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CBI registers nine cases related to post-poll violence in West Bengal, in the process of registering more

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CBI registers nine cases related to post-poll violence in West Bengal, in the process of registering more

Following the Calcutta High Court’s order, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has begun probing the West Bengal post-poll violence and so far registered nine cases in the matter, reports news agency ANI. Reports suggest that CBI is in the process of registering more such cases.

All four special teams of the central investigating agency entrusted with examining the incidents of violent crimes, perpetrated by TMC goons in West Bengal in the backdrop of a sweeping victory for the ruling Trinamool Congress, have relocated from Kolkata to the places where the incidents of violence took place.

High Court hands over the West Bengal post-poll violence case to the CBI

The CBI has taken over the investigations on the orders of a five-judge panel of the Calcutta High Court, which on August 19, tasked the agency with a court-monitored probe into the innumerable murder and rape instances reported during West Bengal’s post-poll rioting which occurred in the aftermath of West Bengal Assembly elections in the month of May 2021.

The court had observed that the fact-finding report of the NHRC committee had exposed the police inaction, and hence the matter required independent investigation.

Pointing out at the state police apathy, working at the behest of WB CM Mamata Banerjee, the High Court noted that the registration of cases and investigation against the workers of the ruling TMC was slow, and in a number of cases, FIRs were registered only after the committee pointed out those. The court also noted that in over 60% of the cases, no FIR was filed by the police.

High Court constitutes SIT to look into other criminal cases related to post-poll violence

The high court also directed the state government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the cases related to violence.

The SIT will be comprised of three IPS officers, Suman Bala Sahoo, Soumen Mitra and Ranbir Kumar, reported Bar and Bench. A report by Live Law states that the court has also directed the West Bengal state government to immediately process the compensation for the victims of the post-poll violence. The court also rejected state government allegations of bias against the NHRC.

The CBI and the SIT have to submit their reports within six weeks.

The bench had previously ordered the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission to form an inquiry group to look into allegations of human rights abuses during the post-election violence. The panel found in its report that the state’s current status is a manifestation of “Law of the Ruler” rather than “Rule of Law.” It goes on to say that victims’ lack of trust in the government is palpable. The statutory body added that a list of 57 complaints related to women was received from the National Women Commission.

Despite the victims’ testimonies about the savagery committed on them by the TMC goons, the Mamata Banerjee government had resisted the NHRC findings and questioned its neutrality.

‘No proof of Osama Bin Laden’s role in 9/11, USA used it as an excuse to attack Afghanistan’: Taliban

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‘No proof of Osama Bin Laden’s role in 9/11, USA used it as an excuse to attack Afghanistan’: Taliban

Taliban spokesperson Zabibullah Mujahid has claimed that there is no proof to assert that Osama Bin Laden was the mastermind involved in the 9/11 terror attack on the US. “It was used as an excuse by the Americans to wage war on Afghanistan,” said Mujahid. 

Mujahid, while speaking to NBC News said, “Even after 20 years of war, there is no evidence of his (Osama bin Laden) involvement (in the September 11, 2001 terror attack in the US).” 

Mujahid when asked if the Taliban will provide a safe haven to al-Qaeda, said that the Jihadi organization has repeatedly promised it will not let anyone use Afghan soil for terrorism. 

“When Laden became a problem for the Americans, he was in Afghanistan. But there was no proof of his involvement and we have now promised that the Afghan soil won’t be used against anyone,” Mujahid said further. 

“We respect women, they are our sisters. They should not be afraid. The Taliban have fought for the country. The women should be proud of us, not scared,” said Mujahid when asked about women in Afghanistan. 

This is after reports of Taliban killing women have come to the fore including the murder of a woman by the Taliban for not wearing a hijab.

NBC also asked Mujahid about the thousands of Afghans waiting to flee the country. “We don’t want our countrymen to leave the country. Whatever they have done in the past, we have given them amnesty,” Mujahid said amid reports of Taliban conducting door-to-door searches.

