On Saturday (September 25), the Taliban hung the dead body of a man from a crane in the city of Herat in Afghanistan, reported Associated Press.
A video of the incident has now surfaced on social media. Citing an eyewitness named Wazir Ahmad Seddiqi, Associated Press reported that a total of four bodies were brought to the main square of the city. According to Seddiqui, who runs a pharmacy, the Talibs hung the body of one man at the main square and took the rest to other parts of the city for public display.
The Taliban had claimed that the four deceased were involved in a kidnapping case and were neutralised by the police. It was only then that they took the bodies and hung it from cranes. While speaking to the Associated Press, district police chief Ziaulhaq Jalali claimed that the Talibs had rescued two people (a father-son duo) who were kidnapped by the four accused. He added that the four men were killed in a gunfight with the Talibs.
Jalali also informed that a civilian (municipal worker) and a Talib was injured in the gunfight. Earlier, Taliban founder Mullah Nooruddin Turabi announced that they will carry out executions and amputation for robbery, theft and other crimes in accordance with sharia law. Taliban carried out the executions in Kabul’s sports stadium and Eid Gah mosque in the 1990s. Turabi was then the head of the Taliban’s religious police known as Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Although the Taliban has been trying to project a ‘moderate’ image, the radical Islamist outfit shot dead a woman in August for not wearing a burqa. The incident surfaced on the same day the Taliban announced to act ‘moderate’ and give women their rights in accordance with Sharia law. A photo of the deceased woman lying in a pool of blood with her loved ones crouched around her sent shock waves in the already distressed country.
From Covid-19 to Islamic terrorism and aggressiveness of China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon the current burning issues in the world in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York today.
PM Modi started with paying tribute to those who have lost their lives in the Covid-19 pandemic and talked about India’s contribution to the fight against Coronavirus.
The prime minister said that he is representing a country that is known as the mother of democracy, which has completed 75 years of independence. Saying that India is the best example of a vibrant democracy, he said that it is the beauty of democracy in India that a kid who used to help his father selling tea at a railway station is addressing the UNGA for the fourth time.
“With the experience of 20 years of public service, I can say that, yes, democracy can deliver, yes democracy has delivered”, PM Modi said. Narendra Modi also quoted Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya in his speech, saying that inspired by Deendayal Upadhyaya Ji’s philosophy of ‘Antyodaya’, India is moving ahead and ensuring integrated and equitable development for all. Development should be all-inclusive, all-pervasive, universal, and one that nurtures all, this is our priority, the PM said.
The PM said that in the last 7 years, more than 43 crore people have been brought into the banking system, more than 36 crore people have govt insurance protection, more than 50 crore people have been given the facility of free medical treatment. He informed that the Indian govt has launched a project to connect 17 crore homes with water supply lines to provide clean water.
PM Modi said that every sixth person in the world today is Indian, and when India grows, the world grows too, when India reforms, the world transforms. The science and technology-based innovations taking place in India can benefit the world. He said that the scale and cost of India’s tech solutions are incomparable. He informed how India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is seeing more than 350 crore transactions in India.
Similarly, the CoWIN platform developed by India is providing digital support to administer crores of vaccines in a day.
The PM said that he wants to inform the UNGA that India has developed the world’s first DNA vaccine which can be administered to anyone above 12 years of age, and that an mRNA vaccine is in the final stages of development in the country, while Indian scientists are also developing a nasal vaccine against Covid-19. He informed that India has restarted exporting vaccines to counties across the world. The PM invited all vaccine manufacturers to make vaccines in India. He also said that while technology is important in today’s world, it is also important to ensure technology with democratic values.
After that, he turned to the burning issue of extremism, and said that the threats of regressive thinking and extremism are increasing. In this situation, the world will have to make science-based rational and progressive thinking the basis of development. Talking about encouragement to science in schools, he informed that on the occasion of 75th anniversary of independence, India is sending 75 satellites to space which are being made by Indian students.
