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Samyukt Kisan Morcha suspends Kisan Union leader Ruldu Singh for criticising Khalistani terrorist Bhindranwale and SFJ’s Pannu during his speech

OpIndia Staff
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Samyukt Kisan Morcha suspends Kisan Union leader Ruldu Singh for criticising Khalistani terrorist Bhindranwale and SFJ’s Pannu during his speech

On July 25, Samyukt Kisan Morcha suspended Punjab Kisan Union President Ruldu Singh Mansa for 15 days for speaking against Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale without taking his name during one of his recent speeches. He had also condemned Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, Chief of banned Khalistani organization Sikhs For Justice, for brainwashing Sikh youth.

The decision of his suspension was taken on Sunday after 32 Sikh groups submitted their objection to Mansa’s statement. They alleged that Mansa had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. Union leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal presided over the meeting of 32 Sikh groups, and Jagjeet Singh Dallewal presided over the meeting of Samyukt Kisan Morcha.

While talking to the press at the Kundli border, Dallewal said that Mansa’s speech from the stage of Samyukt Kisan Morcha had hurt the sentiments of Sikhs which is against the policy of the organization. Lakhowal said that his speech was against Sikhs and martyrs. Mansa has been banned from giving any statement from any platform for 15 days.

Mansa’s speech against Bhindranwale and SFJ’s Pannu

On July 21, while addressing the protesting farmers, Mansa spoke against the Khalistani forces trying to infiltrate the protests. Though he did not take the name of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale or Khalistan movement per se, his speech was clearly against him.

He said, “They are sitting in America. I would call them dogs hired by the government. They keep barking, but we know how the one who was sitting there [Amritsar] and kept provoking youth in Punjab. Because of his provocation, our 25,000 youth were martyred in the hands of the Police. Now this dog named Pannu is barking, do this and do that. There is one more who has been speaking against Kisan leaders. My friends, why are your earning dollars? Come here, and you will know the reality of the battle. It is easy to give suggestions while sitting in a foreign country.”

Interestingly, Sikh groups were “hurt” by what Mansa said against designated terrorists, but they were okay with what he had said against the union government and PM Modi during his speech. While they had objections over mere 45 seconds of the speech, in the rest of the 9 minutes 30 seconds long speech, Mansa kept talking against the union government and PM Modi. He kept provoking the farmers against the three agriculture laws that have been passed to provide them better infrastructure and more options to sell the produce.

Mansa also kept talking about saving the land and hinted that new laws would take away the land of the farmers. However, in reality, it gives power to farmers to have agreements of contract farming without involving the land as security. He also talked about fighting against BJP in Uttar Pradesh and gave a vague hint about farmer leaders contesting upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

Farmer protests

Since November 2020, protesting farmers have been sitting at Delhi borders against the three agriculture laws that were passed in September 2020. The protests have not only caused losses worth thousands of crores to the business owners in Delhi and in nearby states, but it has also resulted in riots on Republic Day. Over 300 police personnel were injured in those riots. Now so-called protesting farmers have threatened not to let any minister hoist the national flag on independence day and have a tractor rally in Haryana on August 15.

Gujarat: Congress leader and police officer arrested for murdering latter’s live-in partner, held after 49 days

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Congress leader and police officer arrested for murdering latter’s live-in partner, held after 49 days

Police Inspector Ajay Desai and his accomplice Congress leader Kiritsinh Jadeja were arrested by the Gujarat police on Saturday, 24 July, for murdering the former’s partner and burning her body.

As per reports, Desai- a Police Inspector heading the Vadodara rural Special Operations Group (SOG), was in a live-in relationship with one Sweety Patel (37). On June 04, the two had a fight over Desai’s legal marriage to another woman. On the same night, Desai smothered Sweety in their bedroom while she was asleep next to their two-year-old son.

Desai then wrapped the dead body in a quilt and loaded it in his commando jeep early in the morning. He then drove to an under-construction structure co-owned by Congress leader Kiritsinh Jadeja in Atalia village of Bharuch district. 

Jadeja reportedly was aware that Desai had murdered Sweety and assisted him in getting a place to dispose of the body. Jadeja offered his land to Desai to burn Sweety’s body. 

