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Maharashtra: ED arrests Saeed Khan, a close aid of Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawali in money laundering case

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: ED arrests Saeed Khan, a close aid of Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawali in money laundering case

On September 28, ED arrested Saeed Khan, a close aide of Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawali while investigating a money laundering case against a trust linked with Gawali.

ED is investigating Bhavana Gali, a member of parliament from the Yavatmal Washim constituency of Maharashtra over a money laundering case. According to reports, Bhavana Gawali’s mother Shalinitai Gawali and Saeed Khan were directors of a firm named Mahila Utkarsh Pratisthan. The firm which was incorporated in 2019 existed as a trust before that, where MP Gawali and her mother were members.

Enforcement Directorate suspects the firm of fraud and siphoning off funds. It also suspects that forgery was committed to change the trust into a company. Also, irregularities worth around 17 crores were detected in the trust of MP Bhavana Gawali, as per reports.

MP Gawali is also accused of duping National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) with the help of a firm called Balaji Sahkari Particle Board in getting loans of Rs 43.35 crores. Irregularities were also discovered in another of Gawali’s firms called Bhavana Agro Products and Services Ltd for which she allegedly borrowed Rs 7.5 crore from two banks.

Other Maharashtra leaders facing ED probe

As per reports, ED conducted raids last month and was interrogating people linked to Bhavana Gawali. While it is assumed that MP Gawali would soon be summoned to the Enforcement Directorate office, ED had already issued summons to Shiv Sena leader & Maharashtra Minister Anil Parab in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

Anil Parab said,” I am going to the ED office today, I will cooperate. I’ve not done anything wrong”

Anil Parab is facing PMLA cases by ED in connection with the Vasooli charges against former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Deshmukh is currently absconding after being accused of collecting bribes from police officials and business owners in Mumbai through extortions.

Yesterday, the ED had raided the residence of another Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul. The Shiv Sena leader and his son Abhijeet Adsul are allegedly involved in a Rs 980-crore fraud at City Co-operative Bank.

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu resigns from post: Here’s what Amarinder Singh said about his decision

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu resigns from post: Here’s what Amarinder Singh said about his decision

The Punjab Congress appears to be in a state of disarray that is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. Amid speculations of Captain Amarinder Singh meeting senior BJP leaders, Navjot Singh Sidhu announced his resignation from the post of Punjab Congress chief. Sidhu addressed his letter to the party chief Sonia Gandhi, where he wrote that he is stepping down as the state president.

“The collapse of a man’s character stems from the compromise corner, I can never compromise on Punjab’s future and the agenda for the welfare of Punjab. Therefore, I hereby resign as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Will continue to serve the Congress”, wrote Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Only in the month of July did the Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi had overthrown Sunil Jakhar to make Navjot Singh Sidhu the new Punjab Congress Chief. The decision had then garnered a wide range of responses with some snubbing Captain Amarinder Singh while others attacking Sidhu for his vendetta politics.

Amarinder Singh has reacted to Sidhu’s resignation saying “I told you so”.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day reports emerged suggesting that the former Punjab Chief Minister and the Congress disgruntled leader Captain Amarinder Singh will hold a ‘series of meetings’ with BJP President JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Citing sources, Zee News had speculated that Captain Amarinder Singh might defect to the BJP and be appointed as Union Agriculture Minister. With Assembly elections just around the corner, it is also speculated that he might form a new party with the help of the BJP. 

Gehana Vasisth says Sherlyn Chopra should ‘worship’ Raj Kundra because she earned a lot of money because of him

OpIndia Staff
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Gehana Vasisth says Sherlyn Chopra should ‘worship’ Raj Kundra because she earned a lot of money because of him

Days after actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra was granted bail in the pornography case, actress and model Gehana Vasisth has come out to lend her support to the businessman. Speaking about the recent statements by Sherlyn Chopra aimed at Raj’s actress-wife Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Gehna said that Chopra is mudslinging allegations at Shilpa Shetty Kundra only for public attention.

In an interview with ETimes, Gehana remarked that Sherlyn Chopra should ‘worship’ Raj Kundra for ‘making her whatever she is today’.

Gehana Vasisth aka Vandana Tiwari, who is known for her role in the ALTBalaji series Gandii Baat, was granted interim bail by the Bombay HC in the same case that Raj was arrested in. Kundra was released on bail earlier this month.

Sherlyn Chopra mocks Shilpa Shetty Kundra post Raj Kundra’s release

It may be noted that actor Sherlyn Chopra, who had earlier claimed that Raj Kundra was instrumental in getting her into the adult film industry, has been taking jibes at Shilpa Shetty post Raj Kundra’s release in the infamous pornography racket.

