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Joe Biden’s administration in talks with Taliban, requesting their embassy in Kabul to be spared when the terrorists storm Afghan capital: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Joe Biden’s administration in talks with Taliban, requesting their embassy in Kabul to be spared when the terrorists storm Afghan capital: Reports

As the Taliban took control over two of Afghanistan’s biggest cities – Herat and Kandahar on Thursday, the government of the United States of America is reportedly asking the Islamic terror group not to attack the US Embassy in Kabul if and when they capture the Afghan capital, reports New York Times.

According to the reports, the US negotiators hope to secure assurances from the Taliban that they will not attack the US Embassy in Kabul if the Taliban group overruns the capital in the coming days.

The American interlocutors, led by Zalmay Khalilzad, the chief US envoy in talks with the Taliban, are negotiating a deal with the Taliban to allow for a safe evacuation of the embassy officials as the fighters rapidly seize cities across Afghanistan, the NYT report says. The Taliban’s swift advances into major cities have put foreign diplomatic missions in Kabul on high alert. Many countries have either suspended their operation or evacuated their citizens due to the recent surge of violence in Afghanistan.

As per the reports, Khalilzad is trying to convince the Taliban leaders that the embassy must remain open and secure if the terror network hopes to receive US financial aid and other assistance as part of a future Afghan government. The Taliban leadership, which is seeking legitimacy and good diplomatic relations with other global powers, including Russia and China, is also hoping to receive economic support in the coming days.

The senior US diplomats have confirmed Khalilzad’s meetings with the Taliban to try and negotiate a better deal for the Americans if the Taliban capture power in Afghanistan. The American diplomats are now pushing hard to seek assurance from the Taliban to evacuate their citizens safe.

On Thursday, the embassy urged US citizens who were not working for the government to leave Afghanistan immediately on commercial flights. However, Joe Biden administration has officially not communicated yet on the evacuating or at least drawing down the embassy’s staff of 4,000 employees, including about 1,400 Americans, even as US troops formally complete their withdrawal from the country.

“We are withdrawing our forces from Afghanistan, but we are not withdrawing from Afghanistan,” the State Department said in a statement. “Although US troops will depart, the United States will maintain our robust diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan,” another official was quoted by the media.

US sends troops to evacuate diplomats, citizens

Amidst negotiations with the Taliban, President Joe Biden has also decided to send about 3,000 US troops to Kabul to help evacuate more diplomats from the US embassy, underscoring just how badly the US has been caught off-guard by the Taliban’s advance across Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the US diplomats are closely watching the dangerous situation in Kabul to see how the Biden administration will balance its long-standing commitment to stabilising Afghanistan against protecting the American interests.

Yesterday, US State Dept spokesperson Ned Price stated that the US Embassy in Kabul will remain open and the diplomatic mission will continue. However, troops will be sent to the Karzai International Airport to assist in the evacuation of staff.

The US officials have expressed fear of an imminent Taliban take over after the terror group’s swift capturing of provincial capitals across Afghanistan, particularly cities like Herat, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah. Kabul, the seat of power in Afghanistan, is the only major northern city still under government control, and the fall of Kabul could well mean the end for the Afghan national government.

The US diplomats have described the mood inside the embassy as increasingly tense and worried as the Taliban takes over the war-torn country. The diplomats at the State Department’s headquarters in Washington are reportedly disheartened about the US withdrawal, nearly 20 years after they had arrived in Afghanistan.

The embassy officials are hoping to avoid a situation like the fall of Saigon in 1975 when Americans were evacuated from the embassy from a rooftop by helicopter.

“I don’t think people are yet at the point where they would say we need to get out the door, but they will be looking at the door a lot more often,” said Ronald E. Neumann, who was the US ambassador to Afghanistan from 2005-07 and is now the president of the American Academy of Diplomacy in Washington.

This comes at a time when foreign governments such as the United Kingdom have warned the Taliban that it will not recognise the Taliban government if it captures the country by force. Similarly, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas of Germany said Berlin would not give the Taliban any financial support if it ultimately rules Afghanistan with a hard-line Islamic law.

Taliban captures Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gah:

The Taliban have captured three important cities – Herat, Kandahar and the key southern city of Lashkar Gah on Thursday. The Afghan security forces have fled the city following the onslaught by the Islamic terror organisation.

The security officials said that military and government officials had evacuated the city after striking a deal with the terrorists. The government has now effectively lost control of most of the country after the Taliban launched a blitzkrieg against the Afghan national forces to capture urban centres.

Meanwhile, the Taliban claimed that they have captured Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, leaving just the capital and pockets of another territory in the government’s hands.

