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Agra: Private hospital forced to return extra money charged for treatment after CM Yogi Adityanath’s intervention

OpIndia Staff
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Agra: Private hospital forced to return extra money charged for treatment after CM Yogi Adityanath’s intervention

A private hospital in Agra was compelled to return the exorbitant amount of money charged for the treatment of a patient after CM Yogi Adityanath’s personal intervention. The son of the patient had lodged a complaint against Yashwant Hospital and Trauma Center in New Agra in the Janata Darshan programme of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Yogi Adityanath, in turn, took immediate cognisance of the complaint, after which the district magistrate of Agra carried out an investigation in which the hospital was found guilty. The extra amount was recovered from the hospital and returned to Ashish Pathak, a resident of Maurai village under Khandauli police station of Agra, on the same day.

It so happened that Ashish Pathak, whose mother was treated in the aforementioned private hospital from April 23 to May 11, met Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath at the Janata Darshan on Friday. He apprised the CM of how the hospital had overcharged him for his mother’s treatment.

Ashish informed the CM that he had admitted his mother, Gudiya Devi, to Yashwant Hospital and Trauma Center in New Agra on April 23. She was discharged on May 11. In these 17 days, Ashish said that the hospital in question charged him exorbitantly in the name of treatment.

He complained that his mother was not put on a ventilator yet the hospital charged him for level three ventilator for six days amounting to Rs 1.50 lakh. Besides, he said, that the hospital charged a total of Rs 90,000 for 18 days for a bed in the general ward.

Additionally, the visiting charge of the doctor was Rs 2,000 per day and for eight days he was charged a total of Rs 16,000 as the doctor visiting fee. This was over and above Rs 34,000 charged as doctor’s fee.

Medicines were also provided for his mother at prices one-and-a-half times more than the market price, which amounted to Rs 1.49 lakh, informed Ashish Pathak.

Following the complaint, CM Yogi Adityanath immediately ordered a probe and the extra money charged by the hospital was returned to the family. Ashish thanked CM Yogi Adityanath for the help extended towards his family.

When death is not a leveler: Why did we forget the murder of cameraperson Achyutananda Sahu by liberal terrorists in Chhattisgarh?

Abhishek Banerjee
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When death is not a leveler: Why did we forget the murder of cameraperson Achyutananda Sahu by liberal terrorists in Chhattisgarh?

“The Editors Guild of India is saddened to learn of the death of a cameraperson and two policemen after they were attacked by Maoist insurgents in the Dantewada district of poll bound Chhattisgarh.“

This is text from an Oct 2018 letter from the Editors Guild after Doordarshan cameraperson Achyutananda Sahu was murdered by left wing terrorists while on duty in Chhattisgarh. Here is the full letter, all of one paragraph. Below it are the names of eminent mediapersons such as Shekhar Gupta and Sheela Bhatt, who were then office bearers of the Editors Guild.

Editors Guild of India

While the Editors Guild was saddened, there does not appear to be a whole lot of emotion in this letter. For one, the DD cameraperson had a name and the Editors Guild must have guessed that. Were they too lazy to look it up, because his name does not appear anywhere in this letter. Also, I don’t see the word “condemn” anywhere in this letter. When it came to the murder of the DD cameraperson, even kadi ninda was too much to spare. By the way, good on the Editors Guild for remembering to use non-judgmental language. Maoist insurgents, not terrorists.

I remembered this 2018 incident the other day, when I was saddened to learn of the death of a Reuters photojournalist after an attack by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. I looked up the name of the Doordarshan cameraperson. It was Achyutananda Sahu. As for the two policemen who died alongside him (whose lives were equally precious!), I could not even find their names reported anywhere. Here is a picture of Sahu.

You’ve probably never seen his face because his picture did not go viral on social media nor mainstream media. I would love to tell you more about him, but the problem is I simply don’t know anything. Because there were no tearful tributes about his life and work from the big “national” channels or the mainstream news websites. Nobody wanted to talk about his hopes and dreams and the lives of those he touched. Nobody even cared to send hazaar lanaatein (thousand curses) to the bullet that killed him.

