Home Blog Page 4197

Uttar Pradesh: Muslim man poses as Hindu to lure girl and rape her multiple times, kin of man threaten to leak her videos

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Muslim man poses as Hindu to lure girl and rape her multiple times, kin of man threaten to leak her videos

A girl from Balipur village in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh has approached the police with a complaint against a Muslim youth for posing as a Hindu to befriend her. According to a report by Times Now, the victim has accused him of rape and blackmailing. Based on a complaint, the police have registered a case against the accused, identified as Azhar Guddu of Katra village in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district.

The girl alleged that the youth faked his religious identity to befriend the girl. He later raped her multiple times on the pretext of marriage. The youth’s father and brother also threatened her using obscene videos. They allegedly told her that they would leak the videos on social media if she approached the police.

The Muslim youth Azhar Guddu posed as Ankit Mishra to befriend the Uttar Pradesh girl

According to the information gathered by the police, the girl met the youth in the year 2017 in Pratapgarh. She was pursuing industrial training in Pratapgarh then. Azhar Guddu introduced himself as Ankit Mishra, son of Prem Sagar. Azhar even created fake social media accounts in the name of Ankit Sharma.

They gradually became friends and got into a relationship. Later he forced her to have physical relations with him. The girl alleged that the youth raped her several times on the pretext of marrying her once his sister gets married.

On May 14 this year, Azhar revealed to the girl that he was a Muslim and was already married. Later, when she went to his house, Azhar’s brother and father threatened her with her intimate videos and pictures and warned her against approaching the police. She alleged that they told her that they would circulate her vulgar videos on social media if she filed a police complaint.

“She also claimed that the accused and his family duped her of Rs 3 lakh, and said that they would fight the case with this money if she dared to approach the police.”

Meanwhile, KP Singh, the Prayagraj Inspector General (IG) said that the accused Azhar Guddu surrendered in court on June 23, after which he was sent to jail. The police are further probing the case, the IG added.

Pakistani woman appeals to Indian govt to grant travel visa to marry her Indian boyfriend, who she met on Facebook

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistani woman appeals to Indian govt to grant travel visa to marry her Indian boyfriend, who she met on Facebook

After waiting for more than a year to meet her partner living in India, Pakistani national Suman Rantilal has appealed to the Modi government to grant her special permission to enter India on compassionate grounds so that she could marry her long time Indian boyfriend and start her married life in India, reports Times of India.

According to the reports, Suman, a teacher by profession, has been waiting for over a year and a half to marry her boyfriend Amit Sharma from Gurdaspur, Punjab, who she found on Facebook. Suman Rantilal, who lives in Karachi, has not met Amit ever since the couple met on Facebook in September 2019.

Suman said she has submitted all the required travel documents with the Indian high commission in Pakistan, however, her visa has been denied on the grounds of Covid-19 as both countries had banned cross-border travel. “I am waiting to travel to India and marry Amit,” said Suman speaking to TOI from Karachi on Friday.

Suman met Amit Sharma on Facebook in 2019 and fell in love, and decided to get married. As passenger traffic between the two nations has been temporarily suspended since March 2020 to prevent the spread of the virus, Suman could not get a visa to travel to India.

Speaking to Mint, Amit Sharma had narrated his love story, saying that he first found Suman on Facebook in September 2019 while checking out photos of Janmashtami celebrations in Karachi. Sharma, who works as a sales manager at a rooftop sheet manufacturer, said he sent a message to Suman.

After a few days, Suman replied to Amit, who then exchanged their phone numbers after hours of chatting on Facebook. Apparently, two months later, in November, Amit proposed to Suman. The couple then decided to tie the knot, however, they are finding it tough to get a visa to travel across the border.

It is not just Suman, many others from both countries are waiting for their respective governments to lift the travel ban. Fufoora, a Pakistan national married to a man from Qadian in the Gurdaspur district, has been stuck on the other side of the border since the travel ban was enforced and hoping to rejoin her husband as soon as possible.

Bombay HC summons The Udaipur Times for ‘impermissible reporting’ on trial related to Dawoodi Bohra community: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bombay HC summons The Udaipur Times for ‘impermissible reporting’ on trial related to Dawoodi Bohra community: Details

The Bombay High Court on Monday this week issued a notice to the Udaipur-based newspaper, the Udaipur Times, for its “impermissible reporting” of the actual trial related to the Dawoodi Bohra community before the Bombay High Court.

The bench headed by Justice Gautam Patel took objection to a report published in the Udaipur Times. He noted that the report contained editorial comments on the cross-examination itself, including remarks on Mr Chagla, a lawyer representing the defendant, as well as some comments about him as a judge presiding over the trial.