“Kandahar is completely conquered. The Mujahideen reached Martyrs’ Square in the city,” a Taliban spokesman said.

Pakistan: Minor Christian girl abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, married off to abductor. Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Minor Christian girl abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, married off to abductor. Here is what we know so far

On August 3, an underage Pakistani Christian girl was abducted from her home at around midnight while she was studying. The incident took place in the Mubin Banda area in Ghazi tehsil in the Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

As per reports, the victim’s parents Noreen Maseeh and Francis Maseeh had filed a written complaint with the police on Wednesday (August 11). They informed that the girl was a student of Std 9 and was preparing for her exam when she went missing from the house at around 12:45 am. They have accused a local resident named Zulqarnain Zahid of orchestrating the abduction along with the son of a leader from the ruling PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) party.

The girl’s parents lamented that the PTI leader had assured the early return of the victim but did not keep his promise. Instead, he hurled abuses at them and asked to compromise. Noreen Maseeh, the mother of the Christian girl, said that she learnt about her daughter’s court marriage with her abductor on August 9. A local resident, named Akhtar Shah, had revealed that the girl had also converted to Islam. As per Maseeh, the girl was born on January 10, 2007, and thus only 14.6 years old.

Victim’s mother accuses the police of siding with the perpetrator

She informed, “My daughter is a minor child, who can’t be married off under the law. Noreen Maseeh alleged that the Ghazi police did not lodge a First Information Report (FIR) initially and also claimed that she eloped on her own, willingly converted to Islam to marry her perpetrator. She accused the cops of siding with the perpetrator and asking her to not pursue the case further. Noreen Maseeh had also demanded protection for her family members and relatives.

Ghazi police alleged that the complaint by the victim’s family was ‘ambiguous’

While speaking about the matter to Dawn, Station House Officer (Ghazi Police) Shafiqur Rehman claimed that the complaint was filed after 6 days of the abduction. He alleged that the complaint was ‘ambiguous as the couple did not name anyone directly. He claimed that the marriage was ‘solemnised’ in Swabi following the girl’s wilful conversion to Islam but conceded that he did not receive the documents. Rehman also alleged that the Christian couple was summoned to the police station thrice to name the accused in the case.

Nonetheless, the Ghazi police registered a case on August 11 and nabbed the accused and his father. They were booked under Section 365(B) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for abducting the victim. The cops added that the girl was recovered while the accused and his father were arrested.

Court remands accused and his father to custody, sends victim to shelter home

On Thursday (August 12), a local court in the Swabi district sent the victim to a shelter home (Darul Aman). It had also remanded the accused and his father to jail. The verdict came after the police produced the girl before the Magistrate. The abducted 14-year-old Christian girl claimed that she had married the accused on her own accord without any force or temptation. Reportedly, she had also expressed her desire to stay with her ‘husband’.

The girl’s parents informed that the medical certificate, which claimed that the victim had attained puberty, was fake. According to the marriage certificate presented in court, the girl was married to the accused on August 7. Her dowry payment was fixed at PKR 4lac and four tolas of gold. She is slated to receive PKR 15,000 in the case of a marital dispute.

Father of four abducts and marries 13-year-old Christian employee 

In yet another case of religious persecution and sexual crimes against children, a 13-year-old Pakistani Christian girl Nayab Gill was abducted from Gujranwala Division located in Punjab, Pakistan, forcibly converted to Islam and married to an already married Muslim man who is a father of four girls. The incident took place in May this year.

A video clip of her shattered and helpless parents had surfaced on social media, wherein they narrated their plight and pleaded for justice. The clip was shared by the Twitter handle Voice for Pakistan Minority on June 21. In the 2.16-minute video clip, the distressed mother and the father narrated how a man named Saddam deceived them on the pretext of offering their minor child a job and abducted her.

He then brainwashed and converted her to Islam. Saddam, who already has three wives and four children, thereafter performed ‘Nikah’ with the 13-year-old Nayab Gill. The Pakistan court, on the other hand, without hearing the victim family’s plea or looking into the victim’s birth certificate, which clearly indicated the Nayab Gill was a minor, sent the teenager with her abductor.

Locals had a grudge against him because of his association with Sudarshan News: Manish Singh’s father makes an appeal

OpIndia Staff
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Locals had a grudge against him because of his association with Sudarshan News: Manish Singh’s father makes an appeal

On August 10, Police recovered the dead body of Sudershan TV’s journalist Manish Kumar Singh who was missing for three days. As per reports, his body was recovered from the water in Gachi Tola Chewar, Mathlohiar Village, under the Harsiddhi Police Station area, Bihar. Based on the CCTV footage available of the area, the Police arrested Mohammad Arsad Alam and Amarendra Singh in connection to Manish’s kidnapping and murder. 

