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Kerala govt admits Covid-19 deaths in the state were under-reported till mid-June, decides to add 7,000 deaths to total death toll

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala govt admits Covid-19 deaths in the state were under-reported till mid-June, decides to add 7,000 deaths to total death toll

While Kerala remains the state with the highest number of active Covid-19 cases in India, the state’s death tally is set to go up by 7000 due to ‘correction’ of under-reporting done earlier. The Communist government in the state has decided to add 7,000 death to the state’s Covid-19 death tally after allegations of under-reporting of deaths emerged.

Following the revision, the total Covid-19 death tally of Kerala will go up to over 33,000 from the current death toll of over 26,000. Announcing the decision to add more deaths in the state assembly on Friday, Kerala health minister Veena George said that these deaths were not included in official data for Covid-19 deaths due to the absence of relevant records. “If complaints exist about omissions in the list, the Health Department is open to look into them,” the minister added.

Reportedly, 7000 additional deaths will be added to the death toll till the second week of June. Till that time, a state medical board used to review deaths and announce the final list. This practice was criticised by health experts and opposition parties because the board allegedly didn’t include a large number where the patients had tested negative for Covid-19 after being infected, but died later due to complications caused by the Chinese virus infection.

From June second week, the practice of review of deaths by the board was stopped, and the hospitals started directly uploading death numbers.

While the state govt has admitted that the state’s Covid-19 deaths were being under-reported, health minister Veena George denied the opposition’s allegation that it was deliberate. “There was no deliberate attempt to exclude deaths of so many from the tally. We have been following ICMR guideline regarding Covid-19 deaths, but due to some technical glitches these deaths were left out. We will revise the list again,” the minister said in the assembly on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh: Temple priest found brutally murdered, Etah police arrests one Razzak, recovers an axe used for the crime

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Temple priest found brutally murdered, Etah police arrests one Razzak, recovers an axe used for the crime

Etah police in Uttar Pradesh have posted a video byte on its official Twitter handle, informing that on the intervening night of October 8th (Friday) and October 9th (Saturday), a 52-year-old priest was brutally hacked to death in cold blood inside the temple premises, where he reportedly lived. The police confirmed that they have arrested the accused named Razzak and recovered the axe he used to hack the priest to death.

As per a report by Hindi Daily Amar Ujala, the residents of the village discovered the priest’s body lying in cold blood inside the temple premises on Saturday (October 9) morning when they immediately alerted the police.

The temple where the incident happened is located in the Nagla Jagroop village, which falls under the limits of Thana Kotwali Dehat, in Etah Tehsil of Etah district in Uttar Pradesh.

The police said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused Razzak lived with priest Kirpal, popularly referred to as ‘Baba Sadhu’ by the villagers and shared an extremely cordial relationship with him. They use to spend a lot of time together and also ate their meals with each other.

On the night of the incident also, Razzak and the priest were having dinner together, when the two got into an argument. The altercation enraged the youth, who then took an axe and brutally killed the priest.

The Kotwali Dehat police confirmed to OpIndia that Razzak was an addict and use to always be under the influence of Ganja (marijuana). According to the police officer, who did not disclose his identity, Razzak was likely under the influence of the drug on that day too and killed the priest in a fit of rage.

The police said that the matter is being investigated thoroughly and assured that appropriate action will be taken against the accused.

Is the opposition ready to rumble? Here is a blow by blow account of the sparring match between Prashant Kishor, Congress and TMC

OpIndia Staff
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Is the opposition ready to rumble? Here is a blow by blow account of the sparring match between Prashant Kishor, Congress and TMC

Long before it was expected that opposition parties would cobble up an unholy alliance to fight a handicap match against the BJP in the political Wrestlemania of 2024 general elections, all hopes of opposition unity were dashed when Prashant Kishor, Congress and TMC appeared ready to engage in a royal rumble in order to present themselves as a “national” alternative to the BJP government at the centre.

It all started with a tweet posted by poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday morning. In his tweet, Kishor shared a message for the Congress party, saying those looking for a quick revival of the grand old party-led coalition following the Lakhimpur Kheri incident are in for a big disappointment.

“Unfortunately, there are no quick-fix solutions to the deep-rooted problems and structural weakness of GOP,” Kishor tweeted.

