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Uttar Pradesh: 25.5 million saplings planted in mass plantation drive, forest cover increases by 3% in past 4 years

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: 25.5 million saplings planted in mass plantation drive, forest cover increases by 3% in past 4 years

On Sunday (July 4), about 25.5 million saplings were planted in the State of Uttar Pradesh to fight global climate change and reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

As per reports, the day-long plantation drive was conducted in 68000 villages and 83000 forest sites. During the process, government officials, volunteers, lawmakers took part in the mass plantation drive. Several social organisations have planted a large number of ‘peepal’ trees in Lucknow.

The target of planting 250 million saplings was achieved within 12 hours, as per the UP government.

India has set a target to keep 1/3rd of its land under forest cover. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had launched the tree-planting drive about four years ago. According to state Forest Minister Dara Singh Chauhan, the forest cover in UP has increased by 3% (higher than the national average of 2.89%). A senior state forest official named Manoj Singh added, “We are committed to increasing the forest cover of Uttar Pradesh state to over 15% of the total land area in the next five years. In today’s campaign, over 100 million trees will be planted,”

The Uttar Pradesh government has shared a live dashboard where the number of saplings planted can be tracked. The dashboard can be accessed here.

However, the survival of saplings planted during such a drive remains a matter of concern. Reportedly, only 60% of such saplings survive while the rest die due to lack of water or disease. UP Forest Minister Dara Singh Chauhan informed that the survival rate of saplings has increased to 80% in the last 4 years due to better care and methods like geo-tagging of trees. The Indian government has directed all states to increase tree plantation drives as part of the commitments made during the 2015 Paris summit. An amount of $6.2 billion has been set aside to cover 95 million hectares of land with forests by 2030.

Delhi Bar Council suspends advocate Iqbal Malik’s license for using his chamber for religious conversion and Nikah: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Bar Council suspends advocate Iqbal Malik’s license for using his chamber for religious conversion and Nikah: Details

The Bar Council of Delhi has temporarily suspended the license of advocate Iqbal Malik for using his chambers to perform religious conversions and Nikah (Islamic marriage) until a disciplinary committee submits its findings.

The Bar Council of Delhi observed that such conduct ‘negates the dignity of the legal profession’. A resolution passed by the Council says, “The alleged illegal activities are not permissible nor are part of the professional activities of an advocate and your conduct in performing a Nikaah and issuance of certificate of conversion and Nikaahnama/ marriage certificate is totally disgraceful and negates the dignity of legal profession.”

It states further, “Looking into the averments in the complaint and the documents, prima-facie the activities of performing the Nikah in the Chamber/ Court premises cannot be permitted by an advocate or any other person, as such it calls for an urgent action by the Bar Council.”

“Sh. Ramesh Gupta, Hon’ble Chairman while considering the gravity of the issue and to uphold the dignity and honor of the legal fraternity, exercised his special powers conferred under Rule 43 of the Bar Council of India Rules and Section 6 (1) (d) of the Advocates Act, 1961, referred the issue to the Special Disciplinary Committee and as an interim measure, considers it necessary and appropriate to suspend your licence to practice until the finding and conclusion by the Disciplinary Committee,” it adds.

The decision came after a father complained that his daughter had been forcefully converted to Islam and thereafter married off in the advocate’s chamber at the Karkardooma Court. The father also contends that the chamber in the Court was shown as a Mosque in the documents, LiveLaw reported.

PM Modi announces CoWIN platform to be open source, available to any and all countries

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi announces CoWIN platform to be open source, available to any and all countries

On July 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed CoWIN Global Conclave where he announced that CoWIN platforms would be soon available as open-source, and they will be available to any and all countries. He offered CoWIN platform as a digital public good to the world to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. This conclave was the first step to introduce the CoWIN platform to the global audience.

PM conveyed condolences for all who lost lives due to Covid

At the beginning of his address, PM Modi conveyed his condolences for all the lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic in all countries. He said that in the last hundred years, no one had faced such a challenge, and no nation, how powerful, can solve a challenge like this in isolation.