Taliban have reportedly attacked and killed many interpreters who worked with the US Military and has launched a door-to-door hunt to catch hold of everyone who worked either with the government or the military. 

“We need our country people, the young and educated folks for the nation. But if they want to leave, it’s their choice,” Mujahid said further. 

Meanwhile, the Kabul airport and the country borders have slipped into complete chaos with people trying to evade the Taliban regime. There are at least 10,000 people at the Kabul airport waiting to be rescued.

Quad nations Australia, India, Japan, and the United States start Malabar exercise 2021 from today

OpIndia Staff
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Quad nations Australia, India, Japan, and the United States start Malabar exercise 2021 from today

India, the United States, Japan and Australia will kick off the 25th edition of the Malabar naval exercise off the coast of the Pacific island Guam on Thursday.

The latest edition – Malabar 21, will be held from August 26 to 29 in the Philippine Sea, off the coast of Guam. All the four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, shortly referred to as Quad, are participating in the exercise since 2020.

The exercise aims to increase interoperability amongst the participating navies, develop common understanding and SOPs for Maritime Security Operations, the Indian Navy said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Indian Navy has deployed two Indian warships – Frigate INS Shivalik and Anti-Submarine Corvette INS Kadmatt, a P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and the navy’s marine commandos (MARCOS) in this year’s Malabar exercise.

“The navies of the four quad nations will be holding exercises involving destroyers, frigates, corvettes, submarines, helicopters, long-range maritime patrol aircraft and elite special forces elements including the US Navy SEALs and MARCOS,” Indian Navy said in a statement to the press on August 25.

In 2020, the Quad navies had carried out complex naval exercises in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The US Navy will be represented by an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, two tankers and P-8A long-range maritime patrol aircraft. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has sent a helicopter carrier, two destroyers, a submarine and Kawasaki P1 maritime patrol aircraft, and the Royal Australian Navy has deployed a frigate. The exercise ends on August 29.

“A wide range of surface, sub-surface, and air operations will be carried out by the participating navies during the exercise. Special operations teams – US Navy SEALs, Indian MARCOS and Special Boarding Units of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) – will carry out a visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) training and simulated hostage rescue operations,” a senior official said to the Hindustan Times.

The Malabar series of exercises, an annual bilateral naval exercise between India and the US, first began in 1992. The naval drills have attained significance in the last few years with the addition of Japan and Australia. Japan became a permanent partner in 2015, while Australia participated in the exercise in 2020 on India’s invitation, making it a full-time member of Quad.

Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra clears air over Arshad Nadeem moving around with his javelin on day of final game: Here is what he said

OpIndia Staff
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Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra clears air over Arshad Nadeem moving around with his javelin on day of final game: Here is what he said

Athlete Neeraj Chopra has released a video on social media urging people to not misuse his comment given in a recent media interview to ‘further their agenda’. Chopra in a Times of India interview was quoted saying that he found his javelin to be with Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem just before his first throw at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. 

This created a huge uproar on social media with people criticizing and mocking the Pakistani athlete alleging foul play. However, Chopra has now released a video to clear his stand.

In a short one-minute video, Chopra can be heard saying that his statement has been misconstrued. “We all have our personal javelins but anyone can use these javelins. This is the rule and Nadeem was just practicing using my javelin. There is nothing wrong with it,” said Chopra in the video.

The Times of India on Wednesday quoted Chopra saying, “I was searching for my javelin at the start of the final. I was not able to find it. Suddenly, I saw Arshad Nadeem was moving around with my javelin. Then I told him, ‘Bhai give this javelin to me. It is mine. I have to throw with it.’ He gave it back to me.”

Times of India quoting Neeraj Chopra

Apart from this the netizens also trended the video of the Olympic finals where Chopra can be seen taking his javelin back from Nadeem and throwing it hurriedly in the first attempt. 

However, with this video statement, Chopra has put the controversy to rest. 