Source: Twitter

Kishor’s pointed suggestion about the inherent weakness of the GOP seemed to have deeply stung the Congress party, which is struggling to keep itself relevant in the Indian political arena. Scores of Congress leaders and their supporters slammed the poll strategist for sharing his wisdom on the deficiencies that plague the party.

Senior Congress leader and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel also jumped into the fray and launched a thinly-veiled attack against West Bengal CM and the leader of TMC Mamata Banerjee.

“People looking for a ‘national’​ alternative based on poaching INC functionaries who can’t win even their own seats is a big disappointment,” Baghel tweeted.

Though Baghel did not mention Mamata Banerjee, his implicit reference to the TMC chief was hard to miss. ​Banerjee had lost her election against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari during the assembly election polls in West Bengal in May 2021. However, her party managed to rack up a thumping majority to once again form the government in the state.

The assembly election victory gave a boost to Mamata Banerjee-led TMC’s national ambitions. Of late, in their bid to project a pan-India presence and raise itself as a credible alternative to the ruling government, TMC was on a spree to recruit politicians from all other political parties, most notably Congress. Several Congress functionaries had left the Congress party and joined the TMC. Baghel was referring to this phenomenon when he took a sly dig at the TMC for building a “national” alternative based on poaching leaders from the Congress party.

Source: Twitter

“Unfortunately, to become a national alternative deep-rooted and concerted efforts are needed and there are no quick-fix solutions,” Baghel retorted.

But this stinging blow by Baghel raised the hackles of the Trinamool Congress party, which took to Twitter to mock the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi for his monumental defeat in Amethi in the 2019 General elections. The TMC, which has been critical of Congress for its failure to put up a fight against the BJP, also called Baghel’s remarks a “shoddy attempt to please the high command”.

“By the way, is @INCIndia going to try to erase the historical defeat at Amethi through yet another Twitter trend?” the official Twitter account of TMC acidly asked.

Source: Twitter

The ties between the Congress party and the TMC have nosedived recently after the latter’s mouthpiece, “Jago Bangla” asserted that the party supremo Mamata Banerjee and not Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the face of the opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Nevertheless, the Twitter spat is but a trailer of what lies ahead as far as the opposition is concerned in India’s politics. It is expected that this online bickering is just the start to what might turn out to be a political slugfest in staking the claim to India’s “national” alternative. On one side, it is TMC’s hubris and on the other, it is Congress’ sense of entitlement to lead the opposition. It would be fascinating to watch who emerges victorious in this battle royal, and even more interesting would be to see if the winner manages to strike a chord with the people or ends up helping BJP’s ascension to power, yet again.

New Indian Express publishes fake news saying Kalaburagi Doordarshan Kendra is shutting down, gets fact-checked by Prasar Bharti CEO

OpIndia Staff
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New Indian Express publishes fake news saying Kalaburagi Doordarshan Kendra is shutting down, gets fact-checked by Prasar Bharti CEO

On Saturday (October 9), the New Indian Express alleged that Prasar Bharti will stop the transmission of its programmes from the Kalaburagi Regional Centre in Karnataka from October 31 onwards. The claim was made by one Ramkrishna Badseshi, who works as a senior special correspondent for the newspaper.

In a tweet, Badseshi wrote, “Prasar Bharati finally decides to stop transmissions of the programmes from Kalaburagi Regional Center from October 31.” To substantiate his claims, he had also attached a screenshot of an article written by him on the same topic. In the report titled, ‘Doordarshan Kendra to stop transmission’, the journalist cited a press release by the channel on Friday (October 8).

While quoting the press release, it said, “As decided by the Directorate General of Prasara Bharati, the High-Power Transmitter at Kalaburagi (Karnataka State) operating on channel No 07, Frequency: 195.25 MHz Visual, and 189.75 MHz Aural will cease to operate with effect from 31-10-2021.”

Screengrab of the New Indian Express article

The New Indian Express further added, emphasised, “However, there has been no mention of anything about whether the programme production in the Kendra here and whether the existing building will be completely utilised to continue the production unit and on how much staff will continue to work after stopping of transmission from this centre.”