If you must know, there are a few local channels in Odisha that cared to speak to his grieving family. But that’s all. No “national” channel thought of taking the trouble. You see, some deaths are local, while some others are global.

The question is why. What does it say about our society when death is no longer the ultimate leveler? What does it say when liberal privilege transcends even death?

I have no idea about the political ideology of Achyutananda Sahu. But it seems he did not have a blue tick social media handle. He did not go to college with any celebrity dissenters of today. Or if he did, he did not distinguish himself in their company by showing pathological hatred against a certain mainstream political ideology. None of this makes his life less precious.

Achyutananda Sahu died in Chhattisgarh, on Indian soil. Those who took his life were terrorists who seek violent overthrow of the Government of India. Why did they not give his murder the attention it deserved? Is it because he was not a member of the liberal elite? Worse, is it because his life was taken by “liberal” terrorists in Chhattisgarh? The media has worked extremely hard to convince us that all leftists are “80 year old poets.” Did the media overlook Sahu’s death because they did not want to talk about the brutal reality of Indian leftism?

I know they will accuse me of ‘whataboutery‘ here. First of all, that is not an accusation, they only make it sound like one. Comparing and contrasting things is a standard way to learn about the world. In fact, in many situations, it is the only logical way to learn about the world.

But more importantly, I am not even comparing the two incidents. I am just trying to get some attention for the unfortunate victims of left wing terrorism in the heartland. Violent leftists murder hundreds of people each year, but the liberal elite overlooks all of that. I lack the cultural power of the liberal elite, so I cannot get the word out about these victims.

With the murder of the Reuters photojournalist in Afghanistan, I find people grieving and hurt. This might be a time when they will be open to hearing about what is happening under the jackboots of leftists in the heartland. These leftists threaten our sovereignty the same way the Taliban threatens the Afghan people. Like the Taliban, the leftists want to turn the clock backwards. And like the Taliban, they kill whoever stands in their way. These leftists run kangaroo courts and hand out corporal punishment. They carry out mass executions to scare locals into submission.

And just as with the Taliban, the liberal elite are saying that these left wing terrorists are less dangerous than “Sanghis.” Surely you can’t fall for this.

SC avoids passing order to stop Kerala’s lockdown relaxation for Bakra Eid, had taken suo motu case against Kanwar Yatra in UP

OpIndia Staff
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SC avoids passing order to stop Kerala’s lockdown relaxation for Bakra Eid, had taken suo motu case against Kanwar Yatra in UP

The Supreme Court Monday deferred the hearing in the plea filed before it against the decision of the Kerala government to relax COVID lockdown restrictions in the State for three days in view of Bakra Eid. It has asked the Kerala Government to file its response by the end of the day to the plea and directed the registry to list the matter for hearing on July 20 (Tuesday).

The court was hearing the plea filed by one PKD Nambiar, a Delhi resident. Nambiar had filed the petition as an intervention application in the suo motu case already initiated by the Supreme Court regarding the holding of Kanwar Yatra by Uttar Pradesh.

Surprisingly, the apex court’s decision to go soft on the Kerala Government’s decision to relax Covid curbs during Bakra Eid is in stark contrast to its stand on the celebration of Kanwar Yatra in Uttar Pradesh.

Image via TOI

Senior advocate Vikas Singh submitted before the court that Kerala has an official positivity rate of 10.96% and yet the relaxation has been granted. Furthermore, Kerala has 13,000 cases where as UP has much less. He appealed the SC to pass orders quashing the relaxation granted by the Kerala government ahead of Bakra Eid.

Kerala government contested that only a few shops will be allowed to open for the Bakra Eid festival shopping and otherwise all Covid restrictions will be followed.

Supreme Court takes suo motu case against Kanwar Yatra in UP, issues warning to Yogi Govt

The apex court had last week taken suo moto cognisance of the news that the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to allow ‘Kanwar Yatra’ amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. It had strictly warned the Yogi Adityanath government against holding the Hindu festival amidst the pandemic.