She had recently taken to her Twitter handle to tag Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra and post: “You do sashtang pranams on TV to those artists whose art you are influenced by. Please show some sympathy to the women who are suffering by stepping out of reel life and going into the real world. Believe me, the whole world will bow down to you!” Sherlyn was making reference to Shipa’s action on Super Dancer 4, the dance reality show the latter has been judging.

Previously Sherlyn and mocked Shilpa Shetty for her statement to the Mumbai police where she claimed she was not aware of Raj’s business. “According to some reports, didi is saying that she was not aware of the nefarious activities of her husband. Didi is also saying that she doesn’t know about the movable and immovable assets of her husband. How true is this statement, you guys can understand yourselves,” she said in a video.

Sherlyn Chopra has earned a lot of money because of Raj: Gehana Vasisth

Speaking to ETimes, Gehana said Sherlyn is trying to stay in the headlines by making personal comments about actor Shilpa Shetty. “She has nothing else to do and is only doing this to keep herself in the news. Also, Sherlyn pulled off this stunt so that she does not come across as accused of making bold content. But now she has started getting personal with Shilpa Shetty, who is not giving any attention to her statement. Shilpa doesn’t even see it as important enough to file a defamation case against her.”

Slamming Sherlyn for using Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s name and fame for personal benefits, Gehana remarked that Sherlyn Chopra has earned a lot of money because of Raj and should be thankful to him. She should ‘worship him’, said Gehana.

‘All she knows is to strip’, Gehana accuses Sherlyn Chopra of dragging Raj Kundra into making adult content

She further accused Sherlyn of dragging the businessman into making bold content. While Sherlyn met Raj only two-and-a-half years ago, she was ‘making porn and even more sleazy content’ since 2012, Gehana claimed.

Gehana Vasishth further tore into Sherlyn Chopra by saying: “All she knows is to strip and now she is mudslinging to be in the news. She also knows that she will get attention only if she speaks against Raj Kundra and that is what she has been doing. She probably felt left out after Raj Kundra came out of jail and people forgot about her, so, she began attacking Shilpa Shetty. Thankfully, for Shilpa, Sherlyn does not exist at all,” Gehana said.

Sherlyn Chopra’s string of allegations against Raj Kundra

Ever since businessman Raj Kundra’s alleged involvement in the infamous pornography case came to the fore, actor Sherlyn Chopra has time and again come up with shocking claims about the businessman and his role in the racket. On August 9, Chopra had revealed how Raj Kundra used to meet her at the 5-star hotel JW Marriott for their work-related meetings. She had stated that she got into a contract with Kundra’s firm, Armsprime Media, on 26 March 2019. Four days before signing the contract, i.e 22 March 2019, Chopra had met Kundra at JW Marriott, Juhu.

A week before that, Chopra had told India Today that Raj Kundra had tricked her into pornography. “Raj Kundra was my mentor. He misled me by assuring me that whatever I was doing is for glamour. He even told me that Shilpa Shetty loves my videos and photos. Raj Kundra made me believe that semi-nude and porn is not a big deal in today’s time, it’s casual everyone does it and I should do the same,” Sherlyn Chopra had said during her interview with India Today.

The accusations were, however, not limited to this. Sherlyn Chopra had also accused Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra of sexual assault. Chopra in a statement recorded with Mumbai Police said that Raj Kundra tried to kiss her, and she had to hide in the washroom to avoid the situation. The actress in her police statement had revealed that she had filed an FIR against him in April 2021 alleging sexual assault.

Further, in her statement to the Cyber Cell of the Mumbai Police in March 2021, actor Sherlyn Chopra had said that Raj Kundra had urged her to create content for his HotShots app, but she had refused as she found content on his platform to be “sleazy and downmarket”.

Telangana: 16-month-old gets ‘medicine from the sky’ using drone amidst floods due to Cyclone Gulab

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: 16-month-old gets ‘medicine from the sky’ using drone amidst floods due to Cyclone Gulab

Recently, Telangana had launched the ‘Medicine from the sky’ project that uses drones to deliver vaccines and medicines. The project has started to show results as a 16-month-old toddler was provided with much-needed medicine using drones under the project.

On September 27, the local health department deployed a drone across the raging Manjeera River due to rains caused by cyclone Gulab.

Reportedly, the family of the sick baby resides in Kurthi village, Pitlam Mandal in Kamareddy district. The baby was suffering from abdominal pain and fever. The government doctors provided consultation over the phone. The local health staff informed the Kamareddy Collector’s office about the case and sought permission to deploy a drone to deliver medicine.