An interim application was filed before the court by defendant Mufaddal Burhanuddin Saifuddin, who alleged that even after the explicit direction, the plaintiff Taher Fakhruddin Saheb provided access to trial records to The Udaipur Times even although the trial is yet to be completed.

In its order, the court observed that The Udaipur Times got access to one or more sessions of the cross-examinations of witnesses before the bench. In addition to this, the court also noted that a journalist or reporter with the Udaipur Times did indeed have access to the trial record or the trial itself after pausing the material annexed to the Interim Application.

Admitting that the news daily did publish the excerpts of the cross examination, the court said:

source: Live Law

Court asks The Udaipur Times to appear before the court

The court came down hard on the plaintiff, asking him to explain how he felt entitled to share restricted information with The Udaipur Times despite being clear and unambiguous words of the order.

The court also asked the plaintiff to submit an explanatory affidavit with an appropriately worded apology and an undertaking. Issuing a stern warning, the court observed:

source: Live Law

The Court summoned The Udaipur Times to appear before the Court online on July 19 either through an authorized representative or by an Advocate appropriately directed to explain its conduct.

The petition filed in Bombay HC over leadership of Dawoodi Bohra sect

The case pertains to a petition filed by the plaintiff, Khuzaima Qutubuddin alias Taher Fakhruddin in June 2014 in Bombay HC seeking to be declared as the 53rd Da’i-al-Mutlaq of the community and challenging the claim of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the son of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, to the leadership. He has claimed in his suit that his half-brother, Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, the 52nd Da’i who passed away in January 2014, had conferred Nass (pronounced him as the successor) in 1965 in secret.

UFO report calls UAP potential national security threat to USA, says stigma prevents data collection: Read the startling admissions

OpIndia Staff
-
0
UFO report calls UAP potential national security threat to USA, says stigma prevents data collection: Read the startling admissions

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in the United States of America has finally released the long awaited report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), more popularly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO). The report does not rule out extraterrestrial origin of the phenomena and says there is probably not a single explanation for all the sightings.

The report was submitted as per the directions of a Senate report that required the DNI to submit an intelligence assessment of the threat posed by UAP in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the progress made by the Department of Defense Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) in that regard.

Observations noted in the UFO report

The report says, “The limited amount of high-quality reporting on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP.” It adds, “In a limited number of incidents, UAP reportedly appeared to exhibit unusual flight characteristics. These observations could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception and require additional rigorous analysis.”

The report also notes that there are probably “multiple types of UAP requiring different explanations” and that “UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security.”

It adds, “Consistent consolidation of reports from across the federal government, standardized reporting, increased collection and analysis, and a streamlined process for screening all such reports against a broad range of relevant USG data will allow for a more sophisticated analysis of UAP that is likely to deepen our understanding.”

UFO report makes startling admissions

The UAP report admits that authorities in the United States cannot adequately explain 143 of the 144 ‘UFOs’. That is, a reasonable explanation was found for only one among 144 recorded UFO sightings. In that one case, the mysterious object was identified as a deflating balloon.

The report also notes that the stigma associated with the ‘UFO’ label remains a challenge in collecting data related to UAP. It says, “Sociocultural stigmas and sensor limitations remain obstacles to collecting data on UAP. Although some technical challenges—such as how to appropriately filter out radar clutter to ensure safety of flight for military and civilian aircraft—are longstanding in the aviation community, while others are unique to the UAP problem set.”

Source: The UFO report

“Narratives from aviators in the operational community and analysts from the military and IC describe disparagement associated with observing UAP, reporting it, or attempting to discuss it with colleagues. Although the effects of these stigmas have lessened as senior members of the scientific, policy, military, and intelligence communities engage on the topic seriously in public, reputational risk may keep many observers silent, complicating scientific pursuit of the topic,” added the report.

The report also says that the sightings clustered around US testing and training grounds but it added that “we assess that this may result from a collection bias as a result of focused attention, greater numbers of latest-generation sensors operating in those areas, unit expectations, and guidance to report anomalies.”

The report also mentions airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, USG or Industry Developmental Programs and Foreign Adversary Systems a possible causes of the UAP.

UAP: A potential national security threat

“UAP pose a hazard to safety of flight and could pose a broader danger if some instances represent sophisticated collection against U.S. military activities by a foreign government or demonstrate a breakthrough aerospace technology by a potential adversary,” the report says. It mentions that there 11 documented instances of pilots reporting near misses with a UAP.

UFO report
Source: The UFO report

The report added, “We currently lack data to indicate any UAP are part of a foreign collection program or indicative of a major technological advancement by a potential adversary. We continue to monitor for evidence of such programs given the counter intelligence challenge they would pose, particularly as some UAP have been detected near military facilities or by aircraft carrying the USG’s most advanced sensor systems.”

UFO has alien origins?