In fact, the same bench headed by Justice RF Nariman, that failed to pass any order on Monday to stop Kerala’s lockdown relaxations for Bakri Eid, had on July 16 (Friday), said categorically that the State of Uttar Pradesh cannot go ahead with its decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra in the State amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Either we will pass orders directly, or will give you one more opportunity to reconsider your decision”, Justice Nariman told Senior Advocate CS Vaidyanathan, who had appeared for the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Following SC’s warning, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to cancel the Kanwar Yatra this year.

After taking the Uttar Pradesh government’s statement that it has decided to cancel the Kanwar Yatra this year on record, the Supreme Court decided to close the case it took as suo moto against UP’s decision to hold Kanwar Yatra amid COVID-19.

Meanwhile, PKD Nambiar, who moved SC against the Kerala Government’s decision to allow relaxations during the Bakri Eid festival, submitted before the court that Kerala has been consistently showing an alarming rise in the numbers of COVID cases, though other states have improved their situation.

Adding that the decision to allow the relaxations by the Pinarayi govt was based on political and communal intentions, PKD Nambiar in his plea pointed out how the top court had taken a strict view against holding Kanwar Yatra citing the right to health of citizens.

The petitioner argued that the Kerala government’s move violates the Supreme Court’s July 16 order in the matter, which had specifically emphasised that the health of the citizenry of India and their right to life is paramount and that all other sentiments are subservient.

Nambiar, therefore, sought a similar intervention as regards the decision of the Kerala government to relax lockdown restrictions for three days.

Despite rising covid cases, Kerala Govt relaxes restriction in the run-up to Bakra Eid

It is pertinent to note here that Kerala on July 17 (Saturday) logged 16,148 new Covid-19 cases, the highest in a month. Despite the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, the Communist government in the state led by Pinarayi Vijayan has eased the lockdown regulations on July 18, 19, and 20 in the run-up to Bakri Eid on July 21.

IMA asks Kerala to withdraw order allowing Bakri Eid gatherings

In fact, this decision by the Pinarayi govt in Kerala was also criticised by the Indian Medical Association, which on Sunday warned the Kerala government against easing restrictions ahead of Bakri Eid even as the Chinese coronavirus pandemic rages unhinged in the state.

IMA raised concerns that Kerala and Maharashtra are contributing to over 60% of total new Chinese coronavirus cases in India and that Kerala has been topping the list of states with the highest new cases since days now and the trend is only upward with a test positivity rate of over 10%.

Citing how other states had restricted the Kanwar Yatra owing to the pandemic, IMA warned the Kerala Government to either withdraw its decision or they would be compelled to move the Supreme Court.

How limestone became marble and Congress ruled Rajasthan govt lost Rs 1,000 crore: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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How limestone became marble and Congress ruled Rajasthan govt lost Rs 1,000 crore: Read details

As the country limps back to normalcy after the devastating second wave of Chinese coronavirus pandemic, reports of a mining scam being unearthed have emerged in Rajasthan. According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the Mines Department in Congress ruled Rajasthan government has allegedly converted limestone mines to marble grade and cost the exchequer a loss of Rs 1,000 crore.

The Mines Department reportedly tweaked the category of ‘limestone (cement)’ to marble and allowed RDSA Mining company to continue operations in Danta (74.249 hectares of land) and Kela- Mela (10.4162 hectares of land) blocks in Pratapgarh in Rajasthan. It must be mentioned that that limestone falls under the category of ‘major mineral’ and is auctioned as per the rules of the Central government. On the other hand, marble comes under the category of ‘minor mineral’ and is auctioned under the rules of the State government.

A survey conducted by the Mines Department between 1983-1985 found that the two blocks in Pratapgarh have limestone. Similarly, in July 2019, another committee stated that the mineral category in Danta and Kela-Mela must be labelled as limestone. However just 9 months later, a committee recommended that the mineral category was marble and not limestone. Thus, the categorisation of the mine blocks was changed.