He further added, “The biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that for humanity and the human cause, we have to work together and move ahead together. We have to learn from each other and guide each other about our best practices.”

CoWIN will be open source

PM Modi said India has a commitment to sharing experiences, expertise and resources with the global community, and the country is eager to learn from global practices. Technology plays an important role in the fight against the pandemic. He added that software is one area in which there are no resource constraints.

Hence, India has made its Covid tracking and tracing application open source as soon as it was technically feasible.

While pointing out that there are close to 200 million users on the Arogya Setu app, he said it is readily available for developers.

He further assured the global audience that the app had been tested in the real world for speed and scale. India believes in the philosophy of considering the whole world as one family, thus CoWIN is being prepared to be made open source. It will be soon available to any and all countries.

Digital approach to plan vaccination strategy

PM Modi added that given the importance of vaccination, India adopted a completely digital approach to plan and executed its vaccination strategy. He said such adoption makes it easier to expedite normalcy in the post-pandemic globalized world.

“A safe, secure and trustworthy proof helps people to establish when, where and by whom they have been vaccinated. Digital approach also helps in tracking the usage of vaccination and minimizes the wastage,” he added.

Full text of PM Modi’s speech

Distinguished Ministers, Senior officers, Health professionals, And friends from all over the world,

Namaskar!

I am delighted that such a large number of experts from various countries have joined us for the CoWIN Global Conclave. At the outset, I convey my sincere condolences for all the lives lost to the pandemic, in all the countries. There is no parallel to such a pandemic in hundred years. Experience shows that no nation, however powerful that nation is, can solve a challenge like this in isolation. The biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that for humanity and the human cause, we have to work together and move ahead together. We have to learn from each other and guide each other about our best practices. Right from the beginning of the pandemic, India has been committed to sharing all our experiences, expertise and resources with the global community in this battle. Despite all our constraints, we have tried to share as much as possible with the world. And, we remain eager to learn from global practices.

Friends,

Technology is integral to our fight against COVID-19. Luckily, software is one area in which there are no resource constraints. That’s why we made our Covid tracking and tracing App open source as soon as it was technically feasible. With nearly 200 million users, this ‘Aarogya Setu’ app is a readily available package for developers. Having been used in India, you can be sure that it has been tested in the real world for speed and scale.

Friends,

Vaccination is the best hope for humanity to emerge successfully from the pandemic. And right from the beginning, we in India decided to adopt a completely digital approach while planning our vaccination strategy. In today’s globalized world, if the post-pandemic world has to return to normalcy, such a digital approach is essential. Afterall, people must be able to prove that they have been vaccinated. Such proof must be safe, secure and trustworthy. People also must have a record of when and where and by whom they have been vaccinated. Given how precious each dose of the vaccines is, Governments are also concerned about making sure that each dose is tracked and wastage is minimized. All of this is not possible without an end-to-end digital approach.

Friends,

Indian civilization considers the whole world as one family. This pandemic has made many people realize the fundamental truth of this philosophy. That’s why, our technology platform for Covid vaccination – the platform we call CoWin – is being prepared to be made open source. Soon, it will be available to any and all countries. Today’s Conclave is the first step to introduce this platform to all of you. This is the platform through which India has administered 350 million doses of Covid vaccines. A few days ago, we vaccinated about 9 million people in one day. They do not need to carry around fragile pieces of paper to prove anything. It is all available in digital format. But best of all, the software can be customised to any country as per their local requirements. You will find out a lot more about the technical details in the Conclave  today. I am sure you are keen to start. And, I do not want to keep you waiting. So, let me conclude by extending my best wishes to all of you for a very productive discussion today. Guided by the approach of ‘One Earth, One Health’, humanity will certainly overcome this pandemic.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Maharashtra: 12 BJP MLAs suspended for a year by Speaker Bhaskar Jadhav, Fadnavis says political plan to reduce numbers

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: 12 BJP MLAs suspended for a year by Speaker Bhaskar Jadhav, Fadnavis says political plan to reduce numbers

Just as the two-day Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Assembly commenced, 12 BJP MLAs have been suspended for one year for allegedly heckling and using unparliamentary language against speaker in-chair Bhaskar Jadhav. 