Zambia: Pastor tries to imitate resurrection of Jesus Christ, convinces people to bury him alive

OpIndia Staff
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Zambia: Pastor tries to imitate resurrection of Jesus Christ, convinces people to bury him alive

A pastor in Zambia died a tragic death after his attempts to recreate the resurrection of Jesus failed horribly, reports Daily Mail.

According to the reports, the 22-year-old Christian pastor James Sakara was found dead after he was buried deep underground for three days during his attempts to recreate the “Resurrection of Jesus” in the Zambian town of Chadiza.

Sakara, the pastor of the Zion church in the town, had convinced his congregation that he could resurrect in three days, just like Jesus Christ, and asked his followers to bury him alive.

As per the local media reports, Pastor Sakar convinced three church members to assist his resurrection attempt by helping dig a grave. 

Before attempting the resurrection, Sakara quoted verses from the Bible and explained that Christ’s instruction to his disciples to “do this in remembrance of me (Jesus) on the night he was betrayed” at Holy Communion. 

Following the commands given by the pastor, the three assistants tied his hands together and buried him alive, where he remained for three days.

Three days later, the assistants and his followers returned to dig the pastor back up. They lifted the lifeless body of the Pastor and attempted to conduct spiritual rituals. 

However, despite several attempts by his followers to resurrect the Pastor, Sakara’s body remained lifeless.

Following the death of Pastor, one of the three church members who volunteered to assist the pastor has surrendered himself to the police. 

Hotstar rejects grievance complaints against their series on Babur, claims they are not glorifying the Islamic invader: Read what they said

OpIndia Staff
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Hotstar rejects grievance complaints against their series on Babur, claims they are not glorifying the Islamic invader: Read what they said

OTT platform Hotstar has rejected grievance complaints against its series ‘The Empire’ on Babur which dramatises the Mughal invader, claiming that it is based on an adaptation of a novel, Empire of the Moghul – Raiders from the North, written by one Alex Rutherford which fictionalised historical events. Hotstar responded to the grievance by Vikas Pandey, a software professional and activist, on Wednesday after various viewers had sent complaints to the grievance officer earlier.

Complaints were sent to the grievance officer appointed under Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which requires digital news media and online publishers to adhere to the “Code of Ethics” as prescribed by the rules.

In the trailer, ‘Babur’ says that no matter how much life fights, eventually it is death that wins and that he has been fighting and fighting with death since age 14. In the 2 minute, 40 second trailer, ‘Babur’ is made to understand how he is to ensure that all subjects in his empire are taken care of. However, after losing Samarkand, he heads for India to defeat the Lodhi dynasty and establish Mughal rule.

The grievance officer claims that the trailer is supposed to be a glimpse of the series and will have an element of curiosity. Interestingly, in the entire trailer, there is no mention of the atrocities carried out by Babur, especially the persecution of Hindus in their own land, which could have been included to raise curiosity.

As per the complainant, the web series on Hotstar is objectionable since Babur was a murderer, and has killed lakhs of Hindus in his conquest of India, and also destroyed the Ram Janmbhumi. The Complainant objected to the glorification of the character ‘Babar’. The complainant alleges that Babar’s actions, even after more than 500 years, are cause of pain for Hindus across the world and hence the show can cause a serious law and order condition in India.

However, Hotstar grievance officer claimed that this depiction does not glorify Babur. Hotstar claims that the web series does not make reference to the 2019 Supreme Court judgement in favour of Ram Lalla Virajman at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple where the disputed structure, often referred to as Babri Masjid, stood. The Babri Masjid was built by Babur’s aide after demolishing the ancient temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. The complainant, however, made talked about how Babur being responsible for killing and forced religious conversion of lakhs of Hindus as well as the subsequent demolishing of the temple and construction of a mosque in his name over the same land is what is hurtful. So, the fact that whether or not the court judgement or the temple is included in the web series, the glorification of a barbaric Mughal emperor could still hurt the religious sentiments of people appears to be lost on the grievance officer.