Screengrab of the Dainik Bhaskar e-paper

The deliberate change in categorisation of limestone, under the supervision of Additional Chief Secretary Subodh Agarwal and Director KB Pandya, allegedly resulted in an estimated ₹1000 crore loss to the government. It is estimated that Danta and Kela-Mela mine blocks contain 11.4 crore tonnes of limestone. Given that it has been characterised as a major mineral, the auction price begins from ₹419 crores and can reach up to ₹1000-₹1500 crores.

However, the deposit amount for the auction of marble is around ₹4-5 crore. The figure of ₹1000-₹1500 crores is drawn from the fact that limestone mines of approximately 250 hectares in Nagaur were earlier auctioned for ₹5000-6000 crores. Since Danta and Kela-Mela mine blocks are of 85 hectares, the auction amount would have been around the 1000-1500 crore mark. Citing sources, Dainik Bhaskar reported that the change in categorisation was done to benefit RDSA Mining company, which has been tasked to extract marbles from the mine.

The report states that in order to further benefit the company, no condition was imposed for the use of extracted mineral (limestone) in the cement industry. The Department of Mines and Geology has claimed that the change in categorisation would increase recovery and royalty by 70%. This is despite the fact that the usual recovery rate in Rajasthan is about 20-25%. While speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, Additional Chief Secretary Subodh Agarwal claimed, “In Pratapgarh, the allotment was done in a transparent manner. There was no scope for any mistake. The government will get higher royalty from marble.”

Rules state that if the mineral that has been recovered is different from the mineral that was auctioned, the mineral extracted will be categorised in the group it belongs to. Officers, however, refute the allegations of scam and claim that the entire process was done transparently.

NSO Group behind Israeli spyware Pegasus considering defamation suit against The Wire over ‘outrageous allegations’: Details of their letter

OpIndia Staff
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NSO Group behind Israeli spyware Pegasus considering defamation suit against The Wire over ‘outrageous allegations’: Details of their letter

NSO, a Tel-Aviv based firm that owns the spyware Pegasus on Sunday slammed leftist propaganda website The Wire, and threatened to file defamation suit against it for publishing a report that claimed phones of journalists, Indian ministers, Supreme Court judges, opposition leaders and other notable personalities were targeted for surveillance. 

The Israeli firm, through its defamation counsel, Clare Locke, sent a letter to The Wire threatening defamation suit against them for making unsubstantiated claims through their reports about the surveillance of eminent individuals in India. 

“…we are writing to put The Wire on written notice of NSO Group’s substantial concerns regarding the false and damaging nature of the proposed articles—and the risks that The Wire faces should it decide to publish the proposed articles (or excerpts of the proposed articles,” the statement read. 

“The report by Forbidden Stories is full of wrong assumptions and uncorroborated theories that raise serious doubts about the reliability and interests of the sources. It seems like the ‘unidentified sources’ have supplied information that has no factual basis and is far from reality,” the company said in the statement.

“In fact, these allegations are so outrageous and far from reality that NSO is considering a defamation lawsuit,” the statement said. The company lambasted The Wire for not doing due diligence and publishing report without verifying the facts of the matter. 

Coming down heavily against The Wire, the statement said: “Needless to say, one would expect that, before such serious and damaging allegations would be published, any responsible news outlet would require multiple on-the-record sources, a fulsome understanding and transparent analysis of relevant data, documentation corroborating the core allegations, and corroboration by credible sources who have been independently vetted by senior editors and in-house attorneys to have been in a position to observe or corroborate the key facts.”

The group also said that it is considering a defamation suit against the writers of the Pegasus story as it is not based on facts and there are no supporting documents to corroborate the allegations.

The statement further added that the claims made by sources to Forbidden Stories are based on an incorrect interpretation of data from accessible and overt basic information, such as HLR Lookup services, which have no bearing on the list of the customers’ targets of Pegasus or any other NSO products.

The NSO said the claim that data was leaked from their server is an arrant lie and preposterous because they don’t store data on any of their servers. 

Refuting the allegations related to the assassination of The Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in October 2018 in a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, NSO said that its technology was never used to spy on him. 