But on the other hand, a country with a regressive thinking is using terrorism as a political tool, PM Modi said without naming Pakistan. He said that they should understand that terrorism a big threat to them also. “It is important to ensure that the land of Afghanistan is not used for spreading terrorism and terror attacks”, he added. The PM urged the world to be careful that no country tries to use the fragile situation in Afghanistan as a tool for own benefit. Saying that people, women, children, and minorities in Afghanistan need help, he said the world should take the responsibility for the same.
The PM further said that Oceans belong to all, and the ocean resources should be used, not abused. Oceans are the lifeline of international trade, we have to protect them from expansion and exclusion. The international community must raise its voice in unison to empower rule-based world order, the PM said without naming China, which is trying to expand its marine territory in several areas.
Narendra Modi also pointed fingers towards China, without naming, in reference to the origin of Covid-19 and the controversies related to the Ease of Doing Business ranking. He said that global organisations have lost their credibility, which they had earned through works of decades, due to such issues. PM Modi was referring to WHO being accused of repeatedly shielding China in the matter of the origin of Coronavirus, and the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking which was suspended after it was found that China had manipulated its rankings.
PM Modi concluded his speech at the UNGA by quoting a poem by Rabindranath Tagore.
Madam Bhikaiji Cama was born in a wealthy Parsi family of Bombay on 24 September 1861. She completed her secondary education at Alexandra Girl Education Institution. It was considered the best women school in the country at that time. Among nine of her brothers and sisters, she was the brightest and learnt several languages in her childhood. She married a wealthy, young and smart Parsi man ‘Rustam Cama’. However, her husband’s family always praised Britishers and had very little interest in public life. Slowly while following the freedom movement, Madam Cama grew conscious about the atrocities done by Britishers in the country due to which differences arose between her and Rustom Cama.
When the plague broke out in 1896, Madam Cama gave up all the comfort and luxury lifestyle, devoted herself completely to the service of people wearing a white apron. She was so courageous that even while knowing that there has been no vaccine discovered for plague, yet she kept on working selflessly for the patients. A young, wealthy and beautiful lady could be seen in the role of a nurse and mother taking care of people affected by the. After a point of time she was infected with plague, therefore doctors advised her to go abroad for treatment. Subsequently, she left for London.
After recovering from the illness she came in contact with a few revolutionaries Shyamji Krishna Verma and S.S. Rana. Dissatisfied with the stance of the British Committee of Indian National Congress, they started opposing the policies adopted by Congress leaders. Soon they realised that peaceful protests were not enough for dismantling the British rule. Madam Cama along with other revolutionaries started delivering speeches at Hyde Park. These fiery speeches started to attract native Indians staying abroad and foreign media. Madam Cama started working with Dada Bhai Naoroji and learnt about politics and expanded her network. She started to write in Indian Sociologist regularly.
Association with Veer Savarkar and Activism at India House
Shyamji Verma established the India House in London which became the centre for Indian revolutionaries staying abroad. It was a kind of hostel which was used to accommodate Indian students studying in London. The India House was established on 1st July 1905. The inauguration ceremony was attended by revolutionaries like Lala Lajpat Rai and Dada Bhai Naoroji. It was at India House that Madam Cama along with other revolutionaries like Veer Savarkar and Senapati Bapat used to formulate strategies to overthrow the British establishment. However, the ‘father of our nation’ never liked this group of revolutionaries working at The India House and considered them as ‘Violent Team’.
When India House was celebrating the Golden Jubilee of India’s first war of Independence, Lala Lajpat Rai was arrested in India. At this time Madam Cama wrote fiercely in The Indian Sociologist and appealed to follow non-cooperation. She realised that the best way to dismantle Britishers in India is by stopping cooperating with them and this way their system would collapse in no time.
As Veer Savarkar became the leader of The India House with the support of Madam Cama, he formed a group named – ‘ Abhinav Bharat’. This group used to celebrate the birthdays of Indian Freedom fighters.
When Veer Savarkar’s book ‘First War of Indian Independence’ was banned by the English authorities before it could even release, it was Madam Cama who somehow got it smuggled to India and translated it into French. Indian revolutionaries used to consider this book as their Geeta. Madam Cama always took care of Savarkar as her mother. When Savarkar was being chased by British Police, it was Madam Cama who gave him refuge at her place in Paris.
