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‘Just erotica, not porn’: Actress Shilpa Shetty defends husband Raj Kundra after he was arrested in an adult film racket

OpIndia Staff
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‘Just erotica, not porn’: Actress Shilpa Shetty defends husband Raj Kundra after he was arrested in an adult film racket

Days after Raj Kundra was arrested on charges of producing pornographic films, actress Shilpa Shetty has come out in defence of her husband, reported Mid-Day.

While quoting a police official, the Indian daily, stated, “Shilpa Shetty said that the movies available on Hotshot are not pornography but erotica. She also said that nowadays, similar content is available on the various OTT platforms, and in fact, some are more obscene than what is available on Hotshot”. According to Mid-Day, she had denied her involvement in the production of the contentious videos.

On Friday (July 23), the Mumbai police raided the residence of the couple in Juhu for over 6 hours and recovered several electronic gadgets. While Shilpa Shetty has come out in defence of her husband, Raj Kundra alleged that the production of the ‘videos’ was being handled by his brother-in-law Pradeep Bakshi from London. Reportedly, the duo communicated only through Whatsapp. However, the police have refused to buy his argument.

A police official informed, “We have enough evidence that he (Raj Kundra) was dealing with everything, his brother-in-law was made the owner of the London-based company just for namesake.” Interestingly, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch did not find the direct involvement of Shilpa Shetty with the production of pornographic videos. The cops interrogated the actress for several hours about her decision to quit Viaan Industries in 2020. It is suspected that the decision was influenced by the impending legal obstacles due to connections between Hotshot and Viaan Industries.

Lawyer of Raj Kundra dismisses the pornography angle 

During the remand hearing on Friday, advocate Abad Ponda representing Raj Kundra argued that the video content did not fall under the category of pornography. He said, “The videos don’t show the ‘actual act of coitus’ or ‘actual act of intercourse, hence they can’t be considered pornographic. OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon have similar content. Shows like Sex life and Four Shots have similar content. I don’t understand why Mumbai police are going after Kundra but not after Netflix and Amazon. In India, we don’t follow the ‘Hicklin test of obscenity — the model followed by the UK. We follow the ‘Canadian concept of obscenity.”

According to the Canadian standard of obscenity, no individual shall be prosecuted if he establishes that public good was served by acts that are alleged to have been obscene. Ponda cited the example of Bandit Queen to substantiate his arguments. While the Mumbai police did not challenge the arguments, the Court inquired, “What’s lascivious and what’s not?” The Mumbai police or prosecution did not counter or object to the arguments by Ponda. Besides, Kundra’s lawyers have also moved a petition in the Bombay High Court against the invocation of the Information Technology Act against him.

Arrest of Raj Kundra in pornography case

On July 19, actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband, Raj Kundra, was arrested by Mumbai Police for his alleged role in creating and publishing pornographic films on some mobile applications. As per reports, he had appeared before the Property Cell of Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch for questioning, after which he was placed under arrest. Kundra was taken for medical examination at JJ Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said, “Businessman Raj Kundra has been arrested by the Crime Branch in a case relating to the creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps. We have arrested Raj Kundra in this case on July 19, 2021, as he appears to be the key conspirator of this. We have sufficient evidence regarding this. The investigation is in progress, please.” Raj Kundra has been sent to police remand till July 27.

I lost, public did not vote for me: Watch how Rakesh Tikait gets taken to task by this journalist

OpIndia Staff
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I lost, public did not vote for me: Watch how Rakesh Tikait gets taken to task by this journalist

Since late 2020, the so-called farmers have been squatting at the borders of Delhi protesting against the three Farm laws enacted by the Government of India, meant to benefit the farmers. The protests, that have been taken over by Khalistanis, politicians and the middle-men that these farm laws aim to eradicate, are mainly being led by one self-styled farmer leader, Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of Bharat Kisan Union.

Rakesh Tikait has in the past been indulged by the Indian media as a messiah for the farmers, even while he passed problematic statements inciting violence and is opposing a law that would increase the income of farmers themselves. The media has by and large been subservient to the “farmers” who have been squatting on the roads causing immense inconvenience to the people and had also indulged in rampant violence on the 26th of January.

One journalist, Garima Singh, however, took Rakesh Tikait head-on while interviewing him on a channel called News 1 India.