Pegasus technology sold only to trusted law enforcement and intelligence agencies of vetted governments

The organisation reiterated that it provides technology to “law enforcement and intelligence agencies of vetted governments for the sole purpose of saving lives through preventing crime and terror acts”. It further added that it had no access to system operations and visible data. 

“We would like to emphasize that NSO sells its technologies solely to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of vetted governments for the sole purpose of saving lives through preventing crime and terror acts. NSO does not operate the system and has no visibility to the data,” it stated.

‘Take the vaccine, become Baahubali’: PM Modi addresses media ahead of Monsoon Session, encourages people to take Covid jabs

OpIndia Staff
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‘Take the vaccine, become Baahubali’: PM Modi addresses media ahead of Monsoon Session, encourages people to take Covid jabs

Speaking to the media ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament PM Narendra Modi urged all the people of the country, including media personnel to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Emphasising the efforts undertaken by the Indian Government to boost vaccination efforts in the country and encouraging people to get inoculated against the deadly pathogen, PM Modi said in his unique style: “Vaccine is given in ‘baahu’ (arms), those who take it become ‘Baahubali’. Over 40 cr people have become ‘Baahubali’ in the fight against COVID.”

PM Modi furthered that he hopes the opposition parties will hold meaningful discussions in a healthy manner in the Parliament. He said that he wanted the pandemic to be discussed on priority and he expected constructive suggestions from all MPs so that there comes a fresh approach in the fight against COVID.

PM Modi added that it is important that the shortcomings be corrected so that everyone moves forward together in the fight against the pathogen that has gripped the entire world. “So we want meaningful discussions in the Parliament over it”, said the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged political parties to ask the sharpest and toughest of questions to the govt in the Monsoon session of Parliament, however, asserted that the “government should also be allowed to respond in a cordial environment as democracy is strengthened by conveying the truth to the people”.

The PM said that he has urged all floor leaders to take some time out on Tuesday evening when he would like to give them detailed information on the pandemic.

“We want discussion inside Parliament as well as outside it with floor leaders on Covid-19 pandemic,” he said, adding that his government is ready to answers all questions or queries of the people of the country.

The Monsoon session of the Parliament will start today and conclude on August 13. As per reports, there are 17 bills to be introduced by the government, 3 of them to replace ordinances passed recently. The government has to pass a bill in the parliament within 6 weeks or 42 days once a parliament session starts, or the ordinances lapse.

It is pertinent to note here that the central government is doing all it takes to boost the Covid-19 vaccination efforts in India. On Friday (July 16), the Indian government placed an order for 660 million (66 crores) Covid-19 vaccines worth Rs 14,505 crore to be used between August-December this year. It is the single largest vaccine procurement by the government so far.

According to reports, the Modi government has kept an ambitious target to inoculate 94.4 crore individuals with both doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Amidst concerns of vaccination centres being shut and long queues to receive their jabs, the government has placed orders for additional 37.5 crore doses of Covishield (manufactured by Oxford-AstraZeneca) and 28.5 crore doses of Covaxin (developed and manufactured by Bharat Biotech).

Meanwhile, the vaccine manufacturers have also increased their monthly production. Reportedly, the Serum Institute of India (SII) is now producing 100 million Covishield doses (10 crores) each month. At the same time, Bharat Biotech has increased production from 1 crore Covaxin doses/ month in April to 7 crore doses in July/August.

Textile ministry adopts drone technology to tackle land encroachment, stunning visuals show how survey is carried out

OpIndia Staff
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Textile ministry adopts drone technology to tackle land encroachment, stunning visuals show how survey is carried out

On July 8, Piyush Goyal took charge of the Ministry of Textiles and started reviewing the functioning and performance of the textile sector. During the review meetings of National Textile Corporation Ltd., the largest CPSU under the Ministry of Textiles, the minister suggested that NTC should adopt the latest methods and technology to ensure the safety of its land against encroachments.

Goyal suggested using drones to survey NTC mills to protect and monitor the land of the CPSU periodically. Such surveillance would enable NTC to take swift action against the encroachments at the initial stages, making it easier to remove them from the properties owned by the government-owned company.