As per a Loksatta report, BJP MLAs Parag Alvani, Ram Satpute, Sanjay Kute, Ashish Shelar, Abhimanyu Pawar, Girish Mahajan, Atul Bhatkhalkar, Shirish Pimple, Jayakumar Rawal, Yogesh Sagar, Narayan Kuche and Kirti Kumar Bagdia have been suspended from the House.

Speaker in-chair Bhaskar Jadhav claimed that the opposition created an uproar during the session and tried to pull mics when they were not happy with the response given by the ruling government. He also said that some opposition leaders came on the stage like ‘goons.’

This forced the Speaker to adjourn the proceeding, however, accusing the opposition of using abusive language against him, Jadhav further alleged, “When the House was adjourned, opposition leaders came to my cabin and abused me in front of LoP Devendra Fadnavis and senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil.”

Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in an address to the media claimed that they had suspected his move by the MVA to reduce the numbers in the House. Denying all the accusations, “The government has created a story out of the incident and suspended 12 of our MLAs. Our MLAs didn’t abuse the Speaker. There were some heated arguments but our senior member Ashish Shelar on behalf of all MLAs apologised to the Speaker in-Chair Bhaskar Jadhav. Later, the government came up with this plan to suspend our MLAs. We will continue our fight,” informed Fadnavis to the media. 

Reacting on the suspension, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said, “This government has put Taliban to shame. Inside the Speaker’s chamber, abusive language was used by Sena MLAs. Even then, we apologized in respect of the Chair. Shiv Sena ke logo main mera saamna karne ki himmat nahi. I was just trying to correct the wrong facts stated by Chhagan Bhujbal with regards to PM Modi.”

As per reports, the opposition created an uproar at the Maharashtra assembly over the OBC issue when the Speaker in-chair Bhaskar Jadhav didn’t give them enough time to speak on the issue. 

The BJP sought to bring an adjournment motion to conduct a detailed discussion over the issue of pending public service commission exams and appointments of eligible candidates, but the request was turned down by the Council chairman.

Meanwhile, BJP Maharashtra has vowed to continue their fight against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Fight for the ‘19%’ – UP assembly elections becomes a battleground of opposition parties for Muslim votes

Anurag
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Fight for the ‘19%’ – UP assembly elections becomes a battleground of opposition parties for Muslim votes

According to the 2011 census, the state of Uttar Pradesh had a total population of almost 20 crores, out of which around 3.8 crores belong to the Muslim community making it approx 19%. In 2011, around 64% of the total population comprised of eligible voters. According to the Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) 2020 population projection, Uttar Pradesh now has a population of approx 23 crores. Assuming the number of eligible voters is the same at 64%, it comes out to be approx 14 crores. The total assumed population of Muslims stands at approx 4.3 crores at the present time. If 64% of Muslims are eligible voters, i.e. at par with the state percentage, that comes out to be 2.7 crores.

The fight for Muslim votes among opposition parties

Traditionally, it is believed that Muslims voters do not vote for Bharatiya Janata Party in UP. It is evident from the fact that in the India Today-Axis survey, 76% of Muslim voters in UP preferred the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The preferred party for Muslims is not BJP despite the fact that the party works on the theory of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”.

Notably, the BJP government led by CM Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh does not discriminate among people of the state based on religion. In March 2021, CM Yogi had said that there is no discrimination in UP based on religion as 30 per cent of the welfare scheme beneficiaries are Muslims in the state. From housing schemes, free power connections, free cooking gas to the Ayushman Bharat healthcare plan, Muslims have a higher share in the list of beneficiaries, reports suggest.

As the opposition parties are aware that Muslims hesitate to vote for BJP, they often see them as the game changers in the state. Though the population share stands at only 19%, they can make a difference, especially on the seats where the Muslim population is more compared to other religions. SP, BSP, Congress, and other local parties have been trying to woo the Muslim voters for the upcoming elections, but their plans may not be fruitful as they expected due to the entry of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the state.

