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Olympic medalist Ravi Dahiya performs Jalabhishek at Shiva temple after his wish of winning a medal at Olympics gets fulfilled

OpIndia Staff
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Olympic medalist Ravi Dahiya performs Jalabhishek at Shiva temple after his wish of winning a medal at Olympics gets fulfilled

After receiving a rousing welcome by the nation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Olympic medalist and wrestler Ravi Dahiya has fulfilled a personal spiritual resolve after reaching home.

Hitesh Shankar, the editor of Panchjanya Weekly, informed that Dahiya’s family had lit an Akhand Jyot at his home to fulfil his wish of winning a medal at the Olympics.

As Dahiya returned home after winning a silver at Tokyo Olympics 2020, he paid obeisance and performed the ritual of ‘Jalabhishek’ of Shivling at a temple. 

The images are winning the internet with some netizens referring to him as ‘real-life Bahubali.’

In 2020, Ravi Dahiya, Deepak Poonia and others had trekked to the world’s highest Shiva temple at Tunganath, Uttarakhand.

Ravi Dahiya visited Jammu to thank his motivator

The Olympian on Monday reached Jammu to thank his motivator Vickrant Mahajan. “Very few people know that to accomplish this unparalleled feat for the nation, I had been motivated by Jammu-based Vickrant Mahajan,” informed Dahiya.

Dahiya connected with Mahajan a couple of years back when the latter had started a campaign called GoAthlete Program to motivate Indian athletes for the Tokyo Games.

“Initially my goal was to just qualify for the Olympics but Vickrant inspired me to set the goal for a medal and asked me to commit wholeheartedly to it,” added Dahiya in praise of his mentor. 

“Together, we have worked out a vision for the next 10 years and this is just the beginning,” concluded Dahiya. Speaking to ANI, Dahiya stated, “Coach and motivator are two different persons and have their different roles. We may achieve better results with the help of a sports motivator.”

Dahiya had been felicitated by the UP government and was also welcomed at a grand event at his village recently. The Delhi government has decided to name his childhood school after the wrestling star.

In a historic feat, Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya won the silver medal in the 57kg freestyle category of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Ravi was the second Indian wrestler ever to reach the Olympic final, after Sushil Kumar.

One more rental state? China to now give ‘genuine aid’ to Afghanistan as Taliban takes over

Nirwa Mehta
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One more rental state? China to now give ‘genuine aid’ to Afghanistan as Taliban takes over

China has said that it will offer ‘genuine aid’ to Afghanistan amid the chaos that has shrouded the country after Islamist group Taliban took over. As per a Chinese state media report, China’s state owned as well as private firms are contemplating various investment strategies in war-torn country. The report claims that the Communist party backed state owned enterprises are exercising caution for new projects, the private companies look at this as an opportunity to tap into the market where “a thousand thing wait to be done”.

Chinese state media also referred to the private Chinese companies’ interest in Afghanistan as “China’s successful diplomacy with the Taliban” which will eventually pave way for safe and smooth operation of business in Afghanistan. Citing unnamed ‘industry insiders’, the Chinese state media claimed that the private players stand to gain in Afghanistan despite “Western governments’ potential sanctions on the Taliban”. Global Times claimed that these sanctions are malicious and ‘western geopolitical objectives’ to stifle China’s economic growth.

China claims that its ‘investment’ in Afghanistan, which is rich in resources like mineral deposits, will be ‘genuine’ and deliver support unlike the other ‘western countries’ which ‘exploited’. The investment of Chinese state-owned companies “will be in line with Chinese national strategy”.

Experts believe this could turn Afghanistan into yet another rental state of Chinese Communist Party, like Pakistan.

Pakistan: China’s rental state

Owing to significant investment in infrastructure and other crucial areas, China has long been accused of calling the shots in Pakistan, another neighbour of India like Afghanistan. China is an all-weather friend of Pakistan, having invested billions of dollars in developmental projects in the country. China has invested about $70 billion in Pakistan for the development of roads, railways and other infrastructure. 

