in 2022. He stated that the party has no doubts about Pushkar Singh Dhami and that he will stay as Chief Minister. Farmers’ wrath has lessened as a result of the repeal of agricultural rules, therefore the BJP has no significant obstacles.

Furthermore, while Pushkar Singh Dhami’s ideas are occasionally discussed, they do not cause any problem within the party. Dhami has also established himself as a popular CM, having lately played cricket with BJYM leaders.

Besides, PM Modi’s promotion of the game, interacting with players and boosting their morale, the establishment of the ‘Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut and BJP’s ‘Sankalp Yatra’ that began in Dehradun, are all in line with Dhami’s strategy that is clearly working in his favour.

Dhami further, with his presence of mind, managed to put media speculations, about the resignation of party senior leader Harak Singh Rawat, to rest. For a while, there were speculations that there was discontent in the party ranks and Uttarakhand BJP’s senior leader Harak Singh Rawat was in touch with the Congress and was likely to join the party after resigning from BJP. This speculation too, was skillfully, put to rest by Dhami when he tweeted a picture of himself and Rawat having food together at his residence after a meeting on December 26.

The media propaganda was soon busted when after the dinner, Harak Singh Rawat went on to call Dhami his younger brother.

The question now is whether Dhami, like this ‘damage control,’ would help the BJP get a larger majority in Uttarakhand. That’s what the data and projections at least reflect.

SC dismisses WB govt’s plea to initiate criminal proceedings against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari

OpIndia Staff
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SC dismisses WB govt’s plea to initiate criminal proceedings against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an appeal against the Calcutta High Court order that had earlier stayed criminal proceedings launched by the West Bengal government against BJP MLA and leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

An LPA (letter patent appeal) was submitted before the Supreme Court by Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, on behalf of the State of Bengal after the Calcutta HC refused to interfere with a single bench order in favour of Adhikari in December 2021.

“We will not entertain this for the simple reason that the order of the single judge was challenged under Article 136 before us. We have dealt with the challenge on merits. Where is the question of going in an LPA when you have argued everything before us in SLP?…” observed justice DY Chandrachud. Earlier Justice Rajasekhar Mantha had issued a stay order on proceedings initiated against Adhikari when a hoard of cases was registered against him after he left the TMC. Suvendu Adhikari was granted protection from police arrest by Calcutta High Court which was affirmed by the Supreme Court on December 13, 2021.

The BJP leader has been on the target of the TMC-led government and the state after he parted ways with Mamata Banerjee to join the BJP. His convoy was attacked during his campaign by Trinamool party workers. After his win over Mamata in Nandigram, post-poll violence had erupted with an attack on his car in Haldia. After a prolonged threat to his life, The Calcutta HC had assured that the security of the BJP MLA lies on the shoulders of the state while asking the state government to reinstate his security cover.

Infighting in Punjab Congress continues, Deputy CM Randhawa claims Navjot Singh Sidhu is upset with him

OpIndia Staff
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Infighting in Punjab Congress continues, Deputy CM Randhawa claims Navjot Singh Sidhu is upset with him

As the polling season comes ahead, a rift in Punjab Congress seems to be growing. Punjab Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said in a press conference on Monday that Navjot Singh Sidhu is upset with him ever since he became the chief minister of Punjab.

“Sidhu has some problem. I share old relations with his family. But he has been upset with me ever since I became the home minister. If Sidhu wants the home ministry, then I will put it at his feet in a minute,” Randhawa was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The ambiguity over Congress’s CM face in Punjab and the distribution of tickets have added to the ongoing internal chasm within the Punjab Congress. The deputy CMs statement comes amid growing discontent over Sidhu interfering anywhere and everywhere and affecting the decision making to his advantage.

Cabinet ministers go public over Sidhu’s interference

Targeting Navjot Singh Sidhu, cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh spoke to Times of India saying “It has been a tradition with the Congress to announce the CM face at the end and the party leadership knows whom to project. It will do at an appropriate time and not at someone’s behest. Sidhu cannot demand that he be made the CM face.”

Commenting on Sidhu’s “Punjab Model”, cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said, “It has always been Congress Model and Congress ideology If someone has an individual opinion, he should discuss it on the party platform. We are soldiers of the party first. Sidhu will have to learn the culture of the Congress party. When it is collective leadership, then the decision on party candidates should also be collective.”

Punjab Advocate General accuses Sidhu of obstructing government functioning

APS Deol, the Advocate General of Punjab, had previously accused Navjot Singh Sidhu of attempting to obstruct the functioning of the state government and the office of the Advocate General. He said in a statement, “His repeated utterances seek to derail the earnest efforts of the state government to ensure justice in the Drugs matter and the Sacrilege cases. Shri Navjot Singh Sidhu is spreading misinformation to gain political advantage over his political colleagues.”