Hotstar finds a precedence for rejecting complaints based on trailers

Accusing the complainant of ‘prejudging’ the show based on a trailer, which Hotstar claims shows just part of the show to create excitement, Hotstar claimed that earlier, too, no grievance complaint was entertained when it was based on a trailer. Hostar claimed that on 18th June 2021 and 22nd June 2021, a similar complaint was received by the platform for their show ‘Grahan’ on behalf of Nirpreet Kaur & Ors., and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) respectively. Hotstar claimed that complainants had raised concerns over the depiction of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Claiming that the trailer is meant to generate curiosity, Hotstar rejected the grievance complaint without merit and dismissed the same. The complainants had alleged that from the trailer, it appeared like a false narrative was being created that the turbaned men/Sikh men were involved in arson and violence during the riots. Hotstar, however, dismissed the allegations claiming it was just a trailer and the apprehensions that such portrayal of Sikhs could incite/promote communal disharmony was ‘premature’.

Relying on his own judgement on the previous ‘Grahan’ controversy, Hotstar’s grievance officer claimed that the allegations by so many viewers whose religious sentiments were hurt were ‘misplaced’. The grievance officer then asked the complainant to approach him again after the show should he feel aggrieved even after its release.

It appears that any future complaints based on trailers would be summarily rejected by Hotstar, and possibly by other OTT platforms too, as the company has treated the Grahan episode as precedence to be followed in future cases.

Court gives relief to OTTs

Recently, Bombay High Court gave relief to OTTs and stayed two provisions of Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which requires the digital news and media portals to adhere to ‘code of ethics’. The court stayed two rules, 9 (1) and 9 (3) as it observed that prima facie these provisions infringe upon the fundamental right to freedom of speech and also go against the substantive provisions of the Information Technology Act 2002.

Indian Navy issues fresh Request for Information for procurement of 4 Landing Platform Docks from Indian shipbuilders. Read details

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Indian Navy issues fresh Request for Information for procurement of 4 Landing Platform Docks from Indian shipbuilders. Read details

The Indian Navy has issued a fresh Request for Information for the Procurement of 4 Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) from Indian Shipyards. On Tuesday, the Indian Navy issued the RFI for 4 LPDs, amphibious warfare ships that can transport aircraft, amphibious vessels, troops and land vehicles, and 10 months after scrapping the previous tender worth Rs 20,000 crore.

The Navy had scrapped the tender in October 2020 almost seven years after starting the acquisition process for four Landing Platform Docks, due to the long delay in the acquisition. Even though the tender for the vessels was issued in 2013, the specifications for the same were issued back in 2006. As there have been significant changes in the technology in all these years, the navy had said that they want to scrap the process and issue a fresh tender.

Accordingly, after scrapping the tender process last year, the Navy has issued the fresh specifications for the LPDs under the new Request for Information. The RFI says that the Landing Platform Docks shall be capable to transport and land ashore a combined arms force and sustain their operations ashore.

Landing Platform Docks, also known as Amphibious Transport Docks, are meant for the transport and docking of a combined armed force. The LPDs feature a flight dock for aircraft at the upper deck, a dock well at the lower level which carries amphibious vessels, and space for land vehicles like battle tanks and armoured vehicles. The LPDs are capable of partially submerge the well dock by ballasting the stern of the ship, which allows docking and undocking of amphibious vessels.

India currently operates one LPD, the INS Jalashwa, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock procured from the United States.

According to the RFI issued by the navy, the new LPDs should have the capacity to embark and sustain a body of troops at sea for prolonged durations, to embark, stow onboard and discharge at the objective the full range of the combat cargo required for undertaking and sustaining the operations ashore and to enable operation of multiple means of ship to shore movement of troops and cargo.

“LPDs will undertake Out of Area Contingencies (OOAC) through its inherent capability to transport and deploy forces ashore, ability to arrive quickly in area, and sustain operations at sea for prolonged durations. LPDs will act as Command Centre for the Commander, Amphibious Task Force, Landing Force Commander and the Air Force Commander and also undertake Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Missions. Additionally, LPDs will also act as mother ship for unmanned capability and to support operation/ exploitation of all dimensions of futuristic unmanned vehicles/ platforms/ equipment. The LPDs will also provide medical facilities for treatment of battle casualties,” the RFI states.