China is currently undertaking multibillion dollar investment project, ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor’ (CPEC) which would connect Gwadar port to western China. It was part of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative where dozens of projects were carried out in Pakistan with Chinese money. In fact, China has not only invested in mainland Pakistan but also places like Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and remote places like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chinese investment in debt-ridden Pakistan came up as much-needed relief and owing to the same, Pakistan, which wanted to boycott France when teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded over alleged blasphemy, has not uttered a word against China’s atrocities on Uyghur Muslims in the ‘deradicalisation camps’ in Xinjiang province.

Tasleem Ali booked for harassing minor girl in bangle seller incident of Indore: Here is everything that has happened so far

OpIndia Staff
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Tasleem Ali booked for harassing minor girl in bangle seller incident of Indore: Here is everything that has happened so far

The Indore Police have registered a case against 25-years-old bangle seller Tasleem Ali for inappropriately touching and harassing a 13-year-old girl.

A video had gone viral in which Ali was seen getting trashed by a group of men in the Govind Nagar area, after which Indore Police had filed a case against three main accused and others. So far, Police has arrested two of the main accused, Rakesh Pawar and Rajkumar Bhatnagar. The location of Vivek Vyas has already been traced by the Police.

Viral video of the bangle seller getting beaten up

The incident caught the limelight when a video was shared on social media platforms in which bangle seller Tasleem Ali was seen being beaten up by a group of people. In the video, a man was beating him and provoking others to do the same. The video attracted criticism from a section of netizens.

Imran Pratapgarhi, National Chairman of, Congress Minority Department, said, “This video is not from Afghanistan but from Indore today. A Muslim bangle seller is being looted and trashed in the land of dreams of CM Shivraj Chouhan. Narendra Modi, sir, did you want this India? When will action be taken against these terrorists?”

His tweet was widely shared and attracted criticism before the actual story came out.

As per the Police, a group of people from the other community protested outside the Police station as well while the Police were in the process of filing an FIR against those who beat up Ali. Based on Ali’s complaint, an FIR was registered by Indore Police under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 141 (unlawful gathering), 147 (rioting), 395 (dacoity), 120- B (criminal conspiracy) and other relevant provisions against unidentified persons.

In a video statement, the Police said that the crowd that gathered outside the Police station did not listen to the Police while the FIR was being filed against those who trashed Ali. A case against those who gathered the crowd has also been filed for provocation. All Police stations are on alert. The Police further asked the public not to get provoked by anyone as they would be held responsible for their actions and advised everyone not to forward any message on social media platforms without verifying them.

The case against Tasleem Ali

Narottam Mishra, Home Minister, Madhya Pradesh, issued a statement in which he said, “As per the report of the Home Department, the man was selling bangles using a Hindu name while he was from some other religion. There were two Aadhaar cards on him, allegedly fake. There is a ritual of women wearing new bangles during Saawan month. The issue between two sides started from there.”

In the complaint filed against Ali, a minor girl has complained that he came to their house around 2 PM on Sunday, when her father was away. She further said that Ali concealed his identity to sell bangles to her and identified himself as Golu, showing a “half-burnt” Aadhaar card. She said, “He came to our house around 2 PM on Sunday when my father was away. He identified himself as Golu and showed a half-burnt Aadhaar Card. We began purchasing bangles from him. As my mother went to fetch money, the bangle-seller looked at me in an indecent way and grabbed my hand, saying, ‘I’ll help you wear bangles’. He also inappropriately touched my cheeks.”

The victim further added in her complaint that she screamed when he touched her. The mother of the victim got alarmed and ran to her rescue, after which Ali allegedly threatened the girl and ran away. The neighbours and local residents grabbed him. Based on the victim’s complaint, Indore Police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 471 (using fake documents as real ones), among others.

The case of fake identity cards

According to the Police, Ali was found in possession of fake documents. He was carrying two Aadhar cards. One had the name “Asleem, son of Mor Singh”, and the second one had “Tasleem, son of Mohar Ali”. Ashutosh Bagri, Superintendent of Police, said, “Cops have found two Aadhaar cards of different names from the carry bag of Ali besides a burnt voter identity card in which his name was not clear. But in the column of father’s name, ‘Mohan Singh’ is printed on it.” The Police also found a voter ID card in his possession in a different name.