Thereafter when he was arrested in London, Madam Cama was the one under whose leadership an escape plan was formulated. When he was taken to India for trial, Madam Cama along with Lala Hardayal started a movement in France with the help of Jarvis a socialist leader, so that Savarkar’s release could be initiated. The French Govt. wanted the British Govt. to return Savarkar to them. It was after Madam Cama and Lala Hardayal wrote to various International Media Houses, ICJ took the case into its hand.
She kept on helping Savarkar’s family when he was awarded imprisonment for life. When she realised no option is left to save Savarkar, she walked straight into the office of the British Council in Paris and took all the responsibility for the crime for which Savarkar was being punished in Kala Paani. This clearly shows how bold and fearless she was.
Designing and hoisting of the National Flag
After Sister Nivedita first talked about the concept of the National Flag, Madam Cama and Savarkar started working on it. This flag consisted of three stripes of different colours. The first one was Green which represented the Muslim community of our country, the second one was of Saffron colour which is considered sacred by Hindus, Third was of red colour which was envisaged to give respect to the brave freedom fighters who lost their lives in the freedom movement.
Vande Mataram was also written in the middle of this flag. Finally, the day came on 22 August 1907 in the International Socialist Convention in Stuttgart, Germany, in which India was represented by Dada Bhai Naoroji.
As described by Author Rachna Yamini in her book ‘The life and times of Madam Bhikaiji Cama’: “When people saw Madam Cama, adorned in a Parsi saree with a full-sleeved blouse, sitting with a glorious face, people started to whisper in low voices. Her head was covered with an end of her saree, which displayed her courtesy, but when the same courteous and well-cultured Indian woman rose to speak in a fluent style, it appeared as if the entire assembly had been put on fire. When the Union Jack was about to be hoisted as a mark of the national flag of India, she opposed it and took out a small tricolour from her bag and waved it in her hands. With this Madam, Cama became the first Indian to hoist the National Flag on foreign soil. This drew a lot of international attention.”
End of a 35-year long journey
Madam Cama spent a major part of her life in exile, in foreign countries. She travelled in Europe and America to gather resources and support for her countrymen who were fighting for the country. It should be observed that she proved to be quite successful in her mission. It won’t be wrong if we say that she was the first Non-Government ambassador of India. American press used to call her – ‘Indian Zone of Arch’. When Madam Cama came back to India after 35 years, she grew old and poor. After spending almost 8 months in hospital she finally gave up her life on 16 August, 1936.
Mamata Banerjee has claimed that the Central Government has denied her permission to attend a world event at Rome which is supposed to be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Pope Francis as well. The West Bengal Chief Minister claimed that she was told it isn’t proper for a Chief Minister to visit.
There was a meeting on world peace in Rome,where I was invited. German Chancellor, Pope (Francis) are also supposed to attend. Italy had given special permission for me to attend, yet Centre denied clearance, saying it wasn’t right for CM: WB CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/LFvePbBnr9
Mamata Banerjee also accused Narendra Modi of being jealous of her. “You keep talking about Hindus, I am also a Hindu woman, why did you not allow me? You are totally jealous,” She said referring to Narendra Modi.
You will not be able to stop me. I am not eager to visit foreign countries, but this was about the respect of the nation. You (PM Modi) keep talking about Hindus, I am also a Hindu woman, why did you not allow me? You are totally jealous: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/buvJkM0Te8
Trinamool spokesperson Debangshu Dev has also jumped into it to accuse the Central Government of stopping Mamata Banerjee’s visit.
Central government denied permission for Didi’s Rome trip!
Previously they’ve cancelled the permission of China trip too. We accepted that decision with keeping international relations and India’s interests in mind.
Now why Italy Modi ji? What is your problem with Bengal? Chi!
The event Banerjee was referring to is an event for World Peace supposedly being organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio. Earlier in August, it was reported that Banerjee had been invited to the event along with Angela Merkel and Pope Francis, to be hosted in Rome on the 6th and 7th of October.
However, the suspicious bit about the whole affair is that there is hardly any coverage of the matter in western media. When we checked the website of the organisation, we could not find any reference to any such event or to Mamata Banerjee herself.
A Google search reveals that there’s no relevant search result for Mamata Banerjee on the website.