According to the specifications for the LPDs mentioned in the RFI, the LPDs will have a maximum length of 200 meters, and its maximum draught will be 8 meters. The ship will be powered by electric propulsion through shafts and propellers. They must be able to sustain a speed of 20 knots or above and should cruise at the speed of 14 to 16 knots. They should also be able to provide logistical support to the troops for 60 days.

The LPDs will be equipped with 32 Vertical Launch – Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VLSRSAM) and 16 ship-launched anti-ship missiles. They will have 4 AK 630 CIWS guns with Electro-Optical Fire Control System, 6 heavy machine guns with stabilised gun control stations, 8 medium machine guns, and Directed Energy Weapons in lieu of AK 630s when developed.

For counter-measures, it will have 4 chaff launching systems. They will also incorporate 3 Long-Range Acoustic Devices.

The vessels must have the endurance of 10,000 nautical miles at economical speed with 25% reserve fuel, and should be able to stay in the waters for minimum 45 days in terms of machinery and fuel.

The LPDs will be crewed by 530 people including 60 officers and 470 sailors. They will also carry 900 troops. The vessels must have facilities for 20% women officers and 15% women sailors.

The RFI states that the ship should have a ‘through deck’ design and should be capable of accommodating at least 2 Heavy Lift Helicopters, 12 Special Operations Helicopters and 2 Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial Systems (NSUAS). They are required to allow simultaneous operations of at least 4 Special Operations helicopters. The vessel should have hangar capacity for 2 Special Ops Helicopters and 2 NSUASs, while the 2 Heavy Lift Helicopters will be parked on the flight deck.

As the LPDs will have a through deck used to land only helicopters and there is no plan to dock vertical and/or short take-off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft, they will be actually Landing Helicopter Docks. As Indian Navy has retired its Sea Harriers, it currently does not operate any VSTOL aircraft, therefore the new LPDs will have only helicopters, not fixed-wing aircraft.

The Landing Platform Docks will be able to embark, stow and operate 1 chariot, 2 Special Operation Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats, 2 Special Purpose Crafts, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. They will have 4 LCMs (Landing craft mechanized), 4 LCVPs (Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel), and two LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion) or two L-CATs (Catamaran Landing Craft).

The well dock of the LPDs should be able to operate at speeds of upto 5 knots, and the Ballasting/ de-ballasting arrangements are to be suitable for launch and recovery operation in a short time up to Sea State 3.

The vessels should have one or more vehicle decks with a minimum area of 2000 m2 for parking combat vehicles, which should be able to accommodate six Main Battle Tanks (MBT), 20 AAVs/BMP Class armoured vehicles and around 60 heavy trucks at the same time. They will have a total cargo space of approximately 1000 m2 and should be capable of warehouse stowage of around 400 standard marine pallets. The vessels are also required to have the facility to store 10 or more standard 20 feet containers, preferably on the flight deck without obstructing flight operations.

 The RFI also details the other technical requirements, radar and aviation systems, attack and defence systems, facilities for the crew, medical facilities and other requirements for the LPDs.

For the four LPDs to be acquired, the first one is to be delivered in maximum of 60 months, after which each subsequent vessel will have to be delivered every 12 months by the shipyard. According to the RFI, a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued to Shipyards who respond to the Request for Information, after verifying their credentials and capabilities to construct the LPDs.

The probable bidders for the project include Cochin Shipyards, L&T Shipbuilding, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. The bidders are expected to use designs from LPDs of foreign countries like Russia, France, Spain, Germany etc.

‘Sex with wife even by force or against her wishes not rape’, Chhattisgarh High Court acquits man on charges of marital rape

OpIndia Staff
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‘Sex with wife even by force or against her wishes not rape’, Chhattisgarh High Court acquits man on charges of marital rape

The Chhattisgarh High Court has upheld a man’s acquittal on charges of marital rape, ruling that sexual intercourse between legally married men and women is not rape, even if it is forced or against the wife’s wishes.