Desai searches ‘missing partner’

After murdering Sweety, Desai called her brother to come over and take care of their son as Sweety had “gone missing”. After burning Sweety’s body at Jadeja’s land, Desai returned to Vadodara to be with his legal wife but also pretended to be in search of Sweety. 

Jadeja, a candidate of the Congress party from Karjan Assembly Constituency in the bypolls in November 2020 and Desai have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. 

Desai could not handle the ‘social pressure’

Sweety’s murder case was transferred to the Crime Branch a week back. The matter was being investigated with the state’s Anti Terrorism Squad assistance.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad DCB Chaitanya Mandlik in an interview to the Indian Express informed that Desai refused to undergo a narco test after which the officers counselled him to confess his crime.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Desai had planned to ditch Sweety as he could no longer handle the social pressure.

Desai and Sweety began living together in 2016 and have a two-year-old son together, However, in 2017, he also legally married an Ahmedabad-based woman, with whom he has a three-year-old daughter.

“It was going on fine for him for the first few years because his wife was based in Ahmedabad and would visit him at their Vadodara residence sometimes and on the rest of the days, he stayed with Sweety in Karjan. But about three months ago, his wife shifted to the Vadodara apartment and he was facing the music as Sweety was upset that he had to stay with his wife. She wanted him to divorce his wife and legalize their relationship. His wife, however, was unaware about his relationship with Sweety until the investigation into her missing case began, which is when he confessed to his wife that he had a live-in partner,” said Mandlik. 

The police are now awaiting DNA test results and examining the bloodstains found at their home. “We are examining whose blood it is that we found in the house. The reports are awaited. The further investigation in the case will continue with the DCB after we file a case of murder against the two accused at Karjan police station and formally arrest Desai and Jadeja,” Mandlik added. 

The Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch detained Desai and Jadeja 49 days after the alleged crime took place. The two have been booked under 302 for culpable homicide amounting to murder, 204 for causing disappearance of evidence, and 114 for committing the crime in presence of an abettor of the IPC.

Uttarakhand: 14 booked for entering Har Ki Pauri for Kanwar Yatra, action against two for selling goods to Kanwariyas

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: 14 booked for entering Har Ki Pauri for Kanwar Yatra, action against two for selling goods to Kanwariyas

14 individuals were booked in Uttarakhand for entering Har Ki Pauri Ghat in Haridwar, in an apparent attempt to collect Ganga Jal for Kanwar Yatra. Haridwar Police said that the individuals have been quarantined in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a report by Amar Ujala, the Kanwariyas were from Haryana and were chanting ‘Bum Bum Bhole’. Action has also been taken against two shop owners selling garments to Kanwariyas. The individuals have been identified as Brijmohan Yadav, Suraj, Anshul, Aman, Vikas Pandey, Bhanu Singh, Pramod Sahu, Omveer, Dharmesh, Pradeep, Susheel, Shailesh Kumar, Arvind Kumar and Ankur Sharma. They are from Sonepat, Haryana.

Action has been taken against Rahul Saini and Totaram Saini for selling items to people on Kanwar Yatra. Authorities had said earlier that Kanwariyas will not be allowed to enter Haridwar for Kanwar Yatra this year in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As Kanwar Yatra is banned, no person will be allowed to enter Haridwar border for celebrations. The same applies to buses and trains,” said Ashok Kumar, Uttarakhand director general of police. “Police forces have been stationed on the borders of Haridwar district. They have been instructed to request those coming to the border to go back. If anyone persists, action will be taken,” Kumar had said.

Tamil Nadu: Miscreants disrobe idols and burn the sarees at Hindu temple, ejaculate semen on the disrobed idols

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Miscreants disrobe idols and burn the sarees at Hindu temple, ejaculate semen on the disrobed idols

In another horrible attack on a Hindu temple, the deities of a Hindu temple in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, were found to be desecrated by miscreants. The idols of Goddesses Amman and Durga were found to be disrobed by the unknown miscreants, with semen ejaculated on the deities. This was the third time the temple was desecrated in recent times, causing widespread outrage among the devotees, who are also alleging police inaction.