Trump administration’s Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, had earlier said that the United States has knowledge of ‘objects’ which can travel faster than the speed of sound without producing a sonic boom and perform maneuvers not possible with human technology. Ratcliffe further claims that many of the “UFO” incidents witnessed by U.S. officials have no easy explanation.

He said, “There are a lot more sightings than have been made public. Some of those have been declassified. And when we talk about sightings, we are talking about objects that have seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that frankly engage in actions that are difficult to explain. Movements that are hard to replicate that we don’t have the technology for. Or traveling at speeds that exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom.”

Earlier, Pentagon had formally released three unclassified footage captured by the US Navy which shows interactions with ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’. 

As the SC commission report places the blame on Delhi govt, here are the SC observations that netizens are now questioning

OpIndia Staff
-
0
As the SC commission report places the blame on Delhi govt, here are the SC observations that netizens are now questioning

An interim report by the Supreme Court appointed committee to audit the medical oxygen demand and consumption in Delhi has confirmed that the AAP Government was grossly overestimating its oxygen demand in March and April, up to as much as 4 times the amount required.

Following the revelation, netizens are questioning some of the orders and words of the Supreme Court that were spoken during the tense days of the second wave of the pandemic. The apex Court had taken upon itself to issue orders regarding oxygen supply at the time.

One order by Justice Chandrachud that is attracting adverse reactions on social media is the one where he said 700 MT of medical Oxygen must be supplied to Delhi. Due to the fact that Delhi was inflating its oxygen demand, netizens say that such an order diverted medical oxygen away from states that needed it to a place that was exaggerating its real demand.

Netizens are asking who would hold the Supreme Court accountable for its judicial activism.

Another comment of Justice Chandrachud that is attracting criticism is where he declared “Don’t make us go firm” while ordering the supply of 700 MT medical Oxygen to Delhi.

Some are also calling for Justice Chandrachud’s impeachment.

Meanwhile, the AAP Government in Delhi is making outlandish claims to deny its responsibility in the matter. They went to the extent of asserting that such a report did not even exist. In reality, the Delhi Government had received the report on the 4th of June itself.

Nike CEO says brand is ‘of China, for China’ as company faces boycott calls in China over their statements on Xinjiang human rights abuse

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Nike CEO says brand is ‘of China, for China’ as company faces boycott calls in China over their statements on Xinjiang human rights abuse

Nike CEO John Donahoe called the sportswear apparel giant a “brand of China” this week, months after the sportswear giant had entangled in a fiasco in China over its statements expressing concerns about human rights abuses committed in Xinjiang province by the Communist government.

According to the reports, Donahoe defended the firm’s business in China and stated that Nike had a long-term view of its operations in the Communist country, where it has been operating for over four decades. Donahoe said he remained confident that China will be their fast-growing market due to its many years of investment in the country.

“We are the largest sports brand there, and we are a brand of China and for China,” Donahoe said, adding, “And the biggest asset we have in China is the consumer equity. Consumers feel a strong, deep connection to the NIKE, Jordan and Converse brands in China. And it’s real.”

Speaking during a call with Wall Street analysts about Nike’s latest earnings report, Donahoe claimed that Nike intends to keep investing in its China operations as it reported better than expected revenues in its fiscal fourth quarter. Donahoe made the comments after released its Nike’s fourth-quarter earnings, which showed revenues had doubled to $12.3bn (£8.8bn) in the first three quarters of the year.

The latest figures show that Nike has bounced back from a $790m loss during the pandemic a year earlier to nearly $1.5bn profit. The figures also showed that revenue in China increased to more than $1.9bn, however, it missed Wall Street expectations of $2.2bn.

In addition, the shares of Nike has also hit an all-time high during Friday’s trading session, due to its strong financial results.

The comments by Donahoe over Nike’s possible more investments in China interestingly comes months after the sportswear giant had raised concerns about forced labour practices in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Nike raises concerns about forced labour in Xinjiang province, faces backlash

In an official statement, Nike had stated, “We are concerned about reports of forced labour in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). We have been conducting ongoing diligence with our suppliers in China to identify and assess potential forced labour risks related to the employment of Uyghurs, or other ethnic minorities from XUAR, in other parts of China.”

The company also specified, “Nike does not source products from the XUAR, and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.”

Joining Nike, several other brands such as H&M had made the statement last year stating that it will no longer be procuring cotton from Xinjiang after reports revealed forced labour by Uyghur Muslims.

However, the boycott by Nike and other apparel brands had not gone well within the Communist country, which had said companies’ decisions to avoid using cotton sourced from the region as an effort to undermine its economy.

These brands had become the target of netizens in China after their stance over Xinjiang cotton supply issues. The Chinese netizens had reportedly called for a boycott of these brands in China. Several celebrities, including pop star and then-Nike brand ambassador Wang Yibo, had said they would cut ties with the sportswear maker for their comments on forced labour in Xinjiang province.