Punjab has been in a state of chaos ever since Sidhu was made the chief of the Punjab Congress. Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as Chief Minister alleging that he had been humiliated by the party and dubbed Navjot Singh Sidhu as a national security threat. Later, Amarinder Singh floated his own political party for the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls.

Viral video and messages claim a drunk Aryan Khan was caught urinating in an airport, this is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Viral video and messages claim a drunk Aryan Khan was caught urinating in an airport, this is the truth

An undated video is making rounds on social media platforms, including WhatsApp, in which a young man can be seen peeing at an airport, visibly drunk. The social media posts claimed that the person seen in the video is actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan who was arrested for his involvement in a drug case a few months ago.

Viral video
The message claimed it was Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan in the video.

OpIndia did some reverse image search taking stills from the video and found out that popular social sharing site Reddit had discussed this incident three years back. Though the fair-skinned, young lanky guy with big hair could indeed look like SRK’s son, the reality is different from what the social media posts claim.

The 2013 incident

The incident happened on December 17, 2013, and the person who peed on the floor of an airport was Canadian actor Bronson Pelletier who is well known for his role as a shape-shifting werewolf in the movie franchise ‘The Twilight Saga’.

The 35-year-old actor was removed from the plane, claiming he was too intoxicated to be flying. The airport authorities at the LAX airport in Los Angeles had asked him to wait for the next flight giving him time to sober up. However, during that period, when the airport authorities were examining if he was drunk, Pelletier, who was visibly intoxicated, unzipped his pants and peed in public at the airport. The officer standing next to him could be heard saying, ‘Sir! Sir’ as he tried to stop him.

In the video, two security officers could be seen rushing towards him and handcuffing the actor after putting him on the ground. The people who were present at the scene were shocked by what they had witnessed. Someone in the background could be heard saying, “Oh My God!” Towards the end, the officer asked the person who recorded the video if he got everything on camera, to which he replied positively.

Pelletier was handed two years of probation and 52 court-mandated Alcohol Anonymous (AA) meetings. In his statement, the Canadian actor alleged that some fan had brought drinks for him at the airport, claiming he was obsessed with the actor. He further alleged later the same fan called security and had him deplaned.

Verdict: The person seen urinating in full public view at an airport is not SRK’s son Aryan Khan, but Canadian actor Bronson Pelletier.

Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SIT files charge sheet, minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish, 13 others named as accused

OpIndia Staff
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Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SIT files charge sheet, minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish, 13 others named as accused

In a major development on Monday morning, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case is reported to have filed a 5000-page long charge sheet in the local court. The filing of the charge sheet comes after three months since the incident took place in Tikunia village of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh.

Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni, has been named as an accused in the violence case. So far 13 accused, including Ashish Mishra, have been sent to jail. The charge sheet has one more name added, taking the total number of accused to 14.

Ajay Mishra’s relative Virendra Shukla is the new name that has popped up in the charge sheet. He has been booked under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code for a conspiracy to destroy evidence. As per sources, the SIT also submitted a pen drive and DVD to the court. The 90-day deadline to file a charge sheet was scheduled to end on Tuesday. 

The 14 persons named in the charge sheet are, as per reports, Ashish Mishra, Virendra Shukla, Ankit Das, Nandan Das Bisht, Satyam Tripathi, Lateef, Shekhar Bharti, Sumit Jaiswal, Ashish Pandey, Luvkush, Shishupal, Ullas Trivedi, Rinku Rana, Dharmendra Banjara.

‘Farmers’ arrested by SIT over lynching of BJP workers

In a recent move, 3 more farmers were arrested for the brutal lynching of BJP workers. Kamaljeet Singh (age 29), Kanwaljeet Singh Sonu (age 35) and Gurpreet Singh (22) were arrested from Lakhimpur Kheri. The action has been taken in response to the complaint filed by Sumit Jayswal who is co-accused with Ashish Mishra – son of Minister Ajay Mishra – in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

The Lakhimpur Kheri incident

On 3rd October 2021, a ‘farmer’ mob had attacked a BJP convoy with stones and sticks in the Tikunia village of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh. Amid the ensuing commotion, a vehicle was seen running over the protestors. Following that, the angry mob of protestors had set ablaze two vehicles, dragged the people inside the vehicle and had beaten them to death. The incident claimed the lives of 8 people including protesting ‘farmers,’ BJP workers and a journalist.

BJP worker Shubham Mishra and his driver Hariom Mishra were also lynched to death on the spot by the so-called ‘farmers’. Another person named Shyam Sunder Nishad was also brutally lynched to death by the violent mob.

CM Yogi Adityanath to lay the foundation of ATS training centre in Deoband on the 4th of January: Details

OpIndia Staff
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CM Yogi Adityanath to lay the foundation of ATS training centre in Deoband on the 4th of January: Details

In a move to strengthen the security apparatus of the state, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is all set to lay the foundation stone of the much-awaited Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Commando Training Centre in Deoband town of Saharanpur District. According to District Magistrate Akhilesh Singh, the official minute-to-minute program of the Chief Minister has not been received yet, but preparations are being made.