AIMIM is trying to become a national party

Recently, AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi has announced that his party would contest 100 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. In the last couple of years, AIMIM has been trying to showcase its power across India by contesting elections in different states. The aim appears to project itself as a national party rather than a state party. In the Bihar elections, Owaisi won four seats, and it gave him a boost to try hand in other states as well. The plan did not work in West Bengal, but in Uttar Pradesh, AIMIM thinks that they have a chance to win seats, especially with a sizeable Muslim population.

AIMIM has also urged all parties to reserve the Deputy Chief Minister post for Muslims. AIMIM leader Asim Waqar had asked SP, BSP and Congress to make their stand clear on the issue. This ‘unexpected’ gameplay by AIMIM can harm the Muslim vote share for the opposition parties in UP who rely on the Muslim voters for the upcoming elections.

In a series of Tweets, AIMIM chief had hit out on opposition parties for failing to win Zila Parishad chairman seats. Reportedly, the Bhartiya Janta Party has swept the polls winning 65 out of the total 75 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party bagged only 6 seats.

Owaisi said despite of having 19% population share, not even a single chairman seat was won by a Muslim candidate. Without taking Akhilesh’s name, he said despite of claiming to be the largest opposition party in UP, they only won five seats.

He added, “Now we have to adopt a new political pattern. Unless we have a free political voice, our problems are not going to be resolved. Don’t be afraid of BJP, but fight in a strong way.”

BJP’s vote share in Uttar Pradesh

Interestingly, according to the Election Commission of India, BJP had a vote share of approx 40% in the 2017 UP Assembly elections. The party believes that it will have a rather bigger win compared to the 2017 elections in the state. CM Yogi has recently reacted to AIMIM’s chief’s challenge in which he had said AIMIM would not let him become CM again.

Owaisi said, “Inshallah, (we) will not allow Yogi (Adityanath) to become the chief minister of UP again. If our morale is high and we work hard, then everything will happen. Inshallah, our endeavour is that the BJP government is not formed in Uttar Pradesh.”

On July 3, Yogi Adityanath reacted to his statement and said Owaisi is a national leader and he goes to different parts for campaigning. “If he has challenged the BJP, then the BJP worker accepts his challenge,” CM Yogi said. He further added, “The BJP will form the government, and there should be no doubt on this.” Notably, in the Lok Sabha elections 2020, BJP alone had won 62 seats out of 80 in the state.

The attack in on SP more than BJP

One more exciting aspect of the upcoming elections in terms of Muslim voters is that both BSP and AIMIM are not targeting BJP. Their main target is Akhilesh Yadav-led SP. Owaisi has recently called SP an “anti-Muslim” party. Mayawati, chief of BSP, who allied with SP for Lok Sabha elections in 2019, is on the mission to ‘destroy’ SP. So much so, Mayawati, at one point, had announced that her party is ready to form an alliance with BJP in UP to ensure SP does not win. However, she did a u-turn on her statement and now wants to project BSP as the ‘only’ choice for upcoming elections. As a result, she has been attacking every party in her statements.

Aam Aadmi Party’s noisy blame-game

Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party is also planning to contest UP elections. As a way of degrading BJP’s image in the eyes of voters, the party is indulging in half-baked rumour-mongering.

From baseless allegations of a land scam in Ram Mandir land acquisition to the half-baked allegations of a scam in ventilator purchase, it seems that the party would continue to make baseless allegations just to keep BJP leaders busy countering them. Recently, AAP MP Sanjay Singh also met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav that raised a few eyebrows.

The upcoming UP Assembly elections

Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are still approx nine months away. It is too early to speculate what would be the result of the elections but owning to the current scenario, it seems the elections would not be easy for any party. The recent win for BJP in the Zila Parishad elections gave some positive hope to the BJP leader. However, the fake news and rumours need to curbed at their initial stage if BJP wants to increase its vote share in the state.

Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and ‘Magic Mushrooms’ to treat depression and PTSD? Research investigates effects on mental health

K Bhattacharjee
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Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and ‘Magic Mushrooms’ to treat depression and PTSD? Research investigates effects on mental health

There is a quiet revolution underway in the sphere of mental health. A great deal of research is in progress to determine the effectiveness of psychedelic drugs in treating mental illness and their impact on psychological health. Since the 1960s, psychedelics have been heavily stigmatised in the public arena. However, with the passage of time, more and more people are recognising the positive impact it could have in combating the mental health crisis.

Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics has launched a first of its kind research on psychedelics and the law, the Harvard Crimson reported. The three year project will seek to “promote safety, innovation, equity, and access” in both psychedelic research and treatment.

“POPLAR is the first academic initiative focused on psychedelics law and policy, positioned to be the global leader for research and education in this space,” the press release said. “Psychedelics are one of the most exciting and promising new technologies in mental health care to come along for decades, and they could represent a true paradigm shift for mental health care and neuroscience research in general,” said Mason M. Marks, senior fellow at the Petrie-Flom Center and project lead for POPLAR.

“That’s why the Petrie-Flom Center is such a great place to house the project,” he added. According to the POPLAR website, the project will focus on ethics in psychedelics research and treatment, the intersection of psychedelics and intellectual property law, federal support of psychedelics research, increased access and equity of psychedelics, and the function of psychedelics in mitigating trauma.

Research on psychedelics

Apart from that, there are multiple other institutions conducting research on Psychedelics. Such studies often pit psychedelic compounds such as Psilocybin, the active compound in ‘Magic Mushrooms’ against conventional antidepressants. In one such case, one set of subjects were given a placebo and psilocybin and the other set was given an inconsequentially small dose of psilocybin and a conventional selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant.

The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the antidepressant effects between the two. According to the research, the trial “did not show a significant difference in antidepressant effects between psilocybin and escitalopram in a selected group of patients. Secondary outcomes generally favored psilocybin over escitalopram, but the analyses of these outcomes lacked correction for multiple comparisons. Larger and longer trials are required to compare psilocybin with established antidepressants.”

At the Queen’s University in Canada, David Clements, Executive Director of Psychedelic Research at the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences, is leading a research to study the effectiveness of psychedelic drugs in treating serious illnesses such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severe depression. According to a press release by the University, the team will be an “interdisciplinary space for research, innovation and knowledge translation in the field of psychedelics”.

Psilocybin is not the psychedelic compound under study. Researches are also being conducted on MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy. The researchers observed that two-thirds of the subjects no longer reported a PTSD diagnosis after 18 weeks and three sessions. According to the trial, 88% of the subjects demonstrated a “meaningful reduction in symptoms”.

Meanwhile, the Hammersmith Medicines Research in London is conducting research on DMT (dimethyltryptamine). “Clinical research suggests that DMT will break or disrupt the neuronal pathways that underlie these negative thought processes and by doing so, may facilitate the benefits of therapy given in combination with DMT. DMT-assisted therapy targets the root cause of depression and other ‘internalising’ conditions and has the potential to provide a treatment with rapid onset and a long duration of activity following treatment,” said Small Pharma, the sponsor of the research.

LSD is also the matter of multiple research.

Skepticism remains despite growing acceptance

Numerous states in the United States of America are leading efforts to conduct research or decriminalise specific psychedelic substances such as psilocybin. On June 18, Texas Governor Greg Abbott authorised the study of psilocybin. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill order the state department on medical sciences to report findings on the matter by January, 2022. A bill was introduced in New York that seeks to establish an institute to investigate the medicinal benefits of psychedelics. California is condering the decriminalisation of psilocybin.

Apart from that, seven cities have decriminalised psilocybin apart from Oregon, a state. But not all is hunky dory in terms of the research and plenty still harbour skepticism with regards to its positive effects. Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, a psychopharmacologist from the University of Auckland, says that the fact that subjects can easily tell whether they have been given a placebo or a psychedelic given the distinct ‘trip’ inducing effect of the latter has a definitive impact on the results.