During the interview in one of the segments, the anchor asks Rakesh Tikait why he did not win the elections even after contesting while making tall claims of contributing to the Prime Minister winning elections in 2014. It is pertinent to note here that Rakesh Tikait has claimed several times that it was him who rallied the Jats in the Haryana region behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi during and after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, resulting in his victory.

Assuming he has the influence in Haryana to make the Prime Minister win elections, the anchor asks him why he did not manage to win elections even though he contested twice.

Embarrassed by the question, Rakesh Tikait says, “Yes. The public did not vote for me. I lost”.

Enraged by the question, Rakesh Tikait then asks the anchor who she voted for in the elections. The anchor, Garima, flatly refuses to answer saying that she is the journalist asking the questions and it is Rakesh Tikait who should answer. To this, Rakesh Tikait goes on another rant, claiming that the anchor is actually “scared” to reveal who she voted for. Saying that the media has no “courage” to reveal who they voted for since they are supposedly all scared of PM Modi, Rakesh Tikait goes on to try and put Garima on the spot.

Garima, however, tells Tikait that it is not about courage, but the fact that disclosing who one actually votes for is not desirable, as per the tenets of our democracy. After Rakesh Tikait attempting to play the victim again, Garima asks him the pointed question again – “If you made PM Modi win, why did you not win when you fought elections twice”.

After a pregnant pause, Rakesh Tikait meekly blurts out that though he did not win the elections when he contested, he will certainly win in the “protests”.

The display of frustration by Rakesh Tikait in the video clip that has now gone viral is nothing short of amusing. Rakesh Tikait, who has fashioned himself as a popular farmer leader has failed to make a dent politically when he fought elections. Apart from Rakesh Tikait himself losing both times he contested, only recently, the BJP swept the Zilla Parishad polls in Uttar Pradesh, even winning from Rakesh Tikait’s hometown. While Tikait might fancy himself as a popular mass leader of the farmers, the truth seems to be far from it and he has so far been unable to translate his delusions into votes for himself.

Rakesh Tikait puts a condition to hold a ‘no condition talk

It is pertinent to note that the central government has repeatedly asserted that they are open to holding talks to discuss certain clauses of the Farm Bills as claimed by the protestors but will not roll back the laws. 

However, Tikait who seems to be in no mood to bring the protests to a logical conclusion insists that they will end the stir or engage in dialogue only if the laws will be taken back. 

“The farm laws will not be curbed, yet they are asking us to end the protest. Farmers are not protesting for 8 months so that they could follow govt’s orders. If they want to talk, they can talk, but no conditions should be imposed,” said Tikait while speaking with the media. 

“We have said earlier as well that we are ready for talks whenever the government is ready. But why are they making it conditional by saying that they will not take back the farm laws?” he added exposing the irony. 

11 rounds of talks failed

It is imperative to note that the government had initiated 11 rounds of talks with the protesting farmers to reach an amicable solution. In the 10th round of talks, the Centre had proposed putting the Farm Bills on hold for 1.5 years, however, that too was not convincing enough for the farmers who have made ‘my way or the highway’ their motto.

The last round of talk was held in January after which no new date was determined for the next round. As the second wave of the pandemic receded, the Centre and the Union Minister have invited the farmers multiple times for the talks, however, the leaders have been adamant on their demand.

For Rakesh Tikait, it is all politics, no farmers

Bharat Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait in a TV interview declared that if the Centre does not repeal the Farm Bills, the only option he will be left with is to defeat BJP in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections slated for 2022.

Deflecting the anchor’s question of whether the farmers protest was a reason for BJP’s defeat in Bengal and if the farmer leader had any role to play in it, Tikait answered, “BJP winning just 600 seats out of more than 3000 seats in panchayat elections is no less than a defeat.” Urging the Centre to reinitiate talks, Tikait said that they will visit every state if the Centre does not adhere to their demands.

Disclosing their next mission, Tikait revealed, “Samyukta Morcha’s next mission is Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.” “We are requesting the Centre to fulfill our demands before that and repeal the laws,” threatened the self-acclaimed farmer leader.

It is also pertinent to note that Rakesh Tikait has said in the past claimed that even if the farm laws are repealed, he will continue his protest till 2024, thereby exposing that for him, the protest is purely political and has got nothing to do with the farmers or the farm laws.