Tasleem claims all identity cards are real

Aminul Khan Suri, Congress Spokesperson, Madhya Pradesh, shared a video of Ali. He said, “Years back, an identity card was made in my village with my pet name “Bhura” while in the Aadhaar card, my name is written as Tasleem Ali. None of these identity documents is fake, and they both are real.” Interestingly, Ali did not give any explanation for why he had two Aadhar cards with different names in his possession.

Ali has filed a complaint against five-six people for trashing him. He also alleged that the mob used abusive language against him and snatched Rs.10,000 in cash, mobile phone, identity cards and other documents. He has also alleged that the mob took away bangles worth Rs.25,000 from his possession.

Afghanistan: Man on no-fly list reaches UK during evacuation operation triggering security alert

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: Man on no-fly list reaches UK during evacuation operation triggering security alert

A person on a no-fly list from Afghanistan was reported to have reached British soil in an overnight evacuation operation. 

The individual, who is not being identified by the government, flew into Birmingham on a British military plane in a potential security breach. 

However, the unidentified man was later set free as he was not deemed as a ‘person of interest’ after investigation.

In a statement, a Home Office spokesperson informed, “An individual was flagged to the Home Office as part of the rigorous checks process, involving the police, security services and others. However, upon further investigation, they are not a person of interest to the security agencies or law enforcement.”

The case was brought to the fore at a briefing for MPs by ministers and officials following which the opposition raised concerns about a possible security threat. Reportedly, at least five people on Britain’s “no-fly list” attempted to leave Afghanistan on British planes. While four of them were prevented from flying, one person made it through to Birmingham.

A senior Border Force official further informed that one other individual was also intercepted in Frankfurt and was successfully blocked from continuing his journey to the UK. His family, however, was allowed to continue.

Criticizing the government for diluting checks and a poor exit strategy, Labour’s shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said, “An organised exit strategy would have ensured the necessary checks were in place, so this kind of lapse couldn’t happen.”

As per the Ministry of Defense, UK has evacuated over 7,100 individuals from Afghanistan since August 13. These include British nationals, diplomatic staff, Afghans who worked for the UK government in frontline roles and hence eligible for relocation and the ones considered to be at risk under the Taliban regime.

A BBC report suggested that such accepted mistakes might happen while processing evacuees at the Kabul airport considering the speed and scale of the evacuation operation. British officials, however, have raised concerns over a possible spike in impersonations, forged documents and forged passports at the Kabul airport.

What is a no-fly list?

A no-fly watchlist is used to stop people from entering the country who are thought to be a security threat. An individual can be placed in the no-fly list due to previous serious criminal conduct as well as terrorism. 

Once on this list, the individual is barred from boarding commercial aircraft or any aircraft till the time they feature on the watchlist. 

Shiv Sena files FIR against Union Minister Narayan Rane for criticising Uddhav Thackeray for forgetting when India got Independence

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena files FIR against Union Minister Narayan Rane for criticising Uddhav Thackeray for forgetting when India got Independence

On Monday (August 23), a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against BJP leader and Union Minister Narayan Rane for criticising Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he forgot the year of Independence during his speech on August 15.

As per reports, the FIR was lodged following a complaint by the youth wing of Shiv Sena at Chaturshringi Police Station in Pune. Rane has been booked for using ‘objectionable language’ under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153 (provocation to cause riot) and 505 (incite a class/community of people to another class or community).

According to a report by ABP News, another case was filed against Rane in Nashik after Shiv Sena city chief Sudhakar Badgujar registered an official complaint. Reportedly, the police have issued an arrest warrant against the BJP leader.

While speaking at the ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in Raigad district of Maharashtra, Narayana Rane had remarked, “It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given him a tight slap.” Rane, an erstwhile member of the Shiv Sena, was removed from the party in 2005 and has been a vehement critic of the Uddhav Thackeray government.

While reacting to his comments, Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut alleged that Rane had lost his mental balance after he was inducted into the Union Cabinet of the Modi government. “Modi should clean up his Cabinet by showing them the door. Rane was inducted in the Cabinet just to attack the Shiv Sena, and while doing his job, he stooped to a new low,” he added.