“On the basis of the evidence that’s been collected, at this point, I don’t see any reason why you would think that these drugs and interventions are approvable with the current issues they have in terms of design,” he says asserting that the studies are probably overestimating the effects. Efforts are also currently on to remove the ‘trip’ from psychedelics.

Psychedelics have an intimate relationship with spirituality, as we have discussed here at OpIndia earlier. Ayahuasca, one of the most popular psychedelic beverages in the world, is consumed by Amazonian tribes for spiritual purposes. Despite their connections to spirituality and potential medical benefits, psychedelics remains extremely controversial to this day.

‘Twitter allowing terrorist groups to promote terrorism in India using kids’: Activist group files complaint with NCPCR

OpIndia Staff
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‘Twitter allowing terrorist groups to promote terrorism in India using kids’: Activist group files complaint with NCPCR

Trouble continues to mount for Twitter India’s MD Manish Maheswari, who is now facing backlash for allowing Jihadist organisations to use the platform to promote terrorism in India.

A Delhi based activist group Kalinga Rights Forum (KRF), has reportedly filed a complaint against Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari and its Public Policy Manager Shagufta Kamran with NCPCR “for conspiring and promotion of terrorism using Kids against India & allowing terror organisations to use Twitter to facilitate recruitment activities for terrorism in Union Territories of J&K and L showing small kids as the face of terror organisations”.

In its complaint to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Kalinga Rights Forum alleged that Twitter India is facilitating terror organisations like Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind supporters to operate against India and carry out recruitment activities by using kids for radicalisation, brainwashing of kids to join terrorism against India by providing them with a platform.

Twitter India providing platform to Islamist terrorist organisations: Delhi based activist group writes in the complaint

Speaking on how Twitter India is helping terrorist ideologies by providing the terror groups with a platform to spread their messages, recruit members, gather intelligence and also engage with their networks, the Delhi based activist group wrote that Twitter India allows terrorist supporters to post videos which show small children holding AK-47s, shooting in the air while other terrorists closely watch and instruct the kid how to shoot the gun.

The activist group shared the link and the archived link of the Tweet posted by AGH HISTOrY, going by Twitter handle @Rainbow35886147, wherein a small child is being taught how to use an AK-47 by terrorists. The activist group claims that AGH HISTOrY is a supporter of the Islamist terrorist organisation Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a Kashmiri wing of Al-Qaeda that is active in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

KRF further wrote in its complaint to NCPCR that the Twitter post by the terror organisation itself has a “mention of certain sensitive areas of Union Territory of J&K&L like ” #pulwama #shopian #kulgam #tral #anantnag #kupwara #Baramulla #lolab #sopore #srinager #jammu #doda ” where Pakistan sponsored terrorism is a grave concern”.

The social media giant abetting and supporting anti-India terrorist organisations, says complaint

By allowing such posts on the microblogging site, Twitter India is conspiring against India and abetting and supporting anti-India terrorist organisations to carry out terror attacks against India, read the complaint.

It added that the terrorist supporter, AGH HISTOrY has brazenly mention links to the Telegram groups in its Twitter posts and asked fellow terrorist supporters to join these groups.

The complaint drew NCPCR’s attention towards how the social media giant has, on various previous occasions, explicitly shown support to these terrorist organisations by providing them with a platform to promote their nefarious anti-India agenda. Calling Twitter India “serial offenders”, the activist group shared the link of a report by The Hindu, which reported how the Supreme Court of India had issued a notice to Twitter India for being sympathetic towards terrorist organisations, in February 2021.

Screengrab of the report by The Hindu dated February 12, mentioned in the complaint filed by KRF

It further mentioned that on February 1, the Ministry of Home Affairs had directed Twitter to block 250 handles “promoting fake and provocative content”.

Govt blocks 250 tweets and accounts that claimed PM Modi was planning farmer genocide

It is pertinent to note here that on February 1, 2021, OpIndia had reported that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) on Monday has blocked around 250 Tweets/Twitter accounts that had used the #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide hashtag and made fake, intimidatory and provocative Tweets on Saturday, 30th January 2021. Sources had then told OpIndia that this has been done at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs and law enforcement agencies to prevent any escalation of law and order in view of the ongoing farmer agitation. The accounts included that of actor Sushant Singh and columnist with Congress mouthpiece National Herald Sanjukta Basu.