Journalist Ramkrishna Badseshsi also alleged that officials had confirmed the contents of the press release. He also cited Kalaburgi MP Dr Umesh Jadhav to claim that he tried to persuade the Union government against shutting down on Doordarshan Kendra but to ‘no vail.’ Reportedly, Doordarshan Kendra Gulbarga was the first TV station in Karnataka and was commissioned on September 3, 1977.

Kalaburagi MP, Prasad Bharti CEO debunk misleading claims of New Indian Expres

In less than half an hour, Prasad Bharti CEO Shashi S debunked the claims made by the New Indian Express. He pointed out, “Media should conduct itself in a responsible manner verifying all facts. There’s no change in content creation by Doordarshan Kalaburagi. Content from DD Kalaburagi will continue to be aired on DD Chandana in it its designated slot apart from digital platforms and social media.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shashi S

The Prasad Bharti CEO further blamed certain ‘sections of media’ for misinterpreting the press release and clarified that it was meant for phasing out obsolete rooftop antennas and analogue transmitters. “Phasing out of analog transmitters which were set up decades ago is a necessary reform.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shashi S

Earlier on September 23 last month, BJP MP Dr Umesh Jadhav had dismissed rumours regarding the shutting down of Doordarshan Kalaburagi Station. “I had met Shri Ramakant, ADG DD Chandanabng where he clarified and added that Kalaburagi station is converting Analog Territorial Transmitter to Digital Transmitter,” he had tweeted.

“Ramakanth clarified that Doordarshan has decided to convert the analog territorial transmitter (ATT) to digital transmitter. Further, they are tying up with universities to produce educational content for Chandana. He also clarified that there are 29 staff working at Kalaburagi, of whom only two have been transferred. Currently, Kalburagi Doordarshan is producing weekly half-an-hour programme for DD Chandana,” the BJP MP had informed in September. However, the New Indian Express nevertheless attributed him to claim that Karnataka’s first channel was going to go off air soon.

It is notable that when Doordarshan had started its operations, it started with analogue terrestrial transmission. People needed to install the analogue antennas, also known as Yagi antennas, on rooftops or tall poles to receive the signal. But with the advent of satellite TV and digital cable TV, and streaming services, terrestrial transmission has become obsolete, and therefore the transmitters and other equipment for the same are being removed from TV stations.

TMC puts up ‘ModiShahsurmardini’ poster near the house of Mamata Banerjee, BJP says it depicts their party ‘culture’

OpIndia Staff
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TMC puts up ‘ModiShahsurmardini’ poster near the house of Mamata Banerjee, BJP says it depicts their party ‘culture’

As the Durga Puja celebrations kick off in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress workers have come up with a hoarding on Harish Mukherjee Street where the Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee lives. The poster has an image of Mamata Banerjee with folded hands and has described her as “ModiShahsurmadini.” 

The caption is a spin on the goddess Durga’s epithet “Mahisasura Mardini,” which means “one who slays the demon Mahishahsur.” Through this poster, Mamata Banerjee’s loyalists have insinuated that like Goddess Durga killed Mahishahsur, their supremo will “slay” PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah.

The poster came up probably after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee won the Bhabanipur assembly after she defeated her nearest rival Priyanka Tibrewal of the BJP by a margin of 58,832 votes after counting was held on Sunday (October 3).

TMC Lok Sabha MP and national spokesperson Mahua Moitra was one of the first to share the picture of the hoarding.

Though the Trinamool Congress said that the poster was put up by “overenthusiastic” supporters and not by the party, a careful look at the poster shows “Ward no. 83 Trinamool Mahila Congress” written on the bottom-right corner of the hoarding, an obvious implication that the hoarding was put up by TMC’s women’s wing.

The poster that has come up near Mamata Banerjee’s residence in the Kalighat area in Kolkata

The BJP has slammed the Trinamool Congress saying that the hoarding reflects the “audacity, taste and culture of the Trinamool Congress”.

This is not the first time that the Trinamool Congress party members have tried to portray their supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee as goddess Durga. On September 2, three committees had collaborated to sculpt a statue resembling West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, with ten arms akin to that of Goddess Durga. The committees had decided that the statue will be placed along with the idol of the Goddess at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata.