Now, a video of his distraught father has emerged where he is seen making an appeal for an impartial inquiry into the brutal murder of his son.

In the video, Manish Kumar Singh’s father says that his son had made many enemies ever since he started working for Sudarshan News. He said that there were several people who wanted him dead since his stories were exposing deep-rooted corruption and he was ultimately killed to silence him.

He further says that despite an SIT being formed, the real reason for his murder has not been investigated and the police are being irresponsible about the investigation. He says that story he was working on had created a flutter in the area and his enemies knew that if he stayed with Sudarshan News, then several people would be exposed.

The father of Manish Singh also said that there are several big personalities involves in the murder of his son and they had colluded with local criminals to get him murdered. Saying this, he demanded a CBI inquiry into the brutal murder of his son.

The murder of Sudarshan News journalist, Manish Singh 

As per reports, on August 8, Manish left home to attend a function in Math Lahoria Village of the Harsidhhi Police Station area. He went missing after that, and his mobile phone was switched off. Later, his bike was recovered from the Harsiddhi village. Manish was constantly getting threats to his life, and there was a land dispute going on. A complaint was filed over the dispute on July 25 by Sanjay at the local Police station.

After Manish’s disappearance, his father filed a complaint at Harsiddhi Police Station in which he named 12 persons, including two journalists identified as Mohammad Arsad Alam and Amarendra Singh.

While the Police were investigating, they got the information that locals have spotted an unidentified body. Police reached the spot and called Sanjay Singh to identify the body. As it was bloated and mutilated, Singh was able to identify Manish by the shoes. Reports suggest that Manish’s eyes were gouged out, and there were injuries on his face.

Was working on a story about 3 Jihadi blasts, local journalist Afzal Alam was inquiring about it: Sudarshan TV CEO letter to MoS Home

OpIndia Staff
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Was working on a story about 3 Jihadi blasts, local journalist Afzal Alam was inquiring about it: Sudarshan TV CEO letter to MoS Home

On August 10, Police recovered the dead body of Sudershan TV’s journalist Manish Kumar Singh who was missing for three days. As per reports, his body was recovered from the water in Gachi Tola Chewar, Mathlohiar Village, under the Harsiddhi Police Station area, Bihar. Based on the CCTV footage available of the area, the Police arrested Mohammad Arsad Alam and Amarendra Singh in connection to Manish’s kidnapping and murder.

CEO of Sudarshan News, Suresh Chavhanke met the Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai and submitted a letter demanding an inquiry into the brutal murder of his channel’s journalist. Tweeting the letter, Chavhanke said that “Journalist Manish Kumar of Madhubani, Bihar has been murdered by jihadis who ate the work of Sudarshan”.

The letter says that Manish Singh, who was a journalist with Sudarshan News was always a target for those who were corrupt and ones with ‘Jihadi mentality’ because of his fearless journalism. The letter further says that it was on the 7th of August that they got the news of Manish Singh missing and when his father approached the police, they took a lackadaisical approach to the probe. They kept saying that Manish has probably disappeared with some girl and would be back on his own eventually. The letter further alleges that the father of Manish has said that the culprits who have been arrested in a haste and are being used to whitewash the murder of his son and that the police is trying to suppress the real motives behind the crime.

Manish’s father has said that a recent story that he was working on could be the reason for his murder, however, the police are not keen on investigating the same and are simply closing the case in haste without proper investigation.

Suresh Chavhanke in his letter further says that Manish was investigating the links of three major terrorist incidents to places in Bihar like Motihari and Areraj. The three major terror attacks that he was investigating was the Banka Masjid blast, Darbhanga parcel blast and Siwan blast. He says that Afzal Alam, who is also a local journalist in Manish’s father’s paper, got to know about the story Manish was working on and started asking questions about it constantly. The father of Manish said that ever since news got out that Manish had joined Sudarshan news, his enemies increased manyfold and that in his murder, there are Jihadi elements involved.

Chavhanke ends the letter by saying that the same Jihadi elements who murdered Manish, according to his father’s statement, are also a threat to Sudarshan News journalists across the country. Citing this, Suresh Chavhanke demanded an impartial probe into the murder of Manish.

The murder of Sudarshan News journalist, Manish Singh

As per reports, on August 8, Manish left home to attend a function in Math Lahoria Village of the Harsidhhi Police Station area. He went missing after that, and his mobile phone was switched off. Later, his bike was recovered from the Harsiddhi village. Manish was constantly getting threats to his life, and there was a land dispute going on. A complaint was filed over the dispute on July 25 by Sanjay at the local Police station.