‘Situation dire’: Taliban has blocked food and fuel to Andarab valley, using children as shield says Afghan Pres Amrullah Saleh

OpIndia Staff
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‘Situation dire’: Taliban has blocked food and fuel to Andarab valley, using children as shield says Afghan Pres Amrullah Saleh

Afghanistan Acting President Amrullah Saleh on Tuesday took to Twitter to apprise everyone about the situation after the Islamist group Taliban took over the country.

He said that the Talibs are not allowing food and fuel to reach Andarab Valley, which has not yet fallen to Taliban forces. He said that the humanitarian situation there is dire as thousands of women and children have fled to the mountains. “Since the last two days Talibs abduct children and elderly and use them as shields to move around or do house search,” he said.

Often times, terrorists use women, children and elderly as human shield as a layer of ‘protection’ in a bid to get the security forces to not fire a them.

Reasserting his commitment for Afghanistan, he said that the indelible colour red in his heart is Afghanistan and only God can some day evacuate his soul from there even as his remains will be reunited with the soil in Afghanistan. “I own Afghanistan and it owns me. We are one. It speaks to me every day,” he tweeted.

Earlier on Monday he had warned Taliban to not enter Panjshir after the Islamist group gathered forces outside the province, which has not yet fallen to the group. Currently the Taliban are facing resistance in Panjshir by the forces led by Ahmad Massoud, son of renowned anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud.

‘Hats off’: Air India employee rescued from Afghanistan hails govt for precision planning, kissed homeland upon return

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hats off’: Air India employee rescued from Afghanistan hails govt for precision planning, kissed homeland upon return

“When the IAF pilot told us that we were going to land at Jamnagar, Gujarat, the first thought that came to my mind was astronaut Rakesh Sharma’s reply to Indira Gandhi from space: ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha, Hindustan Hamara'”, said Shirin Pathare, the Air India employee who was flown out of Kabul on August 16, lauding the Indian government for carrying out the rescue mission with so much precision.

Hats off: the rescued Air India employee lauds govt of India

“Hats off to the Indian government and its planning on how they evacuated us from Kabul. Everything was planned to precision”, said the officer who was amongst the first batch of 45 Indians who were successfully evacuated from Afghanistan.

In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf of Rediff.com, Pathare recalled the harrowing day of August 15 when Kabul fell to the Taliban. Shirin Pathare said that he had no idea what was to follow.

At around 11 am on August 15 a colleague went rushing to him to inform him that the Taliban were only 11 km away from Kabul airport.

“On August 15, AI 244, the Air India flight from Kabul to New Delhi, had a full load of 160 passengers. One of my colleagues showed me a video on his phone. In the video, I could see the building where I stayed under attack. The Taliban had surrounded the building. I knew I could not show my distress to the passengers. I am the security chief and I had to put up a brave front. I asked all my staff not to see videos on their mobiles”, recalled the Air India officer, adding that when he apprised the flight commander about the situation he had advised him to leave Afghanistan without his passport. However, he decided to stay back as he did not want to abandon his passengers and lead the rest of his life in guilt.

“Qatar Airways, Pakistan International Airlines, another small PIA plane were all on the tarmac, but were not taking off as they had not got the green light. Qatar Air was a full flight and was waiting for three hours on the tarmac with 300 passengers inside the plane. I wondered what was wrong, why were these flights not taking off? Luckily, by 4.30 pm, the Air India flight got the chance to take off from Kabul airport. And this was the last flight to take off at that time”, said Pathare.

He further added that within minutes of the Air India flight taking off, the Taliban reached the Kabul airport and started firing indiscriminately. At around 5 pm the message came that nobody could leave the airport.

Luckily, the officer bumped into a protocol officer of the Indian embassy at the airport, who arranged for a bulletproof car in which he left for the embassy, recalled the Air India employee.

The officer said that when he was on his way to the Indian Embassy, he remembered that he had left his passport behind in his house. When he returned to collect his passport he said he could see Taliban on the streets. People were running on the roads with household supplies.

I was more worried about the ISI. I felt what happened to Danish Siddiqui could happen to me: Air India rescued staff

“At that time, the coordination between my heart and mind had stopped functioning. I was numb. I prayed to God, my mother and my kuldevi. My blood pressure started shooting up”, added Pathare, recalling how his car was near the Canadian Embassy when it was stopped by the Taliban.