The incident took place last month at Pancha Lingeswarar temple in Kondapuram village near Kaveripakkam in Tamil Nadu. Pancha Lingeswarar temple Nadu is a Shiva temple under the control of HRCE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) department of the Tamil Nadu government.

According to reports, when a caretaker reached the temple on June 20 to open it in the morning, he found that the locks of the Kamakshi Amman and Durga sannidhis were broken. When he looked inside, he was horrified to find that the murtis were disrobed and their sarees were found burnt on the floor. Moreover, the miscreants had also ejaculated on the disrobed murtis.

After the incident was discovered, devotees and members of Hindu Munnani lodged a complaint with the police, and also staged a protest demanding the arrest of the culprits.

According to them, this was the third time the tome was desecrated in recent times. They alleged that while the temple is visited by devotees from various communities, some neo-converts living in the area could be behind the incident. Hindu Munnani and Viswa Hindu Parishad have also accused the HRCE Dept of failing to protect the temple despite repeated attacks on it. The departmental official responsible for the temple even refused to visit the temple after the incident, saying she had other more important works to do.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad state organizer Saravana Karthik said, “Whenever the DMK comes to power, crimes against Hindus and Hindu temples become rampant”.

Indians slam Bloomberg for claiming that world’s best Indian food is found in New York City

OpIndia Staff
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Indians slam Bloomberg for claiming that world’s best Indian food is found in New York City

Bloomberg News on Saturday shared an article and claimed in its caption that New York City has the best Indian food in the world. The actual article did not make the same claim and its headline only said that New York City now has better Indian food than London.

Bloomberg claims New York City has world's best Indian food
Source: Twitter

Expectedly, the caption attracted harsh criticism from Indians on social media, who were flabbergasted by the claim that the best Indian found is not to be found in India but in the United States of America.

They heavily criticised Bloomberg for the preposterous claim. Most said that the caption was ridiculous.

Others were significantly more displeased.

Others saw it as an exhibition of the supremacist attitude on the part of Bloomberg.

To be fair to the author of the article, he does not anywhere claim that the best Indian food is to be found in New York. He merely remarked that New York City has better Indian food to offer than London. The Bloomberg caption, on the other hand, takes it multiple steps further, adds a bit of masala into it and turns it into something with a completely different message.

UP: Yogi Adityanath emerges best CM candidate for upcoming elections, Priyanka Gandhi worst, survey says

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Yogi Adityanath emerges best CM candidate for upcoming elections, Priyanka Gandhi worst, survey says

As all parties gear up to contest the crucial upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, scheduled in the month of February to March 2022, an independent survey conducted by a private company named Matrise News Communication, has declared Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath as the best CM, while, placing the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee in charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi at the bottom of the ladder.

As per the survey, 43% of respondents have chosen Yogi Adityanath as the most sought after CM candidate for the state, while only 14% batted for Priyanka Gandhi. BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, both former CMs of the state, bagged 21% and 20% votes respectively.

According to the survey, the incumbent CM of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Aditayanth has been ranked as the best performing chief minister of the state with 46% votes in his favour, followed by BSP’s Mayawati with 28% votes, then Akhilesh Yadav with 22% votes.

Respondents were asked to assess how satisfied or dissatisfied people of UP are with Yogi Adityanath’s approach to battle the second wave of Covid-19, 45% of respondents expressed extreme satisfaction while 28% said they were happy. All in all, 73% of respondents felt that Yogi was successful in handling the Covid-19 second wave.

Besides, there were many other parameters based on which the survey was conducted. When asked about the Dalit vote distribution, the response showed that Mayawati’s BSP had a slight edge over the Dalit votes. While as many as 43% of respondents felt that Dalits are increasingly looking at the BJP as an alternative, 45% of respondents voted in favour of BSP.

Moreover, 42% of respondents answered in the negative when asked whether Dalits are unhappy with BJP.

Similarly, when asked as to which party is likely to bag maximum votes of the Brahmin community in the upcoming Assembly elections, 64% of respondents favoured BJP led by Yogi Aditynath in the state, while a meagre 12% of respondents believed that Congress could woo the Brahmin community ahead of the UP Assembly Elections 2022.