After Manish’s disappearance, his father filed a complaint at Harsiddhi Police Station in which he named 12 persons, including two journalists identified as Mohammad Arsad Alam and Amarendra Singh.

While the Police were investigating, they got the information that locals have spotted an unidentified body. Police reached the spot and called Sanjay Singh to identify the body. As it was bloated and mutilated, Singh was able to identify Manish by the shoes. Reports suggest that Manish’s eyes were gouged out, and there were injuries on his face.

Rajya Sabha may set up an inquiry committee to look into the physical assault on marshals by opposition MPs on August 11

OpIndia Staff
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Rajya Sabha may set up an inquiry committee to look into the physical assault on marshals by opposition MPs on August 11

After opposition MPs created ruckus inside the parliament that culminated in violence and manhandling of officials during the Monsoon Session, the Rajya Sabha is expected to set up an inquiry committee in the next few days to look into the statements put out by the marshals alleging attacks by opposition MPs.

According to News18, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the Chairman of the upper house of the Parliament, may order an inquiry to investigate the manhandling of security officials by the opposition MPs on the floor of Rajya Sabha on August 11.

Earlier, the government had submitted a report to the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha that contained letters from Marshals who had narrated their ordeal while dealing with MPs on the floor of the House. This report was submitted to Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu after the Opposition MPs resorted to large scale disruption inside the house, resulting in manhandling of officials on August 11.

The report, accessed by OpIndia, said that the commotion in the upper house started when the house was discussing the Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021, at around 2 PM on August 11.

The report stated, “As soon as the bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passing, Hon’ble Members from opposition stormed into the well of the House to disturb the smooth functioning of the House and attempted to climb the on the Table of the House and to tear the books/papers placed on it.”

“As per the directions from the Chair and Standard Operating Procedures, officials of the Parliament Security Service had already positioned themselves around the Table of the House to prevent potential damage to the items placed on the Table and to protect Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha and other officials from the Secretariat during the commotion,” the report submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairman said.

Besides the report from the government, a letter was written by an injured marshal identified as Rakesh Negi to the Director of the Parliament Security Service, narrating the sequence of events that took place inside Rajya Sabha on August 11.

While informing that on August 11, he was detailed to perform marshal’s duty inside the Rajya Sabha Chamber, Rakesh Negi in the letter said that Opposition MPs Elamaran Kareem and Anil Desai tried to break the security cordon by marshals. 

Security officer Rakesh Negi had informed that CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem and Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai had tried to break the security cordon, and in the process, Elamaram Kareem caught hold of his neck in order to drag him out of the security cordon chain. This had resulted in Negi suffering choking and suffocation for some moments.

The female security officer Ms Akshita Bhat also submitted a report to the Director (Security), where she narrated when she tried to prevent the MPs from breaching the security cordon in their attempt to reach the Table of the House, two female Congress MPs, Chhaya Verma and Phulo Devi Netam stepped aside and made way for male Members to aggressively breach the security cordon and reach the Table.

The two female MPs physically and forcefully dragged her by pulling her arms in their attempt to help their male counterparts break the security cordon formed by the security officials. “However, in spite of their aggressiveness and violent behaviour towards an official performing bonafide duties, I maintained dignity and decorum by gently opposing their force and managed to prevent them from approaching the Table of the House,” Akshita Bhat wrote.

The female security officer had also informed that she sustained multiple abrasions, swellings and haematoma (left shoulder) and twisted left wrist due to the assault. 

CCTV camera nails opposition MPs lies

The monsoon session of the Parliament saw a large scale disruption by the opposition on Wednesday that led to commotion and manhandling of security officials by the opposition MPs inside the Rajya Sabha. While the marshals were summoned to control the violence by the elder members of the parliament, the opposition parties initially alleged that the government had brought people from outside to attack them.

However, the lies of the opposition were busted quickly after the government released the CCTV footage from the Rajya Sabha that showed that it was the MPs who were attacking the marshals. The visuals from the Rajya Sabha session showed that women MPs P Devi Netam and Chhaya- both from the Indian National Congress – were beating and dragging a woman marshal.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who was present at the house during the incident, said that the footage showed that an attempt was made to strangle the woman marshal. In the video, TMC MP Dola Sen was seen arguing and pushing the lady officials of Parliament Security Service. Sen also pushed and obstructed the way of Prahlad Joshi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

TMC leader Nasir Hussain, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi and TMC leader Arpita Ghosh were seen tearing paper in the Well of the House. Congress leaders P Devi Netam and Chhaya Verma pushed and dragged a lady officer and banged her head as well. Congress MP Netam was seen dragging the lady Marshal while trying to hit her head with the shoulder.