Statue resembling Mamata Banerjee, with ten arms akin to that of Goddess Durga being sculpted in Kolkata

Taking a dig at the Trinamool Congress party, BJP leader Amit Malviya had then Tweeted: “This deification of Mamata Banerjee, who has blood of innocent Bengalis on her hand, following the gruesome post-poll violence in Bengal, is nauseating. This is an insult to goddess Durga. Mamata Banerjee must stop this. She is hurting the sensibilities of Hindus of Bengal”.

Cruise ship drugs case: Film producer Imtiaz Khatri’s Mumbai home, office raided by NCB

OpIndia Staff
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Cruise ship drugs case: Film producer Imtiaz Khatri’s Mumbai home, office raided by NCB

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials are raiding the residence and office of film producer Imtiaz Khatri in the Bandra area of Mumbai in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case, in which Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan, is one of the accused.

Khatri’s came under the scanner after his name cropped up during the interrogation of one Achit Kumar, who was arrested earlier this week after a small quantity of “hydroponic weed alias multi-strain cannabis” was seized from his possession.

The tally of the total number of persons arrested in the case now stands at 18.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai court on Friday rejected the bail petition of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. Khan was arrested after a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) team raided a rave party onboard a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai.

The lawyer for Arbaaz Merchant has said that he will file a fresh bail application before the Session Court. No such confirmation has been made by the counsel for Aryan Khan, Satish Maneshinde. The Mumbai court had on Friday sent Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan to judicial custody for 14 days. 

The NCB, on the other hand, said that the agency would take the prosecution of those involved in the cruise ship raid case to a logical conclusion.

Aryan Khan arrested in cruise ship drug case

On Sunday, October 3, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and many other people were detained from a luxury cruise liner where a rave party was going on. As per reports, cocaine MD, charas and MDMA pills were found on Khan and others with him.

Khan has been remanded to NCB custody till the 7th of October. Arbaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha have also been sent to NCB custody along with Aryan. 

Nitin Gadkari asks Tesla not to sell China manufactured cars in India, reveals his conversation with Elon Musk to set up manufacturing in India

OpIndia Staff
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Nitin Gadkari asks Tesla not to sell China manufactured cars in India, reveals his conversation with Elon Musk to set up manufacturing in India

Amid the report of China freshly creating fresh disturbance at the LAC, Union minister of Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari has said that he has told US-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla not to sell China-manufactured cars in India.

Gadkari further disclosed a conversation he had with asked Elon Musk, the head of Tesla manufacture.

“I have asked Tesla not to sell electric cars in India which the company has manufactured in China. I have told the company to manufacture electric cars in India, and also export cars from India,” the minister said on Friday while addressing an event. Minister said that Tesla should price its vehicles at Rs 35 lakh. He said that under the Aatmanirbhar programme the local production of electric batteries is on the rise and in the near future, India will be in a position to export electric batteries. This will be an added advantage for Tesla in setting up its business in India which is the fifth-largest auto market in the world.

Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the Narendra Modi government will extend all necessary support to Tesla to set up its unit in India. He informed that the negotiation is going on with Tesla regarding the company’s demand related to tax concessions.                

Tesla has been demanding a reduction in import duties in India. Musk had also stated that his plans to bring Electric Vehicles to India were hampered by high import duties charged in the country. “We want to do so, but import duties are the highest in the world by far of any large country!” Musk had tweeted in July.

The Indian government imposes a 100 per cent import duty on cars as completely built units (CBUs) attract customs duty ranging from 60-100 per cent. This depends on engine size and cost, insurance and freight value less or above $40,000. Such high duties are meant to protect domestic manufacturers.

Last month, the heavy industries ministry had conveyed to Tesla any tax concession can be considered once the company starts manufacturing electric vehicles in India. Musk had said that an effective import tariff of 110 per cent on vehicles with customs value above $40,000 was “prohibitive” to zero-emission vehicles. He had further requested the government to rationalize tariffs on electronic vehicles and withdraw the social welfare surcharge levied on them.

Yogi Adityanath says ‘guilty won’t be spared but won’t act under pressure’ as farmers threaten more agitation which could lead to further violence

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi Adityanath says ‘guilty won’t be spared but won’t act under pressure’ as farmers threaten more agitation which could lead to further violence

While the opposition parties, especially the Congress continue to play vulture politics in the wake of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has assured that the perpetrators will not be spared. He has, however, declined to take any action under pressure, without evidence.