There is always a risk involved in traditional ways of conducting surveys on the properties via CCTVs and manual intervention. CCTVs are prone to theft and breakage, while manual intervention can attract unwanted confrontation with the encroachers without sufficient protection from the police. On the other hand, drone surveying is an easier, economical and more efficient way of surveying and mapping a piece of land.

Image captured during drone survey. Image: Ministry of Textile

In such surveillance, there is no need for manual intervention as drones can be operated from a distance. Additionally, the feed can be directed to software for quick analysis of the land. Surveying land from different heights and various camera angles give a better perspective of the situation based on the layout of the land. Compared to other methods to survey the land from the sky, including satellites and helicopters, drones have the capacity to fly at lower altitudes and capture high-resolution images at an economical price.

Also, the time consumed in the conventional method of land surveying is much more compared to drone-based surveying. In conventional methods carrying equipment from one location to another require manpower, but in drone surveying, only one or two operation in-charge can handle a complete budget-friendly survey of the location with high accuracy.

Pilot drone survey

Based on the directions provided by Minister Piyush Goyal, NTC conducted a pilot drone survey and extracted land mapping of five mills at various locations, including Somasundaram Mills and Kaleeswara Mills situated in the Southern Region and JAM Mills, Finlay Mills and Digvijay Mills in the Western Region. The previous maps and images available in NTC records were used to compare the new maps to assess any encroachments or undesired changes.

Image captured during drone survey. Image: Ministry of Textile

The officials at NTC found that drone survey mapping its land assets very efficient and effective, and they would continue to monitor the land assets across India using drone surveys to protect their land from any kind of encroachments in the future.

Afghanistan recalls all diplomats from Pakistan in response to abduction and torture of their ambassador’s daughter

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan recalls all diplomats from Pakistan in response to abduction and torture of their ambassador’s daughter

On Sunday (July 18), Afghanistan recalled its ambassador and all diplomats from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in response to the kidnapping and torture of Silsila Alikhil. Silsila is the daughter of Afghan ambassador Najibullah Alikhil who was kidnapped and left on a roadside in Pakistan after hours of torture.

In a statement released by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Afghan government has stated, “Following the abduction of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter in Pakistan, the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan called back Afghanistan’s ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan until all security threats are addressed including the arrest and trial of the perpetrators of abduction.”

It further informed, “An Afghan delegation will visit Pakistan soon to assess and follow up on the case and all related issues; subsequent actions will follow based on the findings.” While confirming the development, Afghan Vice-President Amrullah Saleh conceded that the abduction case had wounded and tortured the conscience of the nation.

He tweeted, “President Ashraf Ghani instructed Ministry of Foreign Affairs to call back our ambassador from Islamabad along with all senior diplomats. The abduction of Afghan ambassador’s daughter & her subsequent torture has wounded the psyche of our nation. Our national psyche has been tortured.”

The Background of the case

Silsila Alikhil, the daughter of the Afghan ambassador in Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil, was abducted on 16th July in Islamabad and was found after several hours. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, it said that Silsila Alikhil was tortured while in captivity. She was abducted by several unknown individuals from Jinnah Super in Islamabad on Friday. After being tortured at some unknown location, she was released near Tehzeeb Bakery in the Blue Area of Islamabad.

According to the medical examination report, Silsila Alikhil had pain and swelling at wrist joints and hands. There were rope marks on the wrist joints as well. She also had similar pain and rope marks on her legs and ankle joints. The woman also had swelling around her eyes, and she was found vomiting and bleeding from the ENT region. On Sunday (July 18), a case of kidnapping was lodged at the Koshar police station in Islamabad. Charges were filed under Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) Sections 34 (common intent), 365 (kidnapping), 354 (assault with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the law enforcement agencies, Islamabad police and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed to investigate the abduction case within 48 hours. He also pleaded with all the agencies to work in tandem with the federal police in catching the accused. On Sunday, a large group of Afghans protested outside the Pakistan embassy in Kabul. The demonstrators raised slogans against the Pakistani military-backed establishment for failing to protect Silsila Alikhil.