Later, after assaulting the marshals, the opposition leaders walked out of the Parliament. From the footage, it is evident that the leaders of opposition unruly behaviour led to the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition leaders not only disrupted the working of the house but also assaulted Marshals on duty.

Tried to break security cordon, attacked and chocked marshals: Report by Director (Security) of Rajya Sabha reveals the extent of violence by opposition MPs

OpIndia Staff
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Tried to break security cordon, attacked and chocked marshals: Report by Director (Security) of Rajya Sabha reveals the extent of violence by opposition MPs

The monsoon session of the Parliament saw a large scale disruption by the opposition, which culminated in violence and manhandling of officials by the opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha on August 11. While the marshals were summoned to control the violence by the elder members of the parliament, the opposition parties had been alleging that the govt had brought people from outside to attack them.

However, the lies of the opposition were busted quickly when the govt released the CCTV footage from the Rajya Sabha, which showed that it was the MPs who were attacking the marshals. Visuals from the Rajya Sabha session showed that women MPs P Devi Netam and Chhaya- both from the Indian National Congress – were beating and dragging a woman marshal.

Now the Director (Security) of Rajya Sabha has submitted a report regarding the incident, which shows that it was the opposition MPs who were indulging in violence, not the marshals as alleged by the opposition parties.

The report, accessed by OpIndia, says that the pandemonium in the upper house started when the house was discussing the Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021 at around 2 PM on 11th August.

The report states, “As soon as the bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passing, Hon’ble Members from opposition stormed into the well of the House to disturb the smooth functioning of the House and attempted to climb the on the Table of the House and to tear the books/papers placed on it. As per the directions from the Chair and Standard Operating Procedures, officials of the Parliament Security Service had already positioned themselves around the Table of the House to prevent potential damage to the items placed on the Table and to protect Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha and other officials from the Secretariat from causing any hurt during the commotion.”

The Director (Security) said in the report that after that, the opposition MPs started tearing the papers and throwing them towards the Chair of the House. Preempting the aggressive temperament of the opposition MPs, it was decided to rush in additional security officials (Marshals) into the Chamber in order to prevent the MPs from causing any damage to the Chair and the Table of the House.

Immediately after receiving the backup, the marshals strengthened the cordon around the Chair/Table of the House and tried their best to prevent the opposition MPs from causing any damage. During this, Congress MP Syed Nasir Hussain first pushed Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut towards security officials cordoning the Table of the House and subsequently pulled him back.

As the opposition MPs failed to breach the cordon of security officials (Marshals), and their efforts to cause potential damage to the Chair of the House went in vain, they started manhandling security officials instead. During the commotion, one of the lady Marshals was dragged by the MPs terribly, causing minor injury to her several body parts.

Another male marshal officer was left choking and suffocating when an MP, in an attempt to breach the cordon, caught hold of his neck.

The report also included frames grabbed from the CCTV footage showing the violence unleashed by the opposition MPs.

The female security officer Ms Akshita Bhat also submitted a report to the Director (Security), where she narrated when she tried to prevent the MPs from breaching the security cordon in their attempt to reach the Table of the House, two female Congress MPs Chhaya Verma and Phulo Devi Netam stepped aside and made way for male Members to aggressively breach the security cordon and reach the Table. The two female MPs physically and forcefully dragged her by pulling her arms in their attempt to help their male counterparts break the security cordon formed by the security officials. “However, in spite of their aggressiveness and violent behaviour towards an official performing bonafide duties, I maintained dignity and decorum by gently opposing their force and managed to prevent them to approach the Table of the House,” Akshita Bhat wrote.

She also informed that she sustained multiple abrasions, swellings and haematoma (left shoulder) and twisted left wrist as a result of the assault. “The situation was unprecedented and it was an extremely challenging endeavour to have maintained a dignified behaviour in the face of violent behaviour demonstrated by the protesting Members of Parliament in the well of Rajya Sabha Chamber on 11.08.2021,” she added.

Similarly, security officer Rakesh Negi also informed that CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem and Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai had tried to break the security cordon, and in the process, Elamaram Kareem caught hold of his neck in order to drag him out of the security cordon chain. This had resulted in Negi suffering choking and suffocation for some moments.

The report by the Director (Security) also included the chronology of the events in the Rajya Sabha. The same has been reproduced below.