Kerala: Woman pretends to be an advocate for 2 years, flees with rare books and documents after anonymous letter exposes her

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Woman pretends to be an advocate for 2 years, flees with rare books and documents after anonymous letter exposes her

A 27-year-old woman, who had been pretending to be a lawyer for the past 2.5 years, fled from the Alappuzha (Aleppey) court in Kerala on Thursday after realising that her game of deceit was over.

As per reports, the accused woman has been identified as one Sessy Xavier. A resident of Ramankary in Kuttanad, Xavier managed to practice law for over 2 years without raising any suspicion. With the help of fake documents, she worked as a junior lawyer under a senior advocate in the Alappuzha court. The accused had even interned under the same lawyer by claiming to be a final-year law student. She even managed to become a member of the Aleppey Bar Association in March 2019 after working with it since March 2018.

During the said period, Xavier appeared in several cases before the court. She was also appointed as Advocate Commissioner in 25 cases. She contested in the Bar Association election in 2021 and was elected as the librarian. However, the case of deceit and fraud came to an end when the Bar Association received an anonymous letter on July 15. The letter claimed that Sessy Xavier did not have any law degree or enrollment certificate. During the probe, it was discovered that she had been practising law using the enrollment number of another advocate based in Thiruvananthapuram.

Bar council terminates membership of fake lawyer

It was also found that she never enrolled with the Kerala Bar Council. The woman had misled her friends and family into believing her concocted story. She had initially claimed to have studied law in Thiruvananthapuram but later maintained that she continued her law degree in Bengaluru. As such, the Bar Association immediately terminated her membership and notified the District Judge regarding the matter. Sessy Xavier did not respond to the notice sent by the Bar Association and failed to provide any explanation.

Police files case, accused absconds from court premises

The Bar Association also filed a complaint with the local police, wherein it alleged that the accused stole books and rare documents as a librarian. It is believed that the woman had destroyed her fake certificates before absconding from the law enforcement authorities. The police have registered a case against Sessy Xavier under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 417 (cheating), 419 (cheating by personation), and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property). The cops have also pressed charges for theft.

On Thursday (July 22), the accused reached the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I in Alappuzha with an intention to surrender. Reportedly, she hoped to seek bail before the Court. However, on realising that a First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged against her for non-bailable offences, she fled through the backdoor with the help of some unidentified advocates. Sessy Xavier is still on the run from law enforcement and the cops are yet to trace her down.

Gang rape victim threatened by police in Bengal, attempt to intimidate her for registering complaint against TMC leaders, say activists

OpIndia Staff
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Gang rape victim threatened by police in Bengal, attempt to intimidate her for registering complaint against TMC leaders, say activists

A gang-rape victim in West Bengal was allegedly threatened by West Bengal police for registering a complaint against TMC leaders.

Supreme Court Advocate Monika Arora alleged that a gang-rape victim from Birbhum, West Bengal, was threatened by the police officers for registering a complaint against ruling Trinamool Congress leaders, who had allegedly gang-raped her.

The police officials from Shantiniketan visited the victim’s residence on Friday and terrorised her for accusing TMC leaders of gang-raping her, Advocate Monika Arora said in her tweet. The police officials allegedly warned her, saying that they would take her to the police station on Friday night in response to her accusations.

Dr Shruti Mishra, a Professor at Delhi University and an activist, shared an audio clip in which the victim was heard narrating her ordeal.

“Instead of providing justice to the victim woman, the police has reached to arrest the victim at 8 o’clock in the night,” said Dr Shruti Mishra in her tweet.

In the audio clip shared by Dr Mishra, the victim, who is terrified, can be heard narrating her ordeal in a hushed voice. The victim says six police officials from the Shantiniketan police station had reached her house and threatened her father, saying they would take her daughter to the police station.

The victim said that the police are asking her to visit the police station at 8:00 PM on Friday to inquire about the gang-rape case. The victim in the audio says she could not identify the police officers as they were not carrying their official badges.

Following the horrific incident, activists Monika Arora and Dr Shruti Mishra have requested the centre and National Human Rights Commission to take cognizance of the matter and offer protection to the victim.

Political violence, gang-rapes in West Bengal

Following the victory of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, large scale political violence ensued in the state.

Horror stories of violence emerged from the state that included assault, rape, police apathy against women in West Bengal. The women had moved the Supreme Court narrating details of the horrifying crimes they were subjected to. The victims had sought SIT probe into all the incidents as well as the inaction of the police.