A Google search result
Since it is an event expected to be attended by Angela Merkel and Pope Francis, it is reasonable to expect that western media would report the development on their presence. However, there is no such news reports on the matter.
On Twitter, when one searches with the keywords “Angela Merkel sant’egidio”, the top results are from years prior and the latest results are all related to claims by Mamata Banerjee.
Source: Twitter
Furthermore, we have sent several emails to the Community of Sant’Egidio seeing confirmation of the matter but have not received any replies from them over the same. Thus, we see a pattern of extremely suspicious events here.
We have an obscure organisation, that supposedly has a very close relationship with Pope Francis, inviting an Indian Chief Minister for an obscure event that the German Chancellor and the Pope is expected to attend. Second, there does not appear to be any independent confirmation of the event, and the Indian media has simply reproduced Banerjee’s claims without verification.
Thirdly, for such a high profile event, there is nonexistent coverage of it in the western media. Fourthly, there is no indication of any such event on the website of the Community of Sant’Egidio, the group that supposedly invited Mamata Banerjee. Fifth, our attempts to seek some confirmation of the event from the organisers have received no response at all.
All of this leads us to question the authenticity of the event, if any such event is happening at all. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that Mamata Banerjee is accusing the Modi Government of preventing her visit in order to avoid admitting that she fell for an elaborate hoax.
It certainly will not be the first time that the Trinamool Congress has fallen for a hoax. The party had claimed that a group affiliated to the United Nations had congratulated the West Bengal Chief Minister for her governance during the Covid-19 pandemic. After our investigation that exposed the dubious nature of the group, Trinamool Congress was forced to remove the tweet that boasted of the endorsement.
While a verdict cannot be passed regarding the Sant’Egidio event as of yet, it remains to be seen whether such an event actually takes place of the 6th and 7th of October.
The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan has suspended mobile internet services, bulk SMS/MMS and social media platforms in Ajmer district from 6 am to 6 pm on Sunday, September 26, in the wake of state teacher eligibility test, Rajasthan Teacher Eligibility Test or REET, the state government announced on Saturday.
Rajasthan | Mobile internet services, bulk SMS/MMS and other social media by Internet Service Providers (except for voice call of landline, mobile phone, & landline broadband) to be suspended in Ajmer district from 6am to 6pm on September 26 in the wake of REET exam pic.twitter.com/uRHLKQqbcq
“Internet services, bulk SMS/MMS/Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and other social media by Internet Service Providers (except for voice call of landline, mobile phone, and landline broadband, lease line data) to be suspended in Ajmer district from 6 am to 6 pm on September 26 in the wake of REET exam,” said Ajmer district magistrate in an order.
The decision to suspend services was taken a day after the Rajasthan police apprehended a gang of four members with Rs 5.60 lakhs in cash in an alleged attempt to make dummy candidates appear for REET 2021. CM Gehlot issued a warning for state government personnel against helping candidates cheat in the test. He also authorised the withdrawal of affiliation and recognition of private institutes if any of their staff is caught facilitating cheating.
Tight security has been arranged to prevent cheating in the exams. Even officials such as collectors and SPs will not be allowed to take their mobile phones to the examination centres while visiting them, Education minister Govind Singh Dotasra said.
The decision to ban the internet during the exams was taken despite the Rajasthan High Court asking the state government to avoid suspending the internet to conduct exams in the past, as it causes inconvenience to other people utilising services such as booking cabs, ordering food and other essential services online.
The REET is scheduled to take place on Sunday for the recruitment of 31,000 Grade 3 teachers in the state. The REET admit card was released by the Board on September 17, 2021, and the exam was planned for June 20 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
It is worth noting that the exam is being conducted almost after three years in the state. As per reports, the exam is slated to be conducted at 4,153 examination centres across 200 places in the state. In the state’s capital, Jaipur, more than 2.5 lakh candidates will appear for the examination at 592 centres. The state govt has arranged free travel for candidates, for which the transport department has hired private buses.
As the examination is taking place after 3 years, a large number of candidates, around 16 lakh, are appearing for the exams. To avoid crowding during the test, the administration has ordered shops and business establishments to remain shut on Sunday.