Sl. No.Time
In hours and minutes (hh:mm)		Detail of Incident
1.18:02Ms. Dola Sen put the hanging loop made up of fabric/scarf (resembling a noose) around the neck of Smt. Shanta Chhetri in the gangway and held other end of loop in her hand and made slogan shouting.
2.18:04Hanging loop held by Ms. Dola Sen and Smt. Shanta Chettri followed her up to the ‘Well of the House’ on the right side of Chair.
3.18:08Papers tom by Mrs. Phulo Devi Netam and thrown on the Table of the House towards SG/RS.
4.18:09Smt. Chhaya Verma also tore some papers and threw them towards the Table of the House.
5.18:10Snatched the papers / folders kept on the ‘Table of the House’.
• Sh. Binoy Vishwam & Sh. Elamaran Kareem (from right side of Chair)
• Sh. Rajmani Patel and Sh. Anil Desai (from left side of chair).
6.18:11Rajya Sabha House adjourned for 15 minutes
7.18:17Video recording made by Sh. Akhilesh Prasad Singh covering the Security Staff and ‘Table of the House’
8.18:22Ms. Dola Sen obstructs the way of Sh. Piyush Goyal (Leader of the House) and Sh. Prahlad Joshi (Minister of Parliamentary Affairs) coming from the Chairman’s Chamber to take their respective seats in the House. They were also being pushed by her.
9.18:23• Ms. Dola Sen also argued and pushed the Lady officials of Parliament Security Service (PSS).
• Ms. Sen also displayed the loop high in the air that was worn by Smt. Shanta Chhetri.
10.18:26Papers tom and thrown towards the ‘Table of the House.’
• Sh. Syed Nasir Hussain,
• Ms. Arpita Ghosh, and
• Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi
11.18:29Sh. Syed Nasir Hussain first pushed Sh. Sanjay Raut towards Security officials cordoning the ‘Table of the House’ and subsequently pulled him back. They were joined by other MPs viz. Sh. Elamaran Kareem, Sh. Ripun Bora, Sh. Binoy Vishwam and Sh. Akhilesh Prasad Singh.
12.18:31Sh. Ripun Bora climbed on the LED TV Stand installed on the left side of the Chair (near seat of LOP)
13.18:32• Sh. Elamaran Kareem manhandled and severely choke the neck of one Male Marshal (Security official from PSS/RSS) and dragged him in order to break the security cordon.
• One lady Marshal i.e. Security official from Parliament Security Service, Rajya Sabha Secretariat (PSS/RSS) was pulled and dragged by Smt. Phulodevi Netam & Smt. Chhaya Verma and assaulted her in the ‘Well of the House’.
14.18:33Sh. Ripun Bora again climbed on the LED TV Stand installed on the left side of the Chair (near seat of LOP)
15.18:34Rajya Sabha House adjourned for 30 minutes q
1618:40Video recording by Sh. Derek O’ Brien (AITC)
17.19:04House re-assembled and Leader of Opposition asked for ‘Point of Order’ and subsequently, the opposition parties/ agitating MPs walked out from the House.
18.19:05Ms. Dola Sen holding rope in her hand and other end rope loop tied around the neck of Smt. Shanta Chhetri climbed on front row seat (4th column from Treasury Benches). Ms. Arpita Ghosh also torn papers and threw towards the ‘Table of the House’.

Leave Afghanistan immediately, don’t wait for govt evacuation: US embassy in Kabul issues second emergency alert in a week for US citizens

OpIndia Staff
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Leave Afghanistan immediately, don’t wait for govt evacuation: US embassy in Kabul issues second emergency alert in a week for US citizens

Signifying the grave situation in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, the US Embassy in the country has urged American citizens to leave the country immediately. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has issued a security alert to US citizens living in Afghanistan, urging them to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. The alert came amid fears that the airports in the country will have to be shut down as the Taliban captures one city after another.

The US Embassy also said that if some Americans can’t afford to purchase an air ticket, they can approach the US govt for a repatriation loan. They also said that if some US citizens are waiting for an immigrant visa for their spouse or minor child, they such people can contact the embassy.

However, the embassy said that its ability to assist US citizens is limited at this time due to the situation. “Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul,” the statement issued by the embassy on its website said.

The statement added that the travel advisory for Afghanistan remains Level 4- Do Not Travel, due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and COVID-19. It said that Domestic flights and ground transportation routes outside of Kabul are severely limited and subject to cancellation or closure.

The Embassy also reminded that the Department of State had already ordered those employees from U.S. Embassy Kabul whose functions can be performed elsewhere due to increasing violence and threat reports in Kabul.

The embassy has also asked the US citizens in Afghanistan to enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates and ensure the Embassy can contact them in an emergency. If the US govt organises official evacuation flights in future, the govt will inform the citizens who have registered in the STEP database. However, the embassy asked the citizens not to wait for and rely on such evacuations, and urged them to leave the country immediately using commercial transportation.

This is the second alert issued by the US embassy in Kabul in a week, as it had already issued such an alert on August 7. The first alert had also asked the US citizens to leave the country immediately using available commercial transportation, and not to wait for government assistance.