Citing their grave concerns, the Delhi based activist group, Kalinga Rights Forum (KRF) urged NCPCR to order the Delhi police to register FIR against Twitter India MD Manish Maheswari and Twitter India Policy Manager Shagufta Kamran under relevant provisions of Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection Act), 2015, Section 17,18,19 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and other IPC sections deemed fit.

It further requested the statutory body to order the Twitter India MD and its Policy Manager and other officials to take down such anti-India, pro-terrorism content within the next 24 hours.

It also asked NCPCR to direct the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of India to take stringent actions against Twitter India for promoting terrorist activities using children as its face.

NCPCR takes cognisance, in the process of sending a notice to Twitter India

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ has taken cognisance of the complaint. “Noted”, wrote the statutory body’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo in response to the complaint filed by the Delhi based activist group.

A member of the Delhi based activist group told OpIndia that NCPCR is currently in the process of drafting the notice, which the statutory body would be sending to Twitter India in this regard. OpIndia would update details once it is in possession of the copy of the NCPCR’s notice to Twitter India.

Twitter India a repeat offender

This is, however, not the first time Twitter India has got into trouble. On several occasions prior to this, the social media giant has been penalised for failing to comply with Indian law and refusing to restrict fake news and manipulated media.

On July 3, a complaint was lodged against Twitter India MD in Delhi for allegedly spreading communal hatred. Prior to this, the Uttar Pradesh government had filed a case against Twitter for its failure to take down fake hate crime videos and posts that were made viral on the platform. Furthermore, Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari has also been booked under Section 505 (2) of IPC and Section 74 of IT (Amendment) Act 2008 for showing the wrong map of India on their website.

Dinesh Karthik apologises for his controversial commentary, says ‘Got a lot of stick from my wife and my mum’

OpIndia Staff
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Dinesh Karthik apologises for his controversial commentary, says ‘Got a lot of stick from my wife and my mum’

Cricketer-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik apologised for a comment made by him on July 02 during the ongoing One Day International between Sri Lanka and England.

While most welcomed his presence in the commentator’s box, Karthik’s recent slip-up was labeled sexist and misogynistic. “Batsmen and not liking bats, they go hand in hand. Most of the batters don’t seem to like their bats. They either like another person’s bat. Bats are like a neighbour’s wife. They always feel better,” Karthik had said jokingly.

However, the statement did not go down well with his fans and even his family as revealed by him on record. “I want to apologize for what happened last game. It’s not really what I intended. I just got it all wrong. I apologize to everybody. It’s definitely not the right thing to say,” remarked Karthik while being on-air during the 3rd ODI on Sunday.

“I got a lot of stick from my wife and my mum for saying that. I am really sorry that it shouldn’t happen again,” he revealed. 

Netizens react to Karthik’s comment

Several netizens took to Twitter to mock Karthik for his remark.

“Dinesh Karthik clearly not keen to have his Sky contract renewed …,” Tweeted a user.

Taking a jibe at the cricketer, another user wrote, “Imagine the conversations that are currently going on between spouses on Dinesh Karthik’s neighbourhood…”

Some predicted that this might be Karthik’s first and last tour as a commentator.

Fans cheer Karthik

However, Karthik is also being loved by his fans in this new role. From calling him a king to complimenting him for his commentary, Karthik’s fans heaped praises.

Some even suggested that they were watching the match only for his commentary. 

Karthik’s new Hawaiian attire has also been the talk of the town lately with even Chris Green appreciating his looks. 

Bhima Koregaon violence accused Stan Swamy passes away during imprisonment, informs lawyer

OpIndia Staff
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Bhima Koregaon violence accused Stan Swamy passes away during imprisonment, informs lawyer

Father Stan Swamy, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon ‘Urban Naxal’ case, has passed away, his lawyer informed the Bombay High Court when the Court took up his bail plea.