On being questioned in relation to ensuring the security and safety of women in Uttar Pradesh, over half of the respondents vouched for the incumbent Yogi Adityanath government. While the Congress party was not even in the league, 34% of respondents felt women would be safe under BSP rule while 12% voted for Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.

When the respondents were asked if the Lok Sabha polls are conducted immediately which party will emerge as the winner based on its performance in handling the second wave of the pandemic, 48% opined BJP under Yogi Adityanath would emerge the winner.

Similarly, when asked if Rajya Sabha or the legislative Assembly polls are conducted immediately which party will emerge as the winner based on its performance in handling the second wave of the pandemic, 43% opined BJP under Yogi Adityanath would emerge triumphant by sweeping 278-288 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Yogi Adityanath was made the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017 after BJP came to power in the state with a thumping majority. The bJP won 319 seats in the 2017 Assembly elections while SP and BSP, the two main contenders, could bag only 47 and 19 seats respectively. Meanwhile, the Congress party had notched up barely 7 seats in the last Assembly elections.

FBI helped instigate plot to kidnap Michigan Governor, framed Trump supporters as US establishment prepares for domestic war on terror

OpIndia Staff
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FBI helped instigate plot to kidnap Michigan Governor, framed Trump supporters as US establishment prepares for domestic war on terror

On October 8 last year, about 13 people were arrested for allegedly conspiring to abduct Michigan State Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The said arrests were made by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on suspicion that the accused were planning to overthrow the State government over strict Covid-19 rules. A news investigation by Buzzfeed news has now revealed that about 12 FBI informants were not only a part of the conspiracy but also instigated the kidnapping plot.

Out of the 13 arrested men, it was alleged that 6 of them were a part of a right-wing militia group called the ‘Wolverine Watchmen’. It was also claimed that the kidnapping plot was hatched in Dublin city in the US State of Ohio. Several media publications had even alleged that the conspiracy was a prelude to the Capitol Hill riots that took place on January 6 this year. However, an extensive report by Buzzfeed has now revealed that the FBI informants had actively instigated the abduction plot and entrapped the other accused.

Buzzfeed noted, “The government has documented at least 12 confidential informants who assisted the sprawling investigation. The trove of evidence they helped gather provides an unprecedented view into American extremism, laying out in often stunning detail the ways that anti-government groups network with each other and, in some cases, discuss violent actions. An examination of the case by BuzzFeed News also reveals that some of those informants, acting under the direction of the FBI, played a far larger role than has previously been reported.”

It further added, “Working in secret, they did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception. The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them.” The revelation debunks the claims of Democrats such as Gretchen Whitmer and Joe Biden, who had squarely blamed Trump supporters for the alleged conspiracy.

Revelations made by Buzzfeed about FBI’s involvement in the Michigan kidnapping plot

Reportedly, the right-wing militia group ‘Wolverine Watchmen’ was joined by an Iraqi war veteran, who was an FBI mole in the group. Other than just reporting to the investigative authorities amount the nefarious plans of the group, he became deeply involved with the activities. Impressed by his dedication, he was made the second-in-command at the ‘Wolverine Watchmen’. The FBI informant encouraged the group members to collaborate with other suspects and even covered the transportation costs for such meetings.

In what appears to be a clear case of entrapment, he instigated the group members to advance their kidnapping plans and then pushed them into a trap, which led to their eventual arrest. He worked for over 6 months with the militants and wore a wire at all times to keep the FBI in the loop. The US veteran wasn’t the only FBI informant in the group.

A biker from Wisconsin was also an undercover FBI agent. He helped organise meetings across the country and laid the initial foundation of the kidnapping plot. He even paid for food and lodging to encourage more people to join the Michigan conspiracy. It is reported that at least 12 confidential informants assisted the investigation into the matter.

There was another FBI informant who guided the group members about possible locations to place explosives while a man who went by the alias of ‘Mark’ also worked under FBI’s directions. All the 14 men, with the exception of one, have pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy and claim that “no actual conspiracy to kidnap the governor ever existed.”