“There were 15 of them. They had guns and rocket launchers. It was 8.30 pm. I took my wife and children’s photograph out of my pocket. I felt perhaps this would be the last time I would see them. I was not scared of the Taliban, I was more worried about the ISI. I felt what happened to Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui could happen to me”, said the Air India staff.

Here he recalls how the car which was taking him to the Embassy was halted by the Islamic fundamentalists. “While talking to the Afghans, a Taliban fired in the air. I thought this is it, my life is over.” However, they managed a thin escape since, at that very moment, a top Taliban commander’s convoy approached the area and the Taliban asked them to leave.

Pathare said that though he reached the Indian Embassy he thought he was going to be stuck in there and that there was no way they would leave Kabul until a new government was formed, until, at 9.30 pm on August 16, the embassy got a message from the Taliban that they would let us travel to Kabul airport.

“It is a 20-minute drive from the Indian embassy to Kabul airport, but it took us five hours to reach that night. It was the worst journey of my life. Every now and then, Afghans used to jump on our convoy and the Taliban escorting us started firing in the air to disperse the crowds. I have no idea whether they were good Taliban or bad Taliban, but they were very nice to us”.

“Around 3.30 am we reached the US air force base within Kabul airport. The Indian ambassador to Afghanistan had a meeting with American military officers. The Indian Air Force plane landed at 4 am in Kabul. We started boarding the flight. The Americans told us that all Indians must leave Kabul airport by 6 am. Hats off to the Indian government and its planning on how they evacuated us from Kabul. Everything was planned to precision,” said Pathare.

“When I stepped on Indian soil, I lay down on the ground and kissed my homeland. ‘My country, my India,’ I said”, the Air India officer recalled.

India continues its rescue mission amid Afghanistan crisis

Ever since the Taliban has recaptured Afghanistan, the Indian government has successfully evacuated many stranded Indian nationals and Afghan citizens from the war-torn country. A day after it was reported that around 150 Indians were allegedly kidnapped by the Taliban from outside the Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul, the stranded individuals were successfully rescued by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday (August 22).

Besides, more than 20 Afghan Sikhs, including Afghanistan Member of Parliament Narender Singh Khalsa, were rescued from the Taliban in Kabul by the Indian Air Force on Saturday (August 21). Along with him, Dr Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, first Sikh woman MP of Afghanistan, was also rescued.

According to the reports, the Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft took off from Kabul with another 168 people, including 107 Indians and some 20 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus for Hindon IAF base in Ghaziabad.

Other than the previous evacuation missions, three flights with as many as 390 Indians, Afghans and other nationals were to land in India on August 22. 168 people are evacuated from Kabul, 135 from Doha (brought by NATO forces from Afghanistan) and 87 from Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

Covid dampens yet another Hindu festival as Dahi Handi celebrations in Maharashtra canceled after CM Thackeray’s appeal

OpIndia Staff
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Covid dampens yet another Hindu festival as Dahi Handi celebrations in Maharashtra canceled after CM Thackeray’s appeal

Covid scare dampens yet another Hindu festival. ‘Dahi Handi’ celebrations have been called off in Maharashtra following an appeal by Chief Minister Thackeray. The festival was slated for August 30 this year.

State Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a virtual meeting with the Dahi Handi mandals said, “Let the world get the message that Maharashtra prioritized saving people’s lives.” Ironically, the statement comes at a time when the state has witnessed over 1,35,000 deaths due to Covid-19, multiple due to government negligence. 

“Let us keep our celebrations and our festivities aside for a few days. Let us show some patience and make health our priority. We have been facing restrictions for the last year and a half because we have been fighting Covid-19,” the CM added further. 

Sharing his concerns about a predicted third-wave, Thackeray said that while the festival is of children, one must not forget the ones who lost their parents due to the pandemic. 

Thackeray during the meeting threatened of yet another lockdown. “If the oxygen demand for COVID patients goes above 750 MT, then we will be left with no option but to implement lockdown yet again,” claimed Thackeray. 

Speaking in favor of the call to cancel the festivities, Maharashtra Covid-19 task force chief Dr Sanjay Oak said, “This festival cannot be celebrated without people coming in close proximity to each other. Human pyramids are formed. It is monsoon at present plus the festival involves water. Water diminishes the effectiveness of masks.”