The alerts come amid the rapid gains made by the Taliban in the war-torn country. The group has captured around a dozen provincial capitals and now control more than two-thirds of the country. It is estimated by US intelligence that it will take just 30 more days to isolate capital Kabul and 90 days to completely capture it for the Taliban.

As the US Embassy continues to urge its citizens to leave Afghanistan, the embassy of the USA and several countries themselves are preparing to leave the country. According to reports, the US and other western military allies have already begun preparing for the emergency evacuation of embassies in Afghanistan, in the event Kabul is threatened by the Taliban.

While most embassies are reducing the number of staff, the US and Turkey are negotiating for the security of Kabul Airport, which will be vital in any such evacuation. Turkey has been in charge of the military and logistical operations at Kabul airport for the past six years as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission. Now the Turkish govt has offered to deploy troops at Kabul airport for its security after NATO withdraws, and has held talks with the United States in this regard.

Begusarai: 11-year-old Mahadalit girl raped near a graveyard, one Md Sintu arrested while co-accused Md Laddu remains on the run

OpIndia Staff
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Begusarai: 11-year-old Mahadalit girl raped near a graveyard, one Md Sintu arrested while co-accused Md Laddu remains on the run

A case of rape of a minor girl in Begusarai in Bihar has come to light. The 11-year-old victim, who is from a Mahadalit family, was raped by two youths near a graveyard on 8th August 2011 in Kathari village in Begusarai.

According to reports, the m minor girl had left home at night to defecate when two youths from another community caught her and took her to the cemetery and raped her. The girl was later released on the road, where some people noticed her and informed her family members. A complaint was lodged about the incident with the police station two days later. So far, one accused has been arrested in the case, and the search for the other accused is on. The victim has undergone medical treatment, and the report is awaited.

Rape done after being beaten up in cemetery

The crime happened on August 8, 2021 at around 11-11:30 pm, however, the complaint was registered on the 10th. The 11-year-old victim from Kathari village of Dandari police station in Begusarai told OpIndia that she had just left home to defecate at night on August 8 when Mohammad Laddu and Mohammad Sintu, who work in a garage in her neighbourhood, arrived at the spot on a motorcycle and grabbed her by the mouth and took her with her to the nearby cemetery. There the duo assaulted her and raped her.

The minor girl’s mother also confirmed in a conversation with OpIndia that the two accused used to work at a garage near their house, and their names are Mohammad Laddu and Mohammad Sintu.

Victim’s ordeal, police action, Bajrang Dal support

A copy of the complaint lodged by the victim in the police station has been accessed by OpIndia. In the complaint, the minor has narrated the ordeal. According to the complaint, she was forcibly made to sit on a motorcycle by the two accused and they had slapped her after taking her to a cemetery around one kilometre away. Mohammad Sintu then held her and was raped by Mohammad Ladoo. When the girl fainted due to the assault, the duo left her on a nearby road and then fled.

Seeing the girl lying on the road, some people informed her family members and a complaint was lodged in the case after the girl narrated the incident to her family.

OpIndia also spoke with Dandari police station in this regard. The police officer told us that one of the accused, Mohammad Ahmed Azam alias Mohammad Sintu, has been arrested in the case. Mohammad Ladoo is absconding and raids are being conducted to nab him. The girl underwent a medical examination, and further action will be taken after the report is received.

In connection with the case, Bajrang Dal leader Pankaj Singh is has demanded the district administration to arrest all the culprits at the earliest. He has said that the Bajrang Dal will stay with the girl till she gets justice. He along with his other colleagues met the victim’s family today.

Tamil Nadu: Christian pastor who had organised George Ponnaiah’s hate speech event booked on gang-rape charges

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Christian pastor who had organised George Ponnaiah’s hate speech event booked on gang-rape charges

Christian priest Arumanai Stephen, the secretary of Arumanai Christian Association(ACA), has been booked by the Tamil Nadu police for allegedly gang-raping a married woman and recording the video of the act. Seven others also allegedly committed the crime along with the pastor.

Pastor Stephen is currently already arrested for organising an event in the Kanyakumari district in which controversial Catholic priest George Ponnaiah had made hate speech against Hindus and abused Hindu deities.

According to the reports, a 36-year-old woman from Veeyannoor of Thiruvattar district in Tamil Nadu has registered a complaint against Arumanai Stephen, accusing him of not only gang-raping her but also recording the act.

The victim has accused Arumana Stephen and seven others of spiking her drink and gang-raping her after she fell unconscious. The pastor and his friends then filmed the act, confined her inside a farmhouse and repeatedly raped her.