Punjab crisis: Congress ignores Amarinder Singh’s objections, makes Navjot Singh Sidhu the new ‘captain’ in state

Akshita Bhadauria
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Punjab crisis: Congress ignores Amarinder Singh’s objections, makes Navjot Singh Sidhu the new ‘captain’ in state

Months of bickering and speculations by the Punjab Congress leaders came to an end last evening with Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi overthrowing Sunil Jakhar to make Navjot Singh Sidhu the new Punjab Congress Chief. 

The election of Sidhu as the new Chief is being looked at as a plaster solution to fix the recently developed cracks in the state’s leadership just ahead of the assembly elections. However, this stopgap solution has further widened the rift between the two factions in Punjab Congress.  

The decision garnered a wide range of responses with some snubbing Captain Amarinder Singh while others attacking Sidhu for his vendetta politics. 

What transpired in the Punjab Congress Committee?

Navjot Singh Sidhu in an attempt to gain relevancy in Punjab politics before the state assembly elections came out with guns blazing at the current Punjab Chief Minister with his pack of leaders. From accusing Singh of corruption, failure to rake up the sacrilege case to forgotten promises, Sidhu managed to form an anti-Captain camp within the Punjab Congress.

Not that Captain Amarinder Singh was far behind. Multiple investigations in alleged real estate scams were initiated against Sidhu and company after their blatant attack on Singh.

The unforeseen crisis led to the involvement of National Congress leaders who constituted a committee to issue a resolution. During this period, reports of Sidhu chasing the Gandhi family and standalone meetings between Captain Amarinder Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi made headlines. 

What seemed unsolvable was brought to a quick-fix by the constituted committee to not lose hold in the state’s political game. 

Amarinder Singh demands apology

After several rounds of meetings, Captain Amarinder Singh announced that he would happily accept the committee’s recommendations but refused to meet the dissident Congress leader unless he issued an apology.

Captain Amarinder Singh has demanded a public apology from Navjor Singh Sidhu for his offensive comments and Tweets, and has refused to meet him until he receives the apology.

10 MLAs issue statement in support of Amarinder Singh

As Sidhu has been marathoning to seek ‘blessings’ of Punjab MLAs, at least ten MLAs have issued a joint statement in support of CM Capt Amarinder Singh.

After switching over from AAP, MLA Sukhpal Khaira said that after talking to his colleagues Harminder Gill, Fateh Bajwa, Gurpreet GP, Kuldeep Vaid, Balwinder Laddoo, Santok Singh Bhalaipur, Joginder Bhoa, Jagdev Kamalu, Primal Khalsa, a joint statement supporting Capt Amarinder had been issued by the group. 

The statement praising Captain Amarinder Singh for his relentless work claimed that the party stands well entrenched in Punjab.

“There is no doubt that the appointment of state PPCC chief was the prerogative of the party high command, but at the same time, washing dirty linen in public has only decreased the party graph during the last couple of months”, read the statement.

Former Punjab Chief calls for a meeting

Meanwhile, the former Punjab Congress Chief Sunil Jakhar has called for a party meeting on Monday after he was ousted from his position to pacify Navjot Singh Sidhu. 

As many as 80 MLAs and 23 district presidents are expected to arrive at the Congress Bhavan at 3 pm on Monday for the meeting. As per reports, the meeting’s agenda was to urge the party members to accept the decision of the party high command. 

In a statement issued on Sunday Jakhar informed that in the meeting, all the MLAs and district presidents would pass a resolution stating that whatever decision the party high command takes regarding Punjab, would be acceptable to the entire state unit.

As the announcement was made prior to Sidhu’s election, Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira in a tweet had said, “I urge Sunil Jakhar not to indulge in show of strength and wait for the announcement of Congress President. Even otherwise the PPCC stands dissolved so the meeting would have no locus standi and would be invalid. It’s time to unite and not divide!”  

Sidhu named Punjab Congress Chief

In a late evening announcement, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the new Punjab Congress chief. The AICC also appointed four working presidents of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee: Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel and Kuljit Singh Nagra.   