The Training Centre will come up in Deoband which houses the Islamic school of thought, Darul Uloom. There are more than 300 madrasas in Deoband. Due to Darul Uloom, many Muslims from all over the country and the world come to Deoband. Deoband is now on the radar of the government due to terrorist activities. This is the reason why various security experts opine on why Deoband has been selected for the ATS Commando Training Centre.

For the construction of the ATS centre, 2 thousand square meters of land of UP Small Industries Corporation has been given. It is worth noting that CM Yogi had recently announced the creation of 12 ATS centres in western Uttar Pradesh.

Rising terror activities in Muslim dominated western UP districts

To curb terrorist activities in the state, the state government in August 2021 decided to increase the scope of Uttar Pradesh ATS. Several suspected terrorist activities have been coming to the fore in western Uttar Pradesh. Especially in Deoband, the ATS has been investigating the suspects. In such a situation, with the establishment of a center here, the ATS will now be able to keep a close vigil on the activities around.

The government plans to set up similar ATS centres at other places including Meerut, Bahraich, Shravasti, and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Media Advisor to the CM, Shalabh Mani Tripathi shared about the decision to open the centre in Deoband in a tweet in August 2021.

Deoband and Taliban

Deoband is the home to the Deobandi Islamic Movement. Deobandi is an Islamic revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that formed around the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in the town of Deoband. It is worth noting that the Taliban, which captured power in Afghanistan recently draws inspiration from the Deobandi movement.

It is worth noting that the Taliban, which has recently risen in prominence in Afghanistan and effectively controls the country, draws its inspiration from the Deobandi movement. The current article on Wikipedia refers to the Taliban as a Deobandi Islamist movement and a military organization in Afghanistan, engaged in waging a jihad within the country.

Not just Wikipedia, but the Taliban’s association with the UP town of Deoband was also highlighted in an article published in the New York Times in 2002. The article titled “Indian town’s seed grew into the Taliban code” discussed how the ideology of radical Islamism that germinated in a town in Uttar Pradesh went on to influence the jihadist movement on the other side the Durand Line, the line that separates Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A recent article in the Guardian also characterised the Taliban as “employing a narrow interpretation of Islamic sharia law inspired by the Deobandi fundamentalist school”. 

Deobandi is an Islamic revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that formed around the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in the town of Deoband. The seminary was founded in 1866 by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and several other figures. The Deobandi movement’s political wing, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, was founded in 1919. 

It is alleged that Deobandi Islam is the most popular form of pedagogy in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and several prominent Afghan and Pakistani Taliban leaders have studied in Deobandi seminaries. By some accounts, about 15 to 25 per cent of Pakistani Sunni identify themselves as Deobandi. Similarly, terror organisations such as TTP, SSP, LeJ etc., which are quite active in Pakistan draw their inspiration from Deobandi ideology. Furthermore, even a majority of Bangladeshi Sunni Muslims swear their allegiance to the Deobandi Islamic movement.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announces special leaves to govt employees to spend time with parents: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announces special leaves to govt employees to spend time with parents: Details

Continuing his focus on promoting geriatric care within the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has approved special leave for Assam government employees on January 6 & 7, 2022. The CM on Sunday, in a video announcement on Twitter, urged officials to spend quality time with their families, parents and in-laws during the holidays.

Sarma-led BJP Govt. in Assam had passed a decision to allow two-day special leave in order to facilitate employees to take care of their parents. The notification issued for the order read,  “The Assam government is pleased to allow state government employees to avail casual leave on January 6 and 7, 2022, suffixing the two holidays, the 8th and 9th of January 2022, being the 2nd Saturday and Sunday, so as to enable them to spend the aforesaid days with their living parents and parents-in-law.”

Speaking to the media on Sunday, the CM reminded the officials that it would be mandatory to flourish photographs showing that they stayed with the parents during the holidays as proof. Those seeking the holidays will have to apply for leave prior. Stretching this one-of-a-kind initiative to onfield-duty police, healthcare officials, and other officials allied to emergency services, Himanta Biswa Sarma added that they will also be able to avail holidays in phases in the next four months.

The CM also said that his government is also planning to sanction special holidays for employees wanting to visit religious and tourist destinations next year. The move is in the view “to uphold ancient Indian values” on family culture wrote Himanta Biswa Sarma while announcing it on Twitter.

Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced 7 days of extra leave for employees to spend time with elderly parents

In August 2021, the Assam government had decided to grant an extra seven days’ leave to its employees once a year but with a strict stipulation that they will spend the time with their elderly parents. The announcement was made by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in his independence speech, wherein he asked people to take the resolve to not send their elderly parents to old-age homes.

The government had then also linked geriatric care to the employees’ pay by enacting the Assam Employees’ Parent Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring Amendment Bill. The Bill made it mandatory for the employees to take care of their parents or face a certain deduction from their pay that would be used for their parents’ welfare.

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