“At this point, delta plus variant, which has been spreading fast, is also a concern,” Oak added. 

Early this month, the Dahi Handi mandals had written to the state government, seeking permission to celebrate the festival as per Covid-19 protocols.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded that the government must give permission to conduct the festival with strict guidelines. BJP MLA Ashish Shelar asserted, “Low height handis with minimum crowd and only those with two doses of vaccine should be allowed. This is our demand. The Sena is neglecting it, but we will continue to push for it.”

‘Lucknow traffic girl’ Priyadarshini Yadav offers to tie Rakhi to cab driver she had beaten up after UP Police files FIR

OpIndia Staff
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‘Lucknow traffic girl’ Priyadarshini Yadav offers to tie Rakhi to cab driver she had beaten up after UP Police files FIR

The shenanigans of ‘Lucknow traffic girl’ Priyadarshini Yadav refuses to end. Days after the Uttar Pradesh police filed an FIR against her, Priyadarshini, who was until now so hostile against the cab driver, has suddenly had a change of heart. She has reportedly volunteered to resolve the issue by tying a rakhi to the cab driver, Saadat Ali, whom she had assaulted in full public view on the busy streets of Lucknow on the night of July 30.

She is believed to have purchased a Rakhi and sweets for Saadat Ali and kept them in her house. Though she chose to not visit the driver’s house herself, she said that if he at all comes to her house she will welcome him and will begin a new relationship by tying him the Rakhi.

On August 3, the Lucknow police had registered an FIR against Priyadarshini Yadav, based on the victim’s statement.

“She grabbed my phone from the car and smashed it into pieces. She also broke the car’s side mirrors,” victim Saadat Ali Siddiqui had told the media after the incident. He had added that the girl had also stolen his money which was kept in his car’s dashboard. “We both were taken to the police station where an FIR was registered against me but nothing was done against her. I want justice”, the cab driver had said.

Breaking down while recounting the incident Ali had threatened to commit suicide if the woman was not arrested.

When Priyadarshini threatened neighbours over wall colour and International drones

Prior to this, Priyadarshini had made it to the headlines when another video of hers, where she was seen picking up a fight with her neighbours, went viral on social media.

In the video, Priyadarshini Narayan Yadav was seen shouting at her neighbour for painting the wall of their house black. She is heard urging a police official, to order the neighbour to re-paint the wall ‘anti-black’, since it attracts International drones which, in turn, are a threat to the lives of the people like her living in the colony.

The Lucknow road rage incident

Priyadarshini Yadav is the same girl who was seen deliberately walking into the traffic and assaulting a cab driver who applied sudden brakes to avoid hitting her. After the video of the incident went viral, netizens started trending #ArrestLucknowGirl and demanded her arrest in the matter, following which an FIR was filed against the girl.

Many media reports have emerged ever since. Some have carried the cab driver’s version of the incident while some have brought Priyadarshini Narayan Yadav’s take on the incident, to the fore.

While speaking to Zee News, the Lucknow lady had claimed then that as many as 100 people, who were with the cab driver that evening, had assaulted her. Despite CCTV footage showing that the cab driver was alone, Priyadarshani claimed that the mob dragged her for nearly 300 meters. Continuing her bizarre claims, the Lucknow lady said that they broke her bones and gave her serious bruises. She also claimed that she is being harassed and beaten black and blue by these people for the past two years.

Jailed for over a year on false blasphemy charges, Harish Bangera wants to fight for justice so others are not punished for being Hindu

OpIndia Staff
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Jailed for over a year on false blasphemy charges, Harish Bangera wants to fight for justice so others are not punished for being Hindu

Harish Bangera, who spent 20 months in jail in Saudi Arabia over false charges of blasphemy, returned to India on August 18, 2021. He talked to Swarajya Magazine about his ordeal and said he would not rest until those who did injustice to him are punished. He said, “I will not rest until they are punished, and that is when my battle for justice will be complete.” He said he will not rest otherwise there would be no consequences for those who ‘put a Hindu through hell and get away with it’. He also said he has not earned a penny since December 2019.