After receiving permission, at around 4 PM, the technical team made the arrangements and held a few trials to ensure the drone could cross the river with medicines. Donita Jose, a journalist with New Indian Express, shared videos of the drone taking off from the riverbank.

The medicine from the Sky project

The project was launched on September 11 by the Telangana government in partnership with World Economic Forum, NITI Aayog, and HealthNet Global (Apollo Hospitals). The project is currently active in 16 zones of the state. During the trial run, the drone delivered around 5 KG of vaccines to a Community Health Center located three KMs from the launch site.

Thane court issues show-cause notice to Javed Akhtar for comparing RSS to the Taliban

OpIndia Staff
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Thane court issues show-cause notice to Javed Akhtar for comparing RSS to the Taliban

Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar was on Tuesday served with a show-cause notice by a Thane court for his remarks comparing the RSS with the Taliban during an interview earlier this month. The notice was in response to a complaint filed by an RSS activist who accused Akhtar of defaming RSS by likening it to the Islamist organisation that has taken over Afghanistan.

As per the complainant, Akhtar made defamatory remarks against the RSS as a part of a “well-planned” strategy to slander the organisation and “discourage, disparage and misguide” the people who have joined the RSS.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Thane issued a show-cause notice to Akhtar asking him to respond before November 12.

The defamation suit filed by RSS activist Vivek Champanerkar seeks Re 1 as compensation from the screenwriter.

Representing Champanerkar, advocate Aditya Mishra argued at length in the court, contending that Akhtar had made “derogatory” remarks against the RSS while appearing in a show of a private news channel.

“The defendant’s remarks drawing a parallel between barbaric Taliban and organisations working for the Hindu cause were aimed at vilifying such outfits,” he stated. The complainant further added that Akhtar had made the comments “without proof” of even one member having acted “like Taliban”, seeking a permanent injunction from the court to not drag the name of RSS or make such statements.

Akhtar stirred a furore earlier this month when he equated RSS with the Taliban during an interview, stating that “right-wing all over the world have an uncanny similarity.”

Javed Akhtar compares Hindu organisations to the Taliban

On September 3, while talking on a show on NDTV, Akhtar said that the mentality of those who support RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal is the same as that of the Taliban. He said, “The way the Taliban are trying to build a Muslim nation. In the same way, some people present the concept of Hindu Rashtra to us.” He further added, “These people have the same mentality. The Taliban are violent. Are wild. But the people who support RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have the same mentality.”

While comparing the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal to the Taliban, Akhtar said that the ideologies that Hindu organisations follow are no different from the Taliban. He said, “They have no love for minorities, like Taliban. They want women to be home, like the Taliban. What is the difference between the two? They say no law is superior to their religious faith, that is what the Taliban say. How are you different from them?” and giggled.

The Taliban

The Taliban is notorious for gross violations of human right and strict interpretation and implementation of the Islamic Sharia. It is a Deobandi Islamist organisation and is believed to be internally funded by illegal means such as extortion, drug trade, kidnapping, and ransom. The Taliban forbids entertainment and art of any form as ‘haram’ and also forbids women from going to school and colleges. The Taliban is also known for brutal oppression of women and under its previous rule, public flogging was very normalised in Afghanistan.

Captain Amarinder Singh likely to meet BJP top leaders in Delhi, speculations rife

OpIndia Staff
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Captain Amarinder Singh likely to meet BJP top leaders in Delhi, speculations rife

Days after resigning from the post of Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh is likely to meet BJP top leaders in the National Capital on Tuesday (September 28) evening, reported Zee News.

Citing sources, Zee News stated that the Congress leader will hold a ‘series of meetings’ with BJP President JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The news channel also speculated that Captain Amarinder Singh might defect to the BJP and be appointed as Union Agriculture Minister. With Assembly elections just around the corner, it is also speculated that he might form a new party with the help of the BJP. The same claims were reiterated by India TV as well.

India TV reporter had claimed that Captain Amarinder Singh told her that he will only leave the battlefield (like a true soldier) after being on the winning side.

Captain Amarinder Singh had earlier felt ‘humiliated’ at the treatment meted out to him by the Congress leadership. Following infighting with Navjot Singh Sidhu, he tendered his resignation from his Chief Ministership. He had slammed Sidhu for being an ‘antinational’ and having close ties with Pakistani army Chief Bajwa, at a time when soldiers were dying at the border. On being asked earlier about joining BJP, he had stated, “I will consult with my supporters and decide the future course of action.”