A sensational case of forced conversion has come to the fore in the Agar-Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, where a 31-year-old man had filed a complaint against 2 people for forcibly circumcising him with the intent of converting him into Islam.
In his complaint, the victim identified as Dashrath told the police that he worked under one Dr Nasir Khan, a resident of Malikheda, who along with his son circumcised him against his will. He was threatened and intimidated to embrace Islam and even forced to offer namaz, Dashrath had alleged in his complaint.
Describing his ordeal to the police, Dashrath said Dr Nasir and his son had completely barred him from going to temples. He was instead coerced into offering namaz and following Muslim rituals. Following his complaint, a case has been registered against Dr Nasir Khan under the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Ordinance 2020.
Doctor and his son forced their servant to embrace Islam, stopped him from visiting temples
Ranjit Singh, Kotwali police station in-charge, said the accused in the case is a repeat offender and has a case pending against him in the Agar district. The victim said he has been working under Dr Nasir since 2007 and had left the job once after being fed up with the harassment and bullying he had faced at the hands of the father-son duo. Dashrath had then gone back to his village after which Dr Nasir reached his place and pleaded with him to return.
However, after a while then, Dr Nasir and his son Zubair started pressuring Dashrath to convert his religion. Nasir started physically assaulting him. Nasir’s son, Zubair, also supported his father in his endeavour to convert Dashrath into Islam. About seven months ago, the accused got him circumcised. Circumcision is regarded as an important ritual in Islam, apparently aimed at improving cleanliness. The ritual dates back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad. According to tradition, Muhammad was born without a foreskin and is therefore strongly encouraged for all Muslim men.
He was even rechristened to Ashraf by the father-son duo. Then on September 23, Dashrath decided to end his misery and approached the police station to file a complaint against his employer and his son. After taking cognisance of his complaint, the police filed a case against the accused and launched an investigation into the matter.
Christian boy accused of forcing a Hindu girl to convert into Christianity
It is worth noting that just a few days ago, a case of forced conversion of a Hindu girl was reported from Bhopal. A Christian boy was accused of entrapping a Hindu girl into a romantic relationship by hiding his religion. As per reports, when the girl got pregnant, she pressurised the boy to marry her. It was then that the boy revealed that he was not a Hindu as portrayed by him but was a Christian. Although he married the girl in an Arya Samaj temple as per Hindu customs, he later started pressurizing the girl to convert her religion.
When the girl refused to change her religion, she was tortured. After which the victim girl reached Kohefiza police station in Bhopal to file a complaint against her own husband. The police filed a case against the accused under the MP Religious Freedom Ordinance 2020 and launched a probe into the matter.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the Rajasthan government to review the Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021 stating that legalizing the marriage of minors not only violates the law, but will also have a serious impact on the physical, psychological, social and education of minors in Rajasthan.
NCPC chairperson Priyank Kanoongo, who shot a letter to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, has explained at length how this Bill is bad in the eyes of laws and regressive too.
The Rajasthan Congress government headed by chief minister Ashok Gehlot got this bill passed on September 17 during the assembly session amid protest of the BJP and concerns raised by the civil society. The bill states that marriage between the bridegroom who has not completed 2l years and the bride who has not completed 18 years of age could be registered by the parents or guardians within the 30 days of the marriage through the marriage registration officer.
NCPCR has reminded to Rajasthan government that the Compulsory Registration of Marriages Bill of Rajasthan violates the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006’. This central Act prohibits solemnisation of child marriages and constitutes child marriages by a male adult with a girl child as a cognizable and non-bailable offence under different sections namely 9, 10, 11 and 10 of the Act.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) writes to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot to reconsider & review provisions of Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021, citing serious impact on physical,psychological, social & education of minors pic.twitter.com/nE2k47TaTR
It further states that whoever performs, conducts, directs or abets any child marriage will be punishable with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to two years and will be liable to a fine which may extend to Rs one lakh.
NCPCR has also said that under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, any child marriage would be voidable at the option of the contracting party being a child at the time of marriage. This central act also provides protection and maintenance to the female contracting party to child marriage.