Terming his release a miracle, Bangera said, “They spent just two days behind bars and are out on bail, while I suffered for one year eight months in jail, not knowing if I would see the outside world ever again. I didn’t know if I would ever make it back alive, for the crime that had I been accused of was such. And to be charged with blasphemy that involves Mecca and the royalty of that country was not a small issue. My life was almost over.”

The story of Harish Bangera

In December 2019, a Facebook profile emerged under his name and photograph on which a post was published with a photograph of Kaaba at Mecca sporting a caption that read, “All my Hindu Brothers …next Ram Mandir in Mecca…be reddy for fight…Jai Sri Ram…Modi with us.” The post not only attracted hundreds of comments but went viral in Saudi Arabia, and several social networking groups shared its screenshots. It attracted the attention of the authorities in Saudi Arabia, resulting in the beginning of the nightmare for Bangera.

He was dismissed from his job, arrested and tried for blasphemy for months. During that period, he tried to explain that the profile does not belong to him, but no one listened. Reportedly, he had shared a post about the anti-CAA protests that led to riots in Mangalore in 2019 that resulted in the whole fiasco against him.

He said, “They called me, threatened me, sent messages. They started posting my photos on WhatsApp and Facebook and spreading rumours about me. I had taken down the video already, yet local Muslim folk from our coast who knew where I work turned up at my workplace to attack”.

It was all about revenge

Bangera said that to stop people from attacking him, he made a video in which he apologised and promised not to share any such content in the future. But that did not make any difference. He said, “They wanted to take revenge and created a fake profile and posted some derogatory stuff and posts about making temple in Mecca. This was when I began to fear for my life. I felt my life was over.” Bangera further added that no one was there to support him, and he was “In that land, there is no one we can call ours”.

Bangera’s wife supported him from India

Bangera’s wife suspected that the whole case was a conspiracy against her husband. Bangera’s friend Lokesh, activist Ravindra Shanbhag, Abhimata and other local organisations came in support of his wife. They filed a complaint at Udupi police station who pinned down two culprits for creating a fake profile and publishing the post that led to his arrest.

Udupi Police named two Muslim brothers Abdul Huyez and Abdul Thuyez from Moodabidri, Karnataka, behind the fake profile. They were arrested in October 2020, but they are currently out on bail. A case against them is under process before the trial court.

Once there was enough evidence against the two, local leaders followed up the case, and a message was sent by the Government of India to the Government of Saudi Arabia seeking his release. Shobha Karandlaje, Member of Parliament from Udupi and MoS Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, was one of the frontrunners who played a role in Bangera’s return.

She had reportedly written to the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs through the Home Department of Karnataka and followed up with Kamal Pant, head of intelligence, to speed up the investigation.

Bangera said, “Shobha ma’am has assured me that she will definitely ensure that the culprits are punished. Else there will be many more Harish Bangeras who may not have the support and resources I was fortunate to get.”

Reportedly, those who spread the rumours in Saudi Arabia were booked for false rumours and defamation. Proceedings are going on against them. Bangera said, “I think four of them have already been arrested. The law there doesn’t make room for any ‘influence’, you see. It is not India.”

Bangera was forced to confess

As there were endless enquiries for him, Bangera claimed that there were attempts to have him confess the crime. While comparing the Indian and Saudi legal system, he added, “It was bound to be so harsh given that the crime they had implicated me in was such.”. 

Bangera doesn’t wish to return to Saudi Arabia, for he can’t imagine living away from his family after what they have gone through and especially because his’ wife literally got him back from the clutches of death.

Living without being in touch with family was difficult

Bangera left for Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahsa after his vacation in summer 2019. That was the last time he saw his wife and daughter. For the first three months in jail, he was not allowed to talk to his family. During those 20 months, he was able to get permission to have an audio call only four times. The first call he was able to make was cut after three minutes. He said it was difficult to live without knowing what was happening outside.

Bangera thanked God for making his return possible

When he was in jail, his wife, friends and organisations who supported him walked to the Anegundi temple and vowed if he returns back safely, he will do ‘padayatra to the temple. He said, “Ganapathi has made it happen.” Before giving an interview to Swarajya, Bangera completed the pilgrimage to the temple.

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