According to them, texts and recordings cited as evidence of criminal conspiracy by the Government is actually constitutionally protected speech in the USA. The report further states that “one defendant has formally accused the government of entrapment, arguing that the FBI assembled the key plotters, encouraged the group’s anti-government feelings, and even gave its members military-style training. Additional defendants have said they plan to make similar claims when the cases, divided between federal and state court, go to trial starting as soon as October.”

Accusations against Donald Trump and his supporters

Ever since the arrest of the accused men in the Michigan kidnapping plot, Governor Whitmer blamed the Donald Trump administration for supposedly failing to condemn ‘right-wing groups’. While pushing forward the ‘domestic terror’ narrative forward, she urged people to not refer to the accused men as members of a militant group. She blamed the Republican leadership and claimed that ‘Wolverine Watchman’ was finding comfort and support in the rhetorics of the party.

Whitmer had also accused Trump of fueling divisiveness in the country and inciting domestic terrorism. Trump had been a vocal critic of her stringent Coronavirus lockdown measures in Michigan.

Commentators and journalists have warned in recent times that the Democrats plan to unleash a new war on terror, this time against their own citizens. The war on terror refers to American military misadventures in Afghanistan and the Middle East in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack.

“What they want to do is increase their power to monitor political groups, infiltrate them, to criminalize activities that are currently not criminalized nor should they be, whether it be advocacy of speech or other things,” Glenn Greenwald had said during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Their strategy is “to inflate the risk of what they call ‘White Supremacist Terrorism’ which increasingly means nothing more than being a Trump supporter and then treating people in the United States who fall into that category the way you treat terrorists.” “You monitor them, you surveil them, you restrain them, you detain them and this is what they are saying explicitly,” Greenwald had said.

In June, Greenwald had echoed the same message saying that the new domestic war on terror had already begun.

As propagandists see red over Indian athletes thanking PM Modi for achievements, here is how govt helped them achieve their dreams

OpIndia Staff
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As propagandists see red over Indian athletes thanking PM Modi for achievements, here is how govt helped them achieve their dreams

On July 24, Mirabai Chanu won the first medal of the Tokyo Olympics for India. While everyone congratulated her on the achievement, the propagandists started to look for ways to demean her victory. They found the easiest target when Birendra Prasad Baishya, President of Indian Weightlifting Federation thanking PM Modi and other athletes for participating in the Tokyo Olympics.

Baishya, while talking to NDTV, said, “Mirabai Chanu waited 21 years to get this medal. We are grateful to the Prime Minister and the Indian athletes who took part in Tokyo Olympics.” Rohini Singh, an alleged journalist, could not digest the fact that Prime Minister or Union government can have a role in an athlete’s good performance. She quoted NDTV’s tweet and said, “Grateful to the prime minister for what exactly? Lifting weights on her behalf?”

Reaction of Rohini Singh

‘Activist’ Rejimon Kuttappan was no different. He said, “So, Modiji is coaching Olympics athletes.”

Reaction of Rejimon Kuttappan

Cartoonist Manjul was so sure that he would find a way to demean India and its athletes that he created a cartoon before anyone won a medal. In a cartoon published on July 13, an athlete was seen standing on the podium holding a placard thanking PM Modi. Notably, Tokyo Olympics started on July 23.

Cartoon by Manjul

Congress’ Lavanya Ballal said, “Thank you Narendra Modi for coaching Mirabai Chanu,” in a sarcastic way.

Reaction of Lavanya Ballal

However, while the credit and all praises should go to the athletes for sheer grit and determination for bringing glory to India, one must acknowledge the state and central government as well as other agencies which strive to make sure that the athletes get the training they need to make their dreams come true.

Did you know that last year due to COVID lockdown, Mirabai Chanu was not able to get proper training and work on her weakness? As per reports, the then Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju sent Chanu and her coach Vijay Sharma were able to go to the US right before they banned travellers from India on May 4 due to the pandemic surge. In US, since the restrictions were fewer, Mirabai was able to train herself and prepare herself from the Tokyo Olympics which earned her the Silver.

Hence, in such a situation, it would not be wrong to thank the country’s Prime Minister, who much to the heartburn of ‘liberals’ happens to be Narendra Modi. Here is a glimpse of various initiatives of Central government under PM Modi over past few years that has helped the Indian athletes.