Speaking at a conclave organized by a television channel on Friday (October 8), the UP CM asserted that “arrests will be made on the basis of evidence and not mere accusations.”

Action would be taken against perpetrators of Lakhimpur Kheri veiolnce in accordance with the procedure: Yogi Adityanath

“Everything will be crystal clear. There will be no injustice to anyone. No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands, but no action will be taken under any pressure”, Yogi said.

The UP CM further said that opposition members who wanted to pay a visit to the victims’ families were only doing so to put on a show, but in reality, there are some faces among them who could be behind the Lakhimpur Kheri tragedy.

Asserting the everybody, irrespective of his position and power, are equal in the eyes of law, the Uttar Pradesh CM assured that the guilty, regardless of his or her party affiliation, would not be spared.

“However, according to the Supreme Court, we cannot arrest anyone on the basis of mere accusations made by someone. A case has been filed on the basis of a written complaint and the incident is being investigated”, the CM said when questioned about the possible resignation of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni and arrest of his son Ashish Mishra.

Earlier, the UP police had named Ashish Mishra in the FIR filed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The ‘farmers’ have been insisting that Ashish Mishra was present at the spot when the incident happened, and some are even claiming that he was driving the car that hit two farmer protestors killing them. On the other hand, he and his father are saying that he was not even present at the spot on that day, so there is no question of him hitting the people with his car.

Yogi Adityanath slams opposition members, says they are targeting the UP govt to hide their failures

Slamming the members of the opposition parties for using the incident for political mileage, Yogi Adityanath said that the CM of Chhattisgarh and Punjab have not been able to run their own states but have been targeting the Uttar Pradesh government to hide their failures. He questioned the Congress scions, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, who have been particularly milking the Lakhimpur tragedy to boost their drowning political careers, especially before the upcoming UP Assembly polls.

“Where were Rahul and Priyanka and Akhilesh Yadav when Covid was in an uproar? Everyone, including the victims’ families, said they appreciated the government’s work” he said.

‘Farmers’ threaten a nationwide ‘rail roko’ protest fuelling further violence

Amidst the state government’s assurance that the guilty would not be spared and justice will be delivered, the ‘farmers’ have threatened more agitation which could lead to further violence. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Friday rejected the SIT and the inquiry commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and threatened a nationwide ‘rail roko’ protest on October 18 if its demands are not met.

The ‘farmers’ body has been demanding that Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Ajay Mishra be sacked and his son Ashish Mishra arrested in connection with the October 3 violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.

The SKM said that it rejects both the SIT and the Inquiry of Commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

UP Police summons Ashish Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri incident

It is pertinent to note here that the UP police have already asked Ashish Mishra to appear before it in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. It pasted a notice outside the resident of the Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra on October 7, asking his son Ashish Mishra to appear before the police. 

The notice asked Mishra to appear at the crime branch office at the reserve police lines, Janpad Kheri at 10 am on October 8. The notice stated that Ashish Mishra has been booked under sections 147, 148, 149, 279, 338, 304A, 302, 120B of the Indian Penal Code in the case where eight lives were lost. He has been asked to personally appear before the police to produce material, written, oral and electronic evidence in his defence.

The Lakhimpur Kheri violence

A total of eight people were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, which has become a huge political issue, especially for the Congress party. According to reports, protesting farmers attacked a convoy of BJP workers, following which a car allegedly lost control and injured two farmers. This infuriated the protesters, who attacked the vehicle, set it on fire, and assaulted the passenger. Two BJP workers, a journalist, and the driver were killed as a result of this. Two more farmers are said to have died as a result of the violence.

Afghanistan: ‘Sunni’ ISIS-KP takes responsibility for bombing Shia mosque in Kunduz, bomber an Uyghur Muslim

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: ‘Sunni’ ISIS-KP takes responsibility for bombing Shia mosque in Kunduz, bomber an Uyghur Muslim

Hours after a suicide bomber targeted a Shia mosque in Kunduz, where 300 Muslims were offering their Friday prayers (Jumma Namaz), the ‘Sunni’ terror outfit Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the dastardly attack.