During the hearing of the case pertaining to the issue of “marital rape”, the Chhattisgarh High Court observed that if the wife is not under 18 years of age, sexual intercourse or sexual act by a man with his wife, even if it is without the wife’s consent, does not amount to rape.

“In this case, the complainant is legally wedded wife of applicant No 1, therefore, sexual intercourse or any sexual act with her by the applicant No 1/husband would not constitute an offence of rape even if it was by force or against her wish,” the high court’s order read.

The court discharged the accused of the offence of marital rape. However, it upheld charges framed against him under Section 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The victim had approached the Chhattisgarh High Court accusing her husband of marital rape. She alleged that her husband inserted his finger and radish in her vagina. She protested the same, but her husband would not stop. She also alleged that her husband and his parents harassed her for dowry and beat her up.

Based on the complaint a sessions court had charged the husband under IPC sections 498-A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 376 (rape) and 377 (voluntary carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal). Her in-laws were also charged under the IPC section 498A.

The Chhattisgarh HC, however, acquitted the husband from all other charges except charges under IPC 377.

On August 6, the Allahabad High Court had also in a verdict had stated that sex with a minor ‘wife’ above the age of 15 will not be considered as ‘rape.’ The case was filed at the Bhojpur police station in Moradabad by the minor girl against her adult husband Khushabe Ali on charges of dowry, assault, criminal intimidation, and forced sex. The accused had then moved the High Court seeking bail in the case. While hearing the bail application of the husband accused of having sex with his minor wife, the Court ruled that it could not be held as ‘rape’. The verdict was given by Justice Md. Aslam of the Allahabad High Court.

Though the recent response from courts to complaints of marital rape has been contradictory, the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) ‘Crime in India’ 2019 report, about 70% of women in India are victims of domestic violence. Even though numerous changes to criminal law have been made to safeguard women, the non-criminalization of marital rape in India violates women’s dignity and human rights.

Cricket team named ‘Taliban Club C’ found playing in Rajasthan, banned from a tournament after protests erupted

OpIndia Staff
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Cricket team named ‘Taliban Club C’ found playing in Rajasthan, banned from a tournament after protests erupted

Taliban’s weeklong blitz has left the war-torn country Afghanistan staring at the biggest humanitarian crisis. Now, a controversy has erupted in the state of Rajasthan because of the name of the Islamic fundamentalist group. Reportedly, a cricket team named after the Taliban participated in a cricket tournament that was organised in Bhaniyana village in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on Monday, August 23, attracting criticism from various quarters.

Controversy erupted after the scoreboard started displaying the name of the ‘Taliban Club C’ during the match.

Image credit: JaisalmerNews

Protests erupted across Jaislamer over the ‘Taliban Cricket Club’ participation in the Aladin Khan memorial cricket tournament. Many Hindu outfits, including Bajrang Dal, submitted a memorandum to the district collector and the SP on Tuesday, August 24, demanding action against the people who have “Taliban thinking”.

Bajrang Dal convener Lalu Singh Sodha said that Jaisalmer has always been a sensitive place where anti-national activities keeping taking place periodically. Denouncing Taliban for the arms attack on cities and towns in Afghanistan and its radicalism, the Sodha said that some anti-social elements on the country support the Taliban ideologies. With this act, it appears that efforts are being made to set up Taliban in India, said the Bajrang Dal convenor. 

VHP district secretary Pawan Vaishnav said that there is resentment in the people of Jaisalmer over the incident and prompt action should be taken before the resentment flares up. He said that all the members of the ‘Taliban’ club, the organising committee and the organisers should be questioned and there should be a detailed background check to see which organisations are supporting them. He also demanded strict action against them.

Meanwhile, social media users have also been outraging and criticising the organisers for allowing the ‘Taliban Cricket Club’ to participate in the tournament.