Love is blind: Three sisters in UP’s Rampur reportedly elope with a man they were all in love with

OpIndia Staff
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Love is blind: Three sisters in UP’s Rampur reportedly elope with a man they were all in love with

It is often heard that two girls had a crush on the same boy. However, it is rare to find that two sisters are in a love affair with the same boy without either of them having any problem with the other. It is even rarer to find three siblings head over heels in love with the same guy. But this strange occurrence is said to have taken place in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district where three sisters have allegedly eloped away with a man they were all madly in love with.

This curious love story of three women with one man came to light one week ago, when the trio absconded away from their home without informing their parents or other relatives. Panicked by the sudden disappearance of all three sisters at the same time, the relatives embarked on a silent search mission to ascertain their location and bring them back home.

The three real sisters went missing from their house about eight days ago. Since the disappearance of the three sisters, the family members have been searching for them in the nearby villages. The family members had also reached out to extended relatives and acquaintances to inquire about their whereabouts but no trace of the three sisters has been found yet.

While the lookout for the three sisters has been carried out discreetly, the word spread in the village and surrounding area of the disappearance of the three girls. This gave rise to various kinds of rumours and speculations among the villagers about the possible cause of their disappearance. One of the rumours that is gaining prominence is about the love affair of the three sisters with the same man.

Speculations are rife that all three sisters were besotted with the same man and they have possibly eloped away with him. It is also being reported that two of the three sisters are adults while one is minor. Fearing disgrace and ignominy, the family has so far remained muted about their disappearance and refrained from filing a complaint with the police. In a report published on Live Hindustan, station officer Ravindra Kumar confirmed that the family has not filed a complaint and that the police will take appropriate action if a complaint is filed in the case.

Nevertheless, Rampur Police has taken cognisance of the case and ordered the Azimnagar police station in charge to launch a probe into the matter.

One of the three sisters is divorced, the minor girl too insisted on staying with the man: Reports

A report published in Dainik Bhaskar says the eldest of the three sisters was the first to fall in love with the man. She then got married and moved to her in-laws’ place. Some months later, she got divorced from her husband and returned to her paternal home. Once back, she came to know that the man she was in love with was now dating her younger sister. Now both the sisters were having a love affair with the same man.

When he decided to elope with both the sisters who were also his lovers, the third sister, who is also a minor, decided she also wanted to join in. After this, the three sisters reportedly eloped away with the said man.

Islamists in Middle East call for boycott of Indian products over Assam violence, urge Muslim countries to take action

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists in Middle East call for boycott of Indian products over Assam violence, urge Muslim countries to take action

Islamists in the Middle East have initiated a targeted propaganda campaign over the violence that occurred in the Darrang district of Assam during an eviction drive. It is being alleged that the Indian Government is targeting Muslims in the country without paying sufficient attention to the facts of the matter.

Consequently, some are demanding the boycott of Hindus and others are urging Islamic countries to target India over the matter. Former ICESCO Director General, A. Altwaijri, accused Narendra Modi’s “Hindu Government” of abusing and persecuting Muslims “within the framework of a systematic policy, and in light of international silence and Islamic inaction.”

Source: Twitter

Another person with over twenty thousand followers on the platform said that Islamic countries should not sign agreements with India until the ‘killing of Muslims’ is stopped.

Source: Twitter

Abdul Rahman Al-Nassar used the violence at Darrang to spread similar propaganda against India. He said, “There are more than 3million Hindus in the Gulf, they bring tens of billions of dollars to India, and we treat them with respect, so why are our brothers in India being killed just because they are Muslims?”

Source: Twitter

Al-Mutairi, who has over 65,000 followers on Twitter, also said that Islamic countries should come together to take action against India. He said, “The frequent news about what is happening to Muslims in India requires action from all countries in the Islamic world and everyone who claims to support human rights.”

Source: Twitter

Calls for boycott of Indian products are being made by others as well.

Source: Twitter

Islamists in the Middle East engaging in spreading propaganda against India are conveniently ignoring the truth of the matter regarding the violence that occurred in Darrang. The lives that were lost occurred after a huge mob attacked the Police over the eviction drive.

The eviction drive was taking place after an agreement was reached with local Muslims. However, later, the Police was attacked by the mob, forcing them to retaliate in self-defense. Furthermore, a judicial inquiry has been initiated into the matter.

Britain doesn’t have enough truck drivers, and now it doesn’t have enough fuel. Read about the fuel crisis where army could get involved

Akshita Bhadauria
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Britain doesn’t have enough truck drivers, and now it doesn’t have enough fuel. Read about the fuel crisis where army could get involved

Several gas stations across England witnessed long queues of vehicles, rough scuffles and panic buying over the weekend. The British Petroleum on Sunday said that nearly a third of its petrol stations in the country had run out of the two main grades of fuel.