Model says Raj Kundra’s assistant wanted her to get nude during auditions, says she is receiving threats, abusive calls

OpIndia Staff
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Model says Raj Kundra’s assistant wanted her to get nude during auditions, says she is receiving threats, abusive calls

Model Sagarika Shona Suman has made stunning allegations against Raj Kundra, husband to Shilpa Shetty, who is currently involved in a pornography scandal. Sagarika Shona has claimed Umesh Kamat, Raj Kundra’s former personal assistant, demanded that she get naked during an audition.

“He told me I have to audition online, and I was ready for it because during the lockdown all auditions were happening online. When the audition started, he demanded I take my clothes off and that is when I refused to go ahead,” said Sagarika.

According to Sagarika, there were three individuals on the other end of the call and one of them she figures was Raj Kundra. She stated, “I am not sure if he was Raj, his face was covered with a mask, however, the figure and the body structure did look like him. It was Umesh Kamat who asked me to strip and pose nude on the video call.”

She is discussing the future course of action with her lawyers. Sagarika Shona said that there were others who were involved in the pornography racket. According to her, they were not victims but active participants.

“There are many more people who are making porn films. There are nearly 30 others who are not just victims, but they are a part of the Kundra-led porn racket. These actors are actively promoting and shooting porn and then sharing uncut clips on their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts, which in turn drive huge traffic to apps like HotShots and HotHits. These people should also be arrested, and their roles probed by the police,” she stated.

The model has said that following her allegations against Kundra, she has been receiving threatening calls and also vulgar and abusive calls. “I am disturbed and depressed because I am getting calls from different online platforms. They are threatening me. I am getting threats of death and rape. People are calling me from different numbers and asking me what wrong has Raj Kundra done,” she stated.

She said, “They are threatening me and accusing me of shutting down their business. They even said that you people watch porn films that’s why we are making it.”

The model first made the allegations in February 2021, months before the pornography racket broke out in the open. She had said, “This happened in August during the lockdown. I got a call from Umesh Kamat. They told me that they are making a huge web series, which is owned by Raj Kundra. He said that together with us you will get a very big hike. He told that the web series is based on love stories. I accepted the offer. He then said that he would take the audition on a video call. When the turn came for the audition, he demanded a nude audition from me.”

The case against Raj Kundra

On Monday, the British-Indian businessman and husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty – Raj Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai Police on charges of creating pornographic films and publishing them through mobile apps.

According to reports, Raj Kundra is accused of being a key conspirator in creating and published pornographic content online. The Mumbai Police officials investigating the porn film racket case involving Raj Kundra have alleged that he has made over 100 porn movies in the last one-and-a-half-year.

The Crime branch officials said they have recovered “huge data” of porn movies, running into terabytes (TB) during their raids at Raj Kundra’s office in Andheri West, Mumbai. The police have also seized the server and devices allegedly used to store this data. At least 70 adult movies have been recovered from the server.

The Mumbai officials alleged that Raj Kundra entered the porn industry in August 2019 and earned crores through them. The arrest of Raj Kundra comes months after Mumbai Police had initiated a coordinated probe into the porn film racket case. The case is under investigation since the beginning of this year.

Kerala witnesses dramatic spike in dowry payments; Sikhs, Christians top the list

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala witnesses dramatic spike in dowry payments; Sikhs, Christians top the list

Although the dowry system has been rendered illegal by the Indian government in 1961, the exploitative tradition continues to be practised across the country. In a new study published on the World Bank blogs, it was found that Sikhs and Christians constitute the highest dowry payers in India. It was also revealed that Kerala had the highest dowry inflation compared to other States.

The study titled, “The evolution of dowry in rural India: 1960-2008” was authored by a group of economists, namely, S. Anukriti, Nishith Prakash, Sungoh Kwon, and published on June 30 this year. The authors relied on the data provided by the 2006 Rural Economic and Demographic Survey (REDS), which found that dowry was paid in 95% of marriages between 1960 and 2008. The data was collected from 40,000 marriages in 17 states that roughly comprise about 96% of the population.