NCPCR has said that the Rajasthan government’s bill violates other laws also like The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 which states that a girl child who is at imminent risk of marriage before attending the age of 18 years of age is a child in need of care and protection.
The child rights body referred October 2017 judgment of the Supreme Court in the Independent Thought vs Union Of India case, where the Supreme Court held child marriage a serious offence.
Hence, quoting provisions laid down by law and observations of the Supreme Court, the NCPCR urged the Rajasthan government to review provisions of the bill since it will have adverse impacts on the welfare of the children in Rajasthan.
The bill has defied all the logic given the fact that Rajasthan is among the states of the country where the evil of child marriage is still prevalent. Ironically, in 2017 the then BJP government headed by Vasundhara Raje had launched a statewide campaign Bal Wiwah Mukata Rajasthan Hamara to discourage child marriage.
Earlier, NCPCR had sent a letter to Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra expressing concern over the bill.
As the number of people vaccinated against Covid-19 increases due to the world’s largest vaccination program, the prevalence of Coronavirus infection in the country is coming down gradually. While the total active cases have come down to less than 3 lakh from a high of above 37 lakh in May this year, Kerala and Maharashtra remain the top two states affected by the pandemic. But surprisingly, northeastern state Mizoram has seen a spike in cases in recent times, which has caused fresh worries.
At present, Mizoram has more than 14 thousand active cases, which is the fourth-highest in the country. While other countries in the top ten list always had high cases, Mizoram’s cases have increased only recently. Moreover, the active cases in the state are going up, while in almost all other states, active cases are going down. Even Kerala has seen the number of active cases coming down from 2 lakh in last week to August to 1.63 lakh now, similarly, Maharashtra’s active cases came down from 50 thousand to 38 thousand during this period.
Recently the Union Health Ministry had said that Mizoram, along with Kerala, has emerged as a cause for concern. As many as 3,192 children between 11 and 20 years were reported to be infected by the virus in the first half of September. 2,850 Covid-19 cases have been detected among children below 10 years, and 2,997 cases have been detected between the age group of 21 and 30 years.
But for Mizoram, the active caseload has gone up from 6 thousand a month ago to above 14 thousand now. A Similar trend was seen in July this year, when the active cases had gone from 4 thousand to 12 thousand in a month, before coming down to 6 thousand by the end of August, which against went up in September.
Another cause for concern is that the share of youths among the Covid-19 infected people is high in Mizoram.
Explaining the recent surge in cases in the state, Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, state nodal officer and official spokesperson on COVID-19, said that a recent study conducted by experts in the state has revealed that the nature of society in the state has led to the increase of cases in the case. The study found that Mizoram is a close-knit society where casual visits to relatives, friends, and neighbours or dining together within the family circle or with others is a common practice even during the lockdown, it has resulted in increased transmission of the infection.
A central team had also attributed this reason behind increased cases, however, the central team had also cited non-compliance with public health guidelines as another reason. According to reports, Dr ZR Thiamsanga, the chairman of the State Medical Operational Team on COVID-19, said that as per a recent study done on 10,000 people in the state, it was found that Covid-19 transmission was found to be high among the people who do not follow Covid-19 Appropriate Behaviour, but the infection is low among the people who follow the norms.
The experts in the state have said that new variants of Covid-19 like Delta and Delta Plus have contributed to higher rates of infection in the state, as these variants are highly contagious. “If highly transmissible Covid-19 variants are already present, it is clear that transmission rate will be high or vast in a close-knit society,” said Dr Thiamsanga, who is also an MLA in the state.
Another reason being cited for recent higher cases in Mizoram is the lack of natural immunity among the people in the state.
Although the pace of vaccination was slow at the beginning in the state, it has gone up recently, and the state has administered more than 11 lakh doses so far. During the initial days, there were lots of vaccine hesitancy in the state due to the influence of the church. It was reported that some Churches and Christian groups were discouraging people from taking the coronavirus vaccine in north-eastern states, including Christian majority Mizoram. But now, vaccination drive has picked up pace due to increase awareness about the benefit of vaccines among people.
The state is augmenting its Covid-19 response infrastructure in the wake of increased cases. The government has decided to increase testing capacity in the state, and is getting two mobile vans equipped with RT-PCR testing facilities from the Centre.