TOPS – Target Olympic Podium Scheme

Adequate funding is crucial for a sportsperson to achieve professional success in the International arena. All sporting categories, with the exception of cricket, has suffered from neglect and lack of training facilities. The athletes are often faced with sponsorship challenges, thereby making it difficult for them to excel. Having understood the underlying reason behind India’s poor performance in Olympics Games, the Indian government launched the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in September 2014. Mirabai Chanu is one of the beneficiaries of TOPS.

The programme was monitored by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, wherein it provided financial support and assistance to top athletes in the country. With the objective of helping sportspersons secure Olympic medals for the country, a TOPS Elite Altheltes’ Identification Committee and a Mission Olympic Cell were set up. The body was tasked to identify top athletes and parathletes and provide them with several benefits.

It includes training by reputed coaches at world-class facilities, purchase of equipment, supporting the services of physical trainers, sports psychologists, mental trainers and physiotherapists. At the same time, the athletes are provided with a monthly incentive of ₹50,000. The scheme covers sporting activities such as table tennis, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, hockey, archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting and para-sports.

The TOPS programme has witnessed tremendous success, with athletes such as PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik winning medals for India at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Similarly, India won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal, at the 2016 Paralympic games. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 47 of 70 athletes supported by the TOPS programme won medals for the country.

NCOE – National Centres of Excellence

National Centres Of Excellence have been established by the Sports Authority of India to impart specialized training to promising athletes by providing state of the art infrastructure and playing facilities, sports science backup, individualized diet prescribed by trained nutritionists and overall supervision under the best coaches, qualified support staff and High-Performance Directors. These centres operate as regular coaching camps for the best available talent across India. There are 23 such centres across the country concentrating on different sports.

Extension centres of STC (Training Centres Scheme)

Early training for talented athletes goes a long way in achieving international goals. To ensure the best talent gets the best training, the government introduced the scheme of extension centres of STCs covering 17 disciplines to cover schools and colleges with a view to developing sports standards in schools and colleges having requisite basic sports infrastructure. The scheme has shown good results across disciplines. Trainees of the age group of 10 years to 18 years are selected for regular training under this program.

Khelo India

The program has been introduced to bring back the sports culture in India at the grassroots level. Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels by the High-Powered Committee will be provided annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh per annum for eight years. Khelo India games are being held since 2018. Under-17 athletes are invited to participate across 16 disciplines.

Fit India Movement

Launched in August 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the program aims at the overall improvement of health among Indians via sports. It helps in spreading awareness about fitness at the grass-root level. The aim is to spread awareness about fitness to every school, college/university, panchayat/village, etc. Several campaigns under the program have been launched to improve fitness among the people of India, thus bringing them closer to sports culture.

On state and national levels, pensions and jobs for athletes have also increased to encourage their contribution to the medal tally.

NGO calls for protests in multiple cities across India against anti-Covid measures, similar protests being carried out across the world

OpIndia Staff
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NGO calls for protests in multiple cities across India against anti-Covid measures, similar protests being carried out across the world

On the occasion of Worldwide Demonstrations, people in various states in India, as well as tens of thousands across several countries have launched protests against anti-Covid measures. People in 45 countries and 120 cities have reportedly come together to agitate against the various government’s decisions to implement lockdowns and vaccinate people to curb the spread of Covid-19 pathogen. NGO Awaken India Movement had called for demonstrations in multiple cities across India in solidarity with the people of India and the World.

According to reports, hundreds of people, mostly those belonging to some independent local church and social activists in Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland on July 24 (Saturday), joined their counterparts in different states of India and worldwide, on the world ‘Freedom Rally’.

The ‘Freedom Rally’ has been called by Awaken India Movement, to protest against Covid restrictions, mandatory vaccination, mask mandate and Covid testing.

Some of the placards that were seen during the rallies conducted in Kohima and Dimapur on Saturday read: “High court directed ramping up of covid testing and not ramp up mandatory vaccination”; “Mandatory vaccination is tyranny”; “No more lockdowns. It has brought poverty and hunger”; “Vaccinating cannot guarantee safety of one’s life” and “WHO says masks are not for healthy people” etc.