After crunching the data, the authors concluded that dowry was prevalent among adherents of all major religions in India. The study broke the long-held myth that the dowry system was limited only to the Hindu community. Despite the Hindu population comprising 89% of the original sample (40,000 marriages), it was found that the net dowry was the highest for the Sikh and Christian communities. Both these religious groups witnessed a drastic growth in net inflation in dowry payments. Interestingly, even the Muslim community surpasses the Hindu community in dowry payments around the years 2002-2003.

Net dowry for major religious groups between 1960-2008 (Graph Courtesy: World Bank blogs )

The State-wise data for dowry inflation put India’s most literate State under the scanner. The authors noted, “Kerala exhibits stark and persistent dowry inflation since the 1970s and has the highest average dowry in recent years. Other states with inflationary trends are Haryana, Punjab, and Gujarat. Given Kerala’s religious composition—26% Muslims, 18% Christians, and 55% Hindus—this trend is compatible with the differential trends by religion described earlier.”

Net dowry for various States between 1960-2008 (Graph Courtesy: World Bank blogs )

The study also noted that the average net dowry has stabilised over the years, with a spike prior to 1975 and after 2000. It must be mentioned that the average net dowry is calculated by subtracting the value of gifts given to the groom by the bride’s family and the gifts given to the bride by the groom’s family. The researchers found that the value of gifts from the groom’s side was relatively smaller than that received by him. “While on average, a groom’s family spends about Rs. 5,000 (in real terms) on gifts to the bride’s family, gifts from the bride’s family cost seven times more, that is, about Rs. 32,000, implying an average real net dowry of Rs. 27,000,” the study concluded.

Ravindra Jadeja shows how to bat against left-wing outrage mob, why others should follow

Jinit Jain
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Ravindra Jadeja shows how to bat against left-wing outrage mob, why others should follow

After Chennai Super Kings southpaw Suresh Raina got attacked online for asserting his Brahmin identity, his friend and fellow CSK player Ravindra Jadeja demonstrated how to tackle the menace of leftist trolls on social media platforms.

In utter defiance of the backlash that Raina faced for calling himself a Brahmin while commenting during a match in Tamil Nadu Premier League, Ravindra Jadeja, who is also a part of the Indian Cricket Team and is currently on tour to England for the upcoming test series, posted a tweet where he called himself a ‘proud Rajput boy’.

“#RAJPUTBOY FOREVER. Jai Hind,” Jadeja tweeted.

Jadeja’s bold tweet betrays that he cares two hoots about the outrage that would inevitably follow after he unabashedly asserted his Rajput identity. It shows his haughty disregard of the leftwing users, who have made it their profession to attack those who are proud of their Hindu roots and cultural heritage.

For some time now, the leftist trolls on social media platforms have attacked notable celebrities who have not shied away from expressing their caste and Hindu identity. These trolls not only resort to abusing, threatening and berating such personalities online but they also indulge in promoting “cancel culture” against them and encouraging their social ostracism, simply because their ideology did not converge with their’s.

However, Jadeja has a way to deal with such nasty leftwing trolls—instead of ducking their attacks on the back foot or slavishly heeding to their demands, the all-rounder suggests that one should take them on the front foot and hit them out of the park(metaphorically), without bothering about the consequences.

With his tweet, Jadeja displayed that the only way to fight the scourge of leftist trolls on social media websites is by unapologetically wearing one’s caste/identity on their sleeve, instead of forfeiting one’s identity and meekly surrendering to their outrage. As such, this is not the first time that Jadeja has been unapologetic about his caste. In April 2020 too, Jadeja’s sword-wielding and “Rajput Boy” assertion has raised the hackles of the leftist ideologues and trolls on social media.

Jadeja’s defiance should be aped by others as well because if they keep humouring unreasonable demands made by the leftwing trolls, it will not only legitimise their outrage, but will also embolden them to continue indulging in such perverse conduct. It is time that the leftwing ideologues and their piddly trolls on social media are made to realise that they have no business to dictate and regulate people from asserting their religious and cultural indentity online.

Suresh Raina attacked by leftists on social media for asserting his Brahmin identity

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina landed in a controversy after a commentary during Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) where he asserted his Brahmin identity and said that he relates to the culture of Chennai. He has been an integral part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and was speaking about his connection with Chennai.

Raina, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, said, “I think, I am also Brahmin. I have been playing since 2004 in Chennai, I love the culture… I love my teammates. I have played with Anirudha Srikanth, Badri (Subramaniam Badrinath), Bala Bhai (L Balaji)… I think you need to learn something good from there. We have a good administration, we have the license to explore ourselves. I love the culture there, and I’m lucky to be part of CSK. Hopefully, we will play more matches there.”