A 44-year-old teacher from Kerala was sentenced to 29.5 years imprisonment for sexually abusing a minor girl in 2012, reported Onmanorama News.
The accused has been identified as Abdul Rafeek. While serving as a teacher at a private school in Pavaratty, he had sexually exploited an Std-I student. The incident took place 9 years ago when the students had gone for a school picnic. On returning home, the victim felt weak and traumatised. The mother of the child took her to the hospital for immediate medical attention. Following an examination, the doctor confirmed to the victim’s mother the sexual abuse faced by the child.
She had also sustained serious injuries to her internal organs. A case was registered after the victims’ relatives had filed a complaint with the police. A Prevention of Child Sexual Offences (POCSO) fast track court sentenced Rafeek to 29 years and 6 months in jail for committing the heinous crime. Additionally, Justice MP Shibu directed him to pay ₹2.15 lacs as a fine, failing which the prison sentence will be extended by an additional 2 years 9 months. The victim was represented by the Special public prosecutor KS Binu.
Surging cases of molestation, rapes and crime against minors in Kerala
Between January 1 to May 31 this year, 627 cases of rapes of children were reported in Kerala. Further, as many as 1,639 cognisable cases of crimes against children were registered in the same period. This included 15 murders, 89 kidnappings and abduction and six cases of exposure and abandonment. Five cases were registered for child marriage. In July, a 6-year-old innocent was murdered after being raped in Vendiperiyar.
When the matter came to light, the local MLA resolutely opposed the child’s postmortem. Despite all the obstruction, when the investigation progressed, it was found that the perpetrator of the heinous act was none other than the CPI(M) worker who exploited the girl and later killed her with hellish torture. The simmering anger of the cruelty meted out on the girl was reflected on the streets of Kerala when villagers clashed with the police and thrashed the accused in the case.
As per documents available in the public domain, women in Kerala are suffering from a host of dangers. According to the official website of Kerala Police, till May 2021, 886 rape cases, 1437 molestation cases, 75 kidnapping cases, 149 molestation cases, 1159 domestic violence cases, and 1502 other offences were registered in the state. Overall, the number of crimes registered in the first 5 months of 2021 alone is 5208. Last year, 12,659 cases of crimes against women came to light in Kerala.
The theatrics of actor Sonu Sood on social media is not a new phenomenon. Ever since the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic, the actor has spent most of his time projecting himself as some sort of messiah. Over time, it appears, he has managed to convince even himself that he is indeed the prince that was promised.
On Saturday, Sonu Sood shared a screenshot showing the number of unread emails on his inbox. He added in the caption, “Hope.. Trust.. Prayers.. what else does one need in life”. It is not clear how he claim to the conclusion that all the unread emails in his inbox are “prayers” for his well-being. Conventional wisdom dictates that celebrities receive a great deal of spam emails as well.
Nonetheless, when someone is convinced that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ, every unread email is an opportunity to blow his own trumpet. Thus, we have Sood here convinced that the nearly 60,000 unread emails in his inbox is evidence of the love that the masses bear towards himself.
People were quick to remind him, however, that unread emails are not a measure of one’s popularity or greatness. The comments to his tweet were littered with people revealing the number of unread emails they have in their own inbox.
The inbox antics of Sonu Sood comes days after the Income Tax Department found incriminating evidence against the actor. The investigative agency discovered that Sood had evaded taxes to the tune of over Rs. 20 crores.
While Sood managed to collect huge amounts in donations, most of that amount is lying unused, and only a small amount has been distributed. According to a statement by the IT Department, while a total of ₹18.94 crore was collected, only ₹1.9 crore was used, and the rest has not been used yet.
People on social media brought that up as well while responding to his unread emails tweet.
Since the pandemic began, there have been false messiahs who have pranced around boasting about their, often nonexistent, accomplishments. But no one, perhaps, has done so with more embellishments than Sonu Sood.
It is pretty clear that he is so enamoured with himself that the thought does not cross his mind that perhaps, people are not buying what he has been selling all this while. Consumed by his messiah complex, he appears to believe that even unread emails are divine blessings from above.