‘Taliban’ cricket team removed after first match, organisers apologise for the inadvertent mistake

Following the outrage, the organisers of the tournament stated that the team ‘Taliban Cricket Club’ has been included by mistake and not only has the name been removed but even the team has been banned from participating in the competition.

A member of the organising committee also stated that they failed to notice the team’s name because of the online scoring system used this time around.

Ismail Khan, one of the organisers of the cricket tournament, apologised for their inadvertent mistake: “We were not aware of the team. The applications were invited online, so we have not paid attention to them. We had thrown out the team when this matter came to our notice through social media and other means. Sorry about this whole incident, and we are deeply sorry”.

The Aladin Khan Memorial cricket trophy is organised every year in the Jesurana village in Jaisalmer. Many teams near the town take part and play matches in the trophy. The competition is organised in the memory of a social worker, Aladdin Khan.

The ‘Taliban’ club’s cricket team consisted of Mathar Khan (captain), Abal Baazigar Khan, Aladdin Khan, Amin Khan, Gumanaram, Haji, Jako, Jamal Khan, Kamal Jan, Khamish Khan, Madhe Khan, Mahesh and Merab Khan.

‘Maybe Taliban sent him to India’: Petition filed against Tamal Bhattacharya for praising Taliban after his evacuation from Afghanistan

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‘Maybe Taliban sent him to India’: Petition filed against Tamal Bhattacharya for praising Taliban after his evacuation from Afghanistan

A person from Kolkata had filed a petition at Home Ministry against Tamal Bhattacharya, who was recently evacuated from Afghanistan, for praising the Taliban. According to reports, in the petition, one Raj Choudhury has stated that Bhattacharya praised the Taliban for their ‘good food’ and ‘playing cricket’. The petition further read that such praises of a terrorist organization are problematic. The grievance cell of the Home Ministry has accepted the application.

Raj Choudhury has also requested the home ministry keep Tamal Bhattacharya under watch, because it is possible that he has been sent by the Taliban to spy on India, he writes in the petition. He said that Tamal has posted several photographs of himself with the Taliban, and he has said he was treated well by the Jihadi organisation, which means he may have links with the group.

34-years-old Bhattacharya was one of the ten Bengalis who were successfully evacuated by the Government of India from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan. After his evacuation to India, he had claimed that he had escaped death by leaving Afghanistan but also praised the Taliban for being “trustworthy.” He had been working as a physics and chemistry teacher at an army school (Kardan International school) in Kabul since March this year. He is a mechanical engineer by training and was living in the staff quarters of his school in Afghanistan. After the Taliban took over, he locked himself up inside the residence of the principal.

Tamal had pleaded Indian Govt for help

In a statement, he had alleged that he contacted the Indian embassy but could not reach the Hamid Karzai International airport despite several attempts. On Friday at around 11 PM, he managed to reach the gate of the airport, but the US security forces allegedly returned him due to the unavailability of government officials and documents. While speaking to Anandabazaar Patrika, he said, “Please Modiji, Amit Shah der apna ra bolun, jate amader kotha bhebe druto kono bebosta kora hoi (Please inform PM Modi and Amit Shah so that immediate action is taken for our evacuation).”

Tamal praised the Taliban after returning back to India

Reports suggest that he claimed that the Taliban not only treated him well but also provided him good food. “They (Talibs) also played cricket with us,” he claimed. This is despite the fact that he had earlier pleaded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to evacuate him immediately from Taliban-controlled Kabul.

In an interview with TV9 Bangla, Tamal claimed that he ‘escaped’ death by leaving Afghanistan but also praised the Taliban for being ‘trustworthy’. “We thought they (Talibs) would capture us and kill us… This fear remained with me for 5-6 hours until we were rescued from my school to the Kardan International school. We chatted with the owner of the school and the Talibs present there. They assured us that there was nothing to fear. They said that they would protect us. They promised to guard me and all other teachers…And the truth is that the Taliban kept their promise.”

Tamal was praised by Islamist radicals and fundamentalists for speaking the “truth about Islam”. On the other hand, several netizens questioned his doublespeak.

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