In April, the victim had filed a complaint with the police, but no action was taken due to their close relationship with the ruling DMK. A few days later, one accused Jefferson ended his life fearing police action. After the police arrested Stephen in the hate speech case, along with Pastor George Ponnaiah, the victim came forward to file another online complaint against Stephen seeking justice.

The police have also booked Stephen, DMK functionary John Bright, Henslin, Callister Jebaraj and other accused under IPC sections for unlawful confinement, stealing, sexual abuse, issuing death threats, etc.

Stephen had organised the hate speech event of George Ponnaiah:

Stephen, the secretary of Arumanai Christian Association (ACA), was the organiser of a public meeting at Arumanai in which George Ponnaiah had made the hate speech against Hindus. The pastor had made the contentious remarks during a meeting on July 18 at Arumanai.

During the meeting with his followers, Ponnaiah had condemned the closure of churches and the ban on conducting prayer meetings amidst the Coronavirus lockdown. He had paid tribute to late Maoist sympathiser Stan Swamy and also criticised the move to deny permits to build new churches on Patta land.

Father George Ponnaiah had slammed the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HRCE), PK Sekar Babu. He emphasised, “It does not matter how many temples you renovate and consecrate. No Hindu, no devotee of Mandaikattu Amman, is going to vote for you. If you won, then it is the alms we Christians and Muslims have thrown to you. You won not because of your talents.”

While speaking about the role of the Church in ensuring DMK’s victory, he had said, “Bishops just signalled with their eyes and our workers including the Pentecostal movement workers went and canvassed for you (DMK and Congress).”

The Christian pastor was heard admonishing another candidate for not openly associating with the Church. He took potshots at the BJP at the expense of the local Nadar community. Father George Ponnaiah had claimed, “…He was afraid that he might lose Hindu votes. So who won there? Who was this M R Gandhi? He went to Christian Nadars and gave Rs 2,000 and cried that he was a Nadar and that he wanted to die as an MLA.” He had mocked the Nadar community by asking if they have brains and whether the BJP candidate MR Gandhi was even a Nadar in the first place.

Father Ponnaiah had also insulted Bharat Mata by claiming that she is dirty and can cause scabies. During his public address, he mocked MR Gandhi for not wearing footwear out of respect for Mother Earth (Bhumadevi/Bharat Mata). “But we wear shoes. Why? Because the impurities of Bharat Mata should not contaminate us. The Tamil Nadu government has given us free footwear. This bhumadevi is dangerous, you could catch scabies from it,” the pastor brazened it out. Besides vulgar rhetorics and open polarisation, Fr Ponnaiah made despicable remarks about PM Modi and Amit Shah.

The hate speech had caused massive outrage across the country, with citizens of the country demanding the arrest of the controversial Christian priest for spreading hatred against Hindus. Following a complaint, the Tamil Nadu police had arrested Father George Ponnaiah and Arumanai Stephen from the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.

Aap chronology samajhiye: Minute by minute detail of how the opposition MPs created ruckus in Rajya Sabha and unleashed violence

OpIndia Staff
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Aap chronology samajhiye: Minute by minute detail of how the opposition MPs created ruckus in Rajya Sabha and unleashed violence

On August 12, Members of Parliament from opposition parties accused marshals of using force against them on Wednesday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi even accused the government of bringing people from outside who posed as marshals and beat up opposition leaders. However, video feeds from August 11 inside Rajya Sabha show a whole different story. Know The Nation published a chronology of events with videos to show how the opposition MPs created ruckus in the Parliament and unleashed violence against the marshals.

At 6:02 PM, TMC MP Dola Sen places a loop around TMC MP Santa Chaturvedi, and they kept shouting “democracy killed” in the Well of the House.

At 6:22 PM, Sen pushed and obstructed the way of Prahlad Joshi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

At 6:26 PM, TMC leader Nasir Hussain, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi and TMC leader Arpita Ghosh torn paper in the Well of the House.

At 6:31 PM, Congress leaders P Devi Netam and Chhaya Verma pushed and dragged a lady officer. They banged her head as well. Then Netam was seen dragging the lady Marshal while trying to hit her head with the shoulder.

At 6:33 PM, Assam Congress leader Ripun Bora climbed on a marshal and tried to reach the chair of the Rajya Sabha.

At 6:40 PM, TMC leader Derek O’Brien was seen recording the House, Well, Marshal and others.

At 7:04 PM, all the opposition leaders walked out of the Parliament, and the opposition leader gave the point of order. At 7:05 PM, Arpita Ghosh, Mausam Noor and Dola Sen were seen standing on the first benches.

It is evident with the video evidence that the leaders of opposition unruly behaviour led to the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition leaders not only disrupted the working of the house but also assaulted Marshals on duty.

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