Besides Nagaland, Awaken India Movement has called for demonstrations in multiple cities across India in solidarity with the world. On Saturday itself, the members of the NGO in Shillong attempted to carry out a demonstration against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and lockdown.

AIM members gathered at Motphran at 12 pm to carry out a ‘peaceful’ demonstration. They had intended to march to GS Road via Police Bazar, Meghalaya Secretariat, IGP Point, Dhanketi, Laitumkhrah and finally to Madan Iewrynghep (Fire Brigade). However, their plan was impeded due to Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state. The cops reportedly did not allow the members of the NGO to proceed with their plans.

Similar protests by team members of Awaken India Movement’s Telangana unit was carried out today, July 25 (Sunday) at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad. According to reports, protestors held posters seeking ‘freedom from lockdown’ and demanded that the government should look for alternatives that would save lives as well as livelihoods.

Meanwhile, members of the NGO of the branch in Mumbai also protested against similar issues. They too urged the government to look for other options to substitute lockdowns and mandatory vaccinations as solutions to battle the pandemic.

Similar protests against anti-Covid measures are being held worldwide

It is pertinent to note here that such protests are not confined to India but has broken out all across the world. People in countries like Australia, France, Italy and the UK have taken to the streets to protest against the Covid restrictions undertaken by various countries to fight the pandemic that has, in the last one and a half years, wreaked havoc across the globe devouring businesses, lives and economies as a whole.

In Paris, one message painted on the protestor’s clothes read: “No to compulsory vaccination, freedom violated!”, while another’s placard said: “Macron, no to the health dictatorship.” Reports suggest that tens of thousands of people in France have hit the streets on July 24 (Saturday), to agitate against the new coronavirus rules announced by the government earlier this week.

“I will never get vaccinated,” Bruno Auquier, a 53-year-old town councillor who lives on the outskirts of Paris said. Raising doubts on the safety of vaccinations, he added that “People need to wake up.”

On July 22, reports surfaced suggesting that some Greek protestors also clashed with the police in Athens on July 21, Wednesday. About 1,500 people had reportedly taken part in the protest outside parliament, the second in a week against Greece’s COVID-19 inoculation drive.

The protests were prompted by a decision taken by the government of Greece earlier in July 2021, ordering mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers and nursing home staff. The government had also suggested other groups including teachers, may need to be compulsorily vaccinated too.

Nine tourists from Delhi die in Himachal Pradesh after boulders fell on their vehicle, crucial bridge in Sangla valley collapses in the rockslide

OpIndia Staff
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Nine tourists from Delhi die in Himachal Pradesh after boulders fell on their vehicle, crucial bridge in Sangla valley collapses in the rockslide

Nine people died and a crucial bridge was destroyed when large boulders fell on them from a hill in Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. The incident happened at around 2.15 PM at Batseri village in Sangla Valley, when a landslide caused large boulders to tumble down from the top of a mountain near the village.

According to early reports, 9 tourists from the Delhi NCR region died in the incident when the large rocks fell on their vehicle. Three others were injured in the unfortunate incident. They have been admitted and rushed to a hospital in Sangla. The vehicle was on the way to Chitkul, a popular tourist destination, when the rocks fell on it.

Chitkul, a village located on the right bank of Baspa River, is the last village of the Baspa Valley and the last village on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route. It is also the last point in India one can travel to without a permit.

Reportedly, a large number of vehicles have been destroyed in the area by the rockslide.

The calamity also caused the Valley bridge in the Batseri village to collapse when large rocks fell on it following the landslide on the hill. The bridge was on the Baspa river, and it is on the road between Seringche and Batseri.

A terrifying video of the incident has been posted by Prasar Bharati, where large rocks can be seen hurtling down the mountain on the valley below. The video was captured by someone on a mobile phone from a house just near the bridge, and it shows a large high-speed rock smashing the bridge into two.

Senior officials of the administration including Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain have rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.

Reportedly, tourists were advised not to go near the landslide-prone areas and police had blocked the routes, but some people managed to evade the blockades to reach the area. Landslide warning had been issued in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rains.

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