According to his counsel, Stan Swamy suffered a cardiac arrest early morning on Saturday at 4:30 a.m., following which he passed away. The counsel demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.

The Court expressed shock and sadness at the death of Swamy. Earlier in March, while denying his bail plea, the NIA Court had said that Stan Swamy “hatched a serious conspiracy to create unrest in the entire country and to overpower the Government, politically and by using muscle power”.

“The material placed on record thus prima facie denotes that the applicant was not only the member of banned organisation CPI (Maoist) but he was carrying out activities further in the objective of the organisation which is nothing but to overthrow the democracy of the nation,” the Special Judge had said.

Arrest of Stan Swamy and his role in Bhima Koregaon violence

According to the NIA, Stan Swamy was a key conspirator in the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case of 2017, which witnessed violence, stone-pelting, and arson at Shaniwar Wada in Pune. He was arrested on October 8 and produced before the Special Court in Mumbai the following day. Interestingly, he was never put under police custody and was instead remanded to judicial custody at Taloja Central jail. The NIA had informed that all legal formalities, including medical examination, were undertaken.

As per the Central investigative agency, Stan Swamy is a ‘hard-core CPI (Maoist) activist’ who had received funds from other Maoists for furthering the activities of the banned outfit. He is also the convenor of PPSC. “Incriminating documents related to communications for furthering the activities of the banned terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist) were seized from his possession,” the NIA emphasised.

After denying switch over, ex-President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee set to join TMC: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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After denying switch over, ex-President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee set to join TMC: Reports

Late President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee is all set to join the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal today at 4 pm, as per reports. After dismissing rumours of quitting Congress earlier in June, Mukherjee was seen defending Mamata Banerjee through his Tweets off-late. 

As per an India Today report, Mukherjee, a former Congress MP from Jangipur had been in talks with the leaders of the TMC for the past few weeks. Mukherjee had had also paid a visit to Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata last month.

Recently, Abhijit Mukherjee has been sharing updates put out by the TMC and was also seen voicing his support for Mamata Banerjee on Twitter.

Abhijit Mukherjee retweets West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s tweet. Image Source: Twitter

Defending Banerjee and her government in the recent fake vaccination scam, Mukherjee in a tweet said, “If Didi Mamata Banerjee is to be blamed personally for a fake vaccination camp by an impersonating IAS Officer Debanjan Deb, then surely ModiJi is to blamed for all the scams by Nirav Modi,Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi etc. So no point blaming the Govt of WB for an individual’s act”.

Mukherjee had refuted claims of joining TMC

Early last month Mukherjee had refuted claims of switching over. Replying to the alleged rumours after he was seen with some TMC leaders, Mukherjee said those were some of his father’s former Congress colleagues “who are now in Trinamool” and had come to have tea with him. 

“But, I have known them for long, as they were close to my father. To speculate that just because friends came to meet me, I will join TMC, is stretching it too far,” Mukherjee said defending himself. 

These leaders were MP Khalilur Rahman from Jangipur, MP Abu Taher Khan from Murshidabad and TMC ministers Akhrruzzaman and Sabina Yesmin.

Speculations in 2018

Similar speculations were made in 2018 about Mukherjee ditching Congress to join the TMC just ahead of the Lok Sabha 2019 elections. 

As per a Financial Express report, Abhijit, then a Lok Sabha MP, was allegedly approached by the TMC to join ranks with the party. However, Mukherjee declined the offer stating that the move would be “disrespectful towards his father”. 

Spat over memoir

Mukherjee was recently in news for a spat with his sister Sharmistha over his father’s memoir. 

A controversy erupted when the former Lok Sabha MP Abhijit Mukherjee asked the publishers to seek his clearance before publishing the book while his sister and Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee asked him not to create “unnecessary hurdles” in the release.

Mukherjee had also faced a huge backlash in 2012 after he called the women protestors who were protesting against the then government in the aftermath of the infamous Delhi gang rape case as “dented and painted”.  He was later made to apologize by his father over his insensitive comment. 

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