Amarinder Singh had been apprehensive about Sonia Gandhi’s ‘interference’ in Punjab politics. He had reportedly written a strong-worded letter saying that the party high command doesn’t understand the nuances of Punjab politics and appointing Sidhu may hamper the party’s prospects in the state.

Because of Singh’s opposition to Sidhu’s candidature as the chief, the party’s state in-charge, Harish Rawat had to fly to Chandigarh to pacify the sulking CM, suggested reports. 

Congress leaders react

Senior Congress leader and former law minister Ashwani Kumar on Sunday in a Tweet urged the party members to accept the decision. “The decision of the #Congress High Command to appoint @sherryontopp as the new Party chief in #Punjab should now be gracefully accepted by all in the interest of Party unity. This is a time to be united. There are no victors or losers. Reconciliation is the way forward” said Kumar in a thread worried about the present tug-of-war situation in the party. 

Congress ‘youth’ leader Srinivas BV congratulated the ‘Voice of Punjab’ for his new role. Srinivas’s Tweet read, “Warm congratulations to the Voice of Punjab, Shri Navjot Singh Sidhu on being appointed the president of Punjab Congress Committee. Your leadership will continue to spearhead the state and nation to achieve greater heights.”

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in an understandable language labeled Sidhu as a ‘dynamic leader.’ “Congratulations to Navjot Singh Sidhu ⁦@sherryontopp⁩ on his appointment as President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. An important state party organisation must move forward under a dynamic leader, in the service of inclusive and progressive values,” read his Tweet. 

While the Congress leadership has been forced to cheer the new appointment, the citizens have cast aspersions on the future of the party under Sidhu who is fairly new to Congress. 

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has not reacted to the development as of yet. 

India Today Group employee fired over disciplinary grounds, claims martyrdom by dragging in PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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India Today Group employee fired over disciplinary grounds, claims martyrdom by dragging in PM Modi

India Today employee, one Shyam Meera Singh on Monday took to Twitter to claim he was fired from his job over his tweets on PM Modi after the media house terminated his contract over violations of company’s guidelines on social media use.

Shyam Meera Singh’s tweets on termination of contract

He shared two of his tweets’ screenshots where he tweeted about not respecting the Prime Minister and calling him shameless.

In his subsequent tweet, he shared the letter his company sent him informing him about terminating his services.

Shyam Meera Singh’s termination letter (image courtesy @shyammeerasingh on Twitter)

In the termination letter, the media house had said that despite previous warnings including two formal warnings, Singh continued to air his views on social media platform which is against their social media policy. India Today Group’s social media policy prohibits employees associated with the media house from airing personal opinions. The policy specifically advices all employees to use social media only for news that has been published or aired by system and not for personal views.

In October 2020, India Today Group issued a gag order on its employees prohibiting them from airing personal political views on the social media platform. The advisory said that those having any contracts with the India Today Group can use their personal handles only for posting the content or promotion belonging to the Group that has been used in print, digital or on air. It further said that such persons cannot even reply or retweet to any post even if they have been tagged in it. They can respond to the post only with the content of the ITG.

Ever since these guidelines came into effect, many top employees of the media house with various shades of political ideology like Rajdeep Sardesai, Gaurav Sawant, Rahul Kanwal, Panini Anand etc have also become kind of subdued in airing their personal political opinions on social media platform. So Singh could not quite have been an exception to the company’s policy.

After his tweet got viral, many netizens took a dig at Singh and questioned his competence since other Modi haters continue to thrive in India Today group even now.

Many also suggested how he could have learnt from his seniors on how to hide his hatred and use his ‘objective’ journalism to speak ‘truth to power’ and malign Modi and his government policies on a bigger platform as they do.

Some also were being polite and inform him about company policies and how things work in corporates.

Since the media house has not yet fired very vocal anti-Modi employees such as Rajdeep Sardesai or Panini Anand who harassed his colleagues for not writing anti-Modi articles, Singh’s allegations that it was just his ‘anti-Modi tweet’ that got him fired, do not add up.

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