Initial reports suggested that the number of people who were injured and died stood at 100. However, Talib Matullah Rohani informed that about 43 people had died and an additional 140 people were injured. On the other hand, Shia leader Sayed Ahmad Shah Hashemi put the death toll to 70. “This deadly incident has caused trauma among Shiites and other sectors of the society,” he emphasised.

Reportedly, the attacker has been identified as one Muhammad al-Uyguri, and hailed from the Muslim Uyghur minority in China. He detonated his explosive vest inside the mosque premises during the Friday prayers killing an estimated 50-100 people.

ISKP and the targetting of Shia Muslims

The recent rise of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan has accentuated the fear of the Hazara community who had earlier been targeted by ISKP. Islamic State of Khorasan Province follows the extremist Sunni ideology and has been involved in several terror activities, including the bombing at the Kabul airport on August 26 that claimed the lives of 13 US soldiers. ISKP is an offshoot of the Islamic State terror group (ISIS) that operates in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Khorasan refers to a historical region comprising of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, the territories once controlled by a caliphate. The terrorist group was first formed in 2015 after several dissatisfied fighters of the Afghan Taliban and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, who viewed their own organisation as moderate outfits, joined the Islamic State, swearing to create a caliphate. The ISKP also influenced several radical Islamists studying in madrasas in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

ISKP had orchestrated attacks on girls’ schools, hospitals where they had shot dead pregnant women and nurses. However, their primary target has been the Shia Muslims (20% of Afghanistan’s population), who come from the Hazara community in a predominantly Sunni country. Although the Hazaras despised the US-backed Ashraf Ghani government for its inability to provide protection to them, life under Sunni ISKP and Deobandi Taliban had become even more difficult.

The newly installed Taliban government, having overthrown the country’s Western-backed administration in August, is struggling to contain an invigorated Islamic State. The group has grown increasingly antagonistic in recent weeks, conducting guerrilla-style attacks and bombings that have included Taliban fighters among the dead. The new government is also struggling with a collapsing economy as foreign funding remains largely frozen.

BYJUs pauses all ads featuring Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan following his son’s arrest in the cruise ship drugs case: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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BYJUs pauses all ads featuring Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan following his son’s arrest in the cruise ship drugs case: Reports

BYJUs, the educational technology company has pulled all its advertisement featuring Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan following the ongoing investigation against his son in the cruise ship drugs case. Shah Rukh Khan has been BYJUs brand ambassador since 2017.

The company stopped all ads featuring Shah Rukh Khan after it faced backlash on the micro-blogging site. Since NCB conducted the raid on the luxury cruise liner on the night of October 3 and arrested Aryan Khan, the Netizens took have been calling out BYJUs for continuing its association with the actor whose son is involved in a drug case.

Netizens argued that promoting a learning app by someone who can’t teach his own child to act lawfully will reflect poorly on the company.

BYJUs paid Shah Rukh Khan Rs 3-4 crore annually to endorse the brand

While Shah Rukh Khan is the face of a number of well-known brands, including Hyundai, LG, Dubai Tourism, ICICI Bank, and Reliance Jio, Byju’s was one of the actor’s most lucrative sponsorship partnerships. According to reports, the educational tech company paid Rs 3-4 crore annually to Shah Rukh Khan to endorse the brand.

A source privy to the development was quoted by Economic Times as saying:

“They (Byju’s) have paused all SRK-related promotions for now. It had to be pulled as the company which is in the area of education wouldn’t like to be seen in promotions with him given the controversy (over the drug case involving his son).”

“These ads were booked in advance—as is the process—so it took some time to stop all of them,” the source added.

According to the report, Byju’s had launched its new ad campaign with SRK less than three weeks ago.

Though the company has pulled SRK ads, it has not released any official statement regarding the issue. It is still not clear whether the company has temporarily pulled the ads featuring Shah Rukh Khan or has permanently dropped the actor as its brand ambassador.

According to the report, when contacted, BYJUs spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

Aryan Khan sent to judicial custody for 14 days

On Friday (October 8), a Mumbai court rejected the bail petition of Aryan Khan. As per reports, Khan was brought to the Arthur Road jail on Friday and the hearing of his bail application began at around 12:30 pm at the Esplanade Magistrate Court.

The Mumbai court had on Thursday, sent Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan to judicial custody for 14 days. Aryan Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 2, in connection with the luxury cruise drug bust case.

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