The Petrol Retailers Association also informed that up to 90 per cent of British fuel stations ran dry across major cities on Monday. 

Is UK running out of fuel?

Reportedly, as per the United Kingdom (UK) transport minister Grant Shapps, “There’s plenty of fuel, there’s no shortage of fuel within the country.”

However, there are not enough truck drivers to transport fuel from storage points to gas stations. The UK is facing a severe shortage of truck drivers due to the pandemic, an exodus of foreign workforce post-Brexit, an aging workforce and poor working conditions in the UK. 

The shortage of drivers has impacted the food supply chain as well which could result in price rises just ahead of Christmas.  

Pandemic adds to the Brexit woes

The coronavirus pandemic outbreak coincided with the UK’s exit from European Union (EU). The UK withdrew from EU at 23:00 hours on January 31, 2020. It was around similar time that the coronavirus pandemic, which is believed to have originated in China’s Wuhan province, was fast spreading across the world. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many drivers decided to head back to their home countries. 

Moreover, Brexit led to the creation of new immigration policies, new bureaucracy and decline in the value of the pound against the euro. The changes have not just made working in the UK less attractive for EU nationals but are even causing a hindrance in their return. 

According to the Annual Population Survey, there were 16,000 fewer EU nationals working as Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers in the year ending March 2021, than in the previous year. The UK had also lost 72,000 truck drivers between the second quarter of 2019 and the same period in 2021. 

The revised tax rules have also made it more expensive for drivers from other countries in Europe to work or be employed in the UK.

Shortage of qualified drivers

As per a Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey, there is a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified truck drivers in the UK. The pandemic also led to a huge backlog in HGV driver tests. 

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of the government also informed that there were more than 54,000 applications pending for licenses.

The industry reportedly had warned the prime minister in June this year that there were 25,000 fewer candidates passing their test in 2020 than in 2019.

Involvement of army

To mitigate the shortage of truck drivers caused mainly due to the pandemic and Brexit, the government is planning to offer temporary visas to 5,000 foreign truck drivers and 5,500 poultry workers till Christmas to limit the disruption. 

Additionally, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could consider calling in the British army to deliver fuel to petrol stations running dry across the country. However, Environment Secretary George Eustice asserted that the shortage of drivers was “not a huge problem”.

Around a million letters might also be sent to HGV drivers with a license to encourage them to return back to the industry apart from training 4000 new truck drivers. 

Appeal to not panic buy

“The only reason we don’t have petrol on forecourts is people are buying petrol when they don’t need it,” said Eustice. Transport minister Shapps also has appealed for calm holding panic buying by the citizens responsible for the current shortage. 

Shapps further alleged that the panic was manufactured by some hauliers’ association. “They’re desperate to have more European drivers undercutting British salaries,” said the transport minister. 

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland which has been less reliant on drivers from the European Union has been less affected by those workers being no longer available.

West Bengal: South Kolkata BJYM President Mukund Jha hospitalised after TMC goons brutally attack him during the Bhabanipur ruckus

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: South Kolkata BJYM President Mukund Jha hospitalised after TMC goons brutally attack him during the Bhabanipur ruckus

Mukund Jha, the President of BJYM South Kolkata was hospitalized with head injuries in West Bengal’s SSKM hospital on Monday, September 27, after he was brutally assaulted by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons during the attack on BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh during the by-poll campaign at Bhabanipur constituency.

The National President of BJP Yuva Morcha Tejasvi Surya took to Twitter to apprise about the same. “TMC goons brutally attacked Sri Mukund Jha, President of @BJYM South Kolkata & our karyakartas at Bhawanipore today. CM Mamata Banerjee’s silence on such dreaded attacks is another blood soaked feather on her cap in successfully decimating democracy in Bengal”, Tweeted Surya sharing pictures of the injured Mukund Jha.

The TMC supporters had allegedly grabbed hold of Mukund Jha and injured him when Dilip Ghosh, yesterday, moved ahead with the rally towards the Harish Mukherjee road.

TMC workers attack BJP’s national VP Dilip Ghosh before Bhabanipur by-poll in West Bengal

On the last day of the campaign in West Bengal’s Bhabanipur Constituency, Trinamool Congress supporters clashed with BJP workers and attacked Dilip Ghosh, National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to reports, Dilip Ghosh was physically assaulted by TMC supporters during the attack while another BJP worker was seriously wounded.

Dilip Ghosh posted a tweet after the incident and expressed concerns about the safety of public representatives in West Bengal and claimed that the incident was a planned attack organized by the TMC workers.

The incident happened just before the Bhabanipur by-poll and the Election Commission of India sought a report from the West Bengal government over the Bhabanipur incident.

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