However, he was subsequently attacked on Twitter where he was accused of being ‘casteist’, just because he said he was a Brahmin.

‘CM Amarinder Singh managed the farmers and sent them to Delhi’: Former Congress Punjab chief’s speech raises questions

OpIndia Staff
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‘CM Amarinder Singh managed the farmers and sent them to Delhi’: Former Congress Punjab chief’s speech raises questions

Former Congress Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar made a startling revelation on Friday during the Congress ceremony to commemorate the appointment of Navjot Singh Sidhu as the new state party chief. Sunil Jakhar said that Captain Amarinder Singh handled the farmer protests ably and if anyone else were the Chief Minister, then the Punjab government would have borne the brunt of the farmers’ anger rather than the central government.

Jakhar said, ‘The farmer protesters have entered BJP’s house but if BJP is unable to oust them, it is because the whole of Punjab is standing by the protesters. If someone else was the Chief Minister at that moment, the slogans that are being raised against the BJP would have been raised against us. He (Amarinder Singh) handled them brilliantly and sent them there (Delhi border)’.

Sunil Jakhar said that if the situation was not handled aptly, then the Punjab Government would have suffered the wrath of the anti-farm law protesters. The comments are being interpreted by people as an admission that the Congress party sent the farmers to protest at the Delhi Border.

The protests have turned into a crime zone, with sexual harassment, murder and assault being reported from the protest sites. Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed the Congress party chief in Punjab amidst his quarrel with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. There are reports of infighting in the party amidst the squabble between Sidhu and Singh.

Thousands of Afghans who worked for US troops now face Taliban’s death trap, US govt announces Operation Allies Refuge

OpIndia Staff
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Thousands of Afghans who worked for US troops now face Taliban’s death trap, US govt announces Operation Allies Refuge

Sohail Pardis, an Afghan translator for the US army, was beheaded by the Taliban terrorists in Kabul on May 12. The Taliban terrorists had later in June assured that they would not harm the people working alongside the foreign forces. 

As per a CNN report, Pardis on his way back home for Eid celebrations was driving, when his vehicle was blocked at a checkpoint by the Taliban.

As he approached the checkpoint, he accelerated to speed through but the Taliban shot at his car. The vehicle swerved and stopped and Padris was pulled out of the car by the terrorists. Villagers who witnessed the incident revealed that Padris was instantly beheaded.

As per the CNN report, just days before the incident, Padris had informed his friends that he was receiving death threats from the Taliban. They had discovered that Padris had worked as a translator for the United States Army for 16 months during the 20-year-long conflict.

“They were telling him you are a spy for the Americans, you are the eyes of the Americans and you are infidel, and we will kill you and your family,” said his friend and co-worker Abdulhaq Ayoubi to CNN.

Afghans feel the US abandoned them

After the US pulled itself out of the war zone, the Afghans say they have been left in a death trap. 

Pardis’s incident has put the other Afghans who worked for the US troops in fear. As many as 18,000 Afghans who worked for the US military in various roles have applied for a Special Immigrant Visa program that would enable them to take refuge in the United States.

However, the number of these people is not restricted to just 18,000 and not all will be accepted by the US, as per reports. Several of these interpreters and translators have been abandoned and rejected by the US owing to their faulty military tests and security checks. 

Several translators in an interview with CNN revealed that the Afghan workers had to undergo polygraph tests for getting security clearance before working at the US bases in Afghanistan. The same polygraph tests which the workers term unreliable were also used as part of the screening process to apply for the visa. 

However, hundreds of translators were ripped off their work and denied the Special Immigration Visa (SIV) for failing the test.

One such example is of Abdul Rashid Shirzad who served for five years as a linguist working alongside America’s military elite, translating for US Special Forces. He even produced photographs of his time on missions in the Kejran Valley in Uruzgan province working with the US Navy’s SEAL Team 10. 

However, Shirzad believes his service has been repaid with a death sentence. The US government rejected his Special Immigrant Visa, making him a potential target for the Taliban. 

His visa rejection letter from the US Embassy simply said “lack of faithful and valuable service” despite having letters of appreciation by the US military for his service. 

“If they catch me they’re going to kill me, kill my kids and my wife too. It’s payback time for them you know,” he said. Shirzad can no longer go back to his home province and keeps moving locations with his family every month, the CNN report revealed.

Another translator Ayazuddin Hilal in an interview with ABC News narrated how they have been receiving death threats from the Taliban. “Your brothers have left. Now we will kill you,” said Hilal quoting the threat he received from the terrorists. 

ABC’s report on Afghani translators who worked for the US Military

Criticizing the slow and complicated process to get SIV, Hilal said that his application has been rejected four times as death looms over. 

At least 300 Afghan interpreters have been killed since 2016 by the Taliban, as per reports.

Pardis’ friend and co-worker Ayoubi also informed that he failed a polygraph test and was terminated despite being awarded a medal for helping to save an American sergeant who had stepped on a bomb.

“I thought we would have a beautiful Afghanistan. We never thought of this situation like now,” he remarked. 

US says they are vetting visas 

“We have long said we are committed to supporting those who have helped US military and other government personnel perform their duties, often at great personal risk to themselves and their families,” said a US spokesperson negating the claims of the Afghans. 

As per the report, the vetting process for visas is lengthy and complex. Every applicant is re-assessed on whether they pose a risk to the national security of the US.

Assessing the risk, the White House on July 14 said that it was launching, “Operation Allies Refuge,” an effort to relocate the thousands of Afghan interpreters and translators who worked for the US considering lives are now at risk. 

 White House press secretary Jen Psaki in a briefing had said, “The evacuation will begin in the last week of July for Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants.”

US President Joe Biden on July 8 assured to rescue Afghan interpreters and their families who had worked alongside American troops in Afghanistan. “Our message to those women and men is clear: There is a home for you in the United States if you so choose and we will stand with you, just as you stood with us,” he said.

Recently, the US Defense Department has announced that in the initial phase, as many as 2500 Afghan citizens will be flown in as a part of ‘Operation Allies Refuge’ and will be housed at Fort Lee, Virginia till their visa formalities are completed.

“At Fort Lee, the Army will provide food and housing for both individuals and families. The Army will also provide medical care if it is needed”, a US Defense statement has said.

Supreme Court dumps IIT study that showed firecrackers are not a major cause of pollution, dismisses plea challenging ban on sale

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court dumps IIT study that showed firecrackers are not a major cause of pollution, dismisses plea challenging ban on sale

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed challenging the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order on the ban on the sale of firecrackers. While dismissing the petition, the apex court also dumped a study by IIT Kanpur which had shown that firecrackers are not among the top pollutants.

A Bench comprising of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna was hearing an appeal filed by firecracker sellers. In a plea to reconsider the ban, Advocate Sai Deepak representing an individual seller had argued that an IIT-Kanpur report does not list firecrackers even in the list of top 15 contributors to air pollution.

However, the court refused to accept the IIT study, saying they don’t need IIT to know that firecrackers cause pollution. Justice Khanwilkar lashed out at the study saying, “Do you need IIT to understand that firecrackers impact your health? Ask someone staying in Delhi what happens during Diwali.”

The Bench while dismissing the plea said the authorities may permit the sale and use of firecrackers if the air quality (AQI) improves. 

“Ban is only defendant on air category. If its severe it will not be not allowed. Ban is only where quality is poor. When the air quality is moderate green crackers are allowed. In other areas it is allowed,” the Court observed.

While announcing the order, the Bench made it clear that no interference is warranted in the current resolution.

“NGT Order is a graded approach taken by the Tribunal to the prevailing situation. No clarification needed. It was expressed that manufacturing activities will also be prohibited in the concerned area if the AQ falls. The (NGT) order does not deal with that. If the situation is covered by earlier general directions of this court, it must be followed in letter and spirit. these appeals are devoid of merit and are dismissed,” the Court ordered.

IIT-Kanpur report

A 2017 IIT-Kanpur report had revealed that the burning of firecrackers was one of the least contributors to air pollution in the national capital. As per the report, evidence suggests that construction dust may be the biggest culprit when it comes to air pollution followed by vehicular pollution and bad infrastructure.

Experts had observed that the air quality of the NCR had deteriorated despite no firecracker being burnt at the time of the study. The air in fact was the cleanest in the week of Diwali suggesting that the rise in pollutant values was observed during the peak of the winter season.

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