The ‘slave labour’ in China

In Match 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) had released a report on the condition of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang. The report detailed out how ethnic people from the said region have been mass transferred across the country. The conditions they work in suggest forced labour, the report said.

The report suggested that as many as 82 well-known global brands in sectors including technology, clothing and automotive sectors have such workers in their suppliers’ factories in China. These companies include major names such as Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.

As per the report, more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred to different parts of the country between 2017 and 2019. Some of them were sent directly from the detention camps. The number included in the report was conservative, and the actual numbers can be much higher. These workers not only work as forced labour but have to undergo compulsory organised Mandarin and ideological training outside working hours. These slave labours are constantly under surveillance and not allowed to take part in any religious observations.

Yogi Adityanath govt’s crackdown on notorious criminals: Illegal properties worth Rs 1,128 crore confiscated in 15 months, 5,558 cases registered

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Yogi Adityanath govt’s crackdown on notorious criminals: Illegal properties worth Rs 1,128 crore confiscated in 15 months, 5,558 cases registered

Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has continued taking tough actions against criminals, gangsters, and mafia in the state. Illegal properties including movable and unmovable assets worth 1128 crores 23 lakhs 97 thousand 8 hundred and 46 rupees, belonging to at least 25 mafias including dreaded gangsters Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari have been confiscated by the UP govt under the stringent Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities Act in the span of one year and three months.

While releasing the data, Uttar Pradesh Additional DGP (law and order) Prasant Kumar informed that the majority of the properties which have been seized and demolished during this period of time belonged to the high-profile mafioso Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari.

Yogi Govt registers 5558 cases under the Gangster Act in 15 months

ADG Prashant Kumar further informed that between January 2020 and April 2021, 5,558 cases under the Gangster Act have been registered against at least 22,259 associates of these 25 notorious gangsters. Additionally, properties worth crores have been confiscated. The tough zero-tolerance approach of the Yogi Government has demoralized these gangsters and left them entirely paralyzed.

The data shows the UP government has prepared a list of 33 gangsters, all are currently in jail, whose properties are being scrutinized. Around 25 of these names are being monitored by the home department while illegal properties of the other eight are being looked into by the UP Police.

Home department data shows that former MP Atiq Ahmed tops this list. He is followed by Mukhtar Ansari and his aides.

Ex-MP Atiq Ahmed tops the list of gangsters whose properties were either seized or demolished by Yogi Adityanath govt

Atiq Ahmad is currently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat. The mafia-turned politician has at least 70 cases against him, including the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal in Allahabad. The Uttar Pradesh police have, until now, arrested 89 of his gang members and either seized or razed his illegal properties worth more than Rs 3.25 billion. Additionally, the UP govt cancelled the arms licenses of 60 henchmen of the jailed ex-Samajwadi party MP. Moreover, 21 FIRs have been registered against the gang, and 9 accused have been sent to jail.

Mukhtar Ansari at number two

The notorious criminal Mukhtar Ansari was recently shifted from the Ropar jail in Punjab to the Banda jail in Uttar Pradesh. After Ahmed, the maximum properties that were either razed or seized belonged to Ansari. The UP government has demolished multiple illegal properties of Ansari and his aides almost worth Rs 179 crore spread across the state. According to reports, at least 158 associates of the gangster-turned-politician have been arrested and the arms licenses of Ansari’s 122 aides have been cancelled so far. The Police have also opened the history sheets of at least 37 of his aides.

Yogi Adityanath government cracks down on other notorious criminals

Moreover, properties worth Rs 63.24 crore of 9 members of the Sundar Bhati gang, currently lodged in Sonbhadra jail, have been seized. Apart from this, the UP police have arrested 43 criminals of the infamous Dhruv Kumar alias Kuntu Singh’s gang. They are currently lodged in the Ballia Jail of Azamgarh. The assets of this gang worth about Rs 18 crore have been seized.

ADG Prashant Kumar said that property worth more than Rs 625 crore belonging to 25 mafias and 8 gang members of well-known criminals, identified by the BJP headquarter, have also been either demolished or confiscated.

ADG also confirmed that almost 203 FIRs have been registered against members and associates of 515 different criminal gangs, involved in various crimes. Although ADG (Law and Order) has released details of the property seized of only 4 notorious mafia and their henchmen out of 25 mafia of the state, the names of others have not been disclosed.

Enticement, deceit used to convert women and children to Islam, UP Police tries to trace victims of ISI-funded conversion racket: What we know so far

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Enticement, deceit used to convert women and children to Islam, UP Police tries to trace victims of ISI-funded conversion racket: What we know so far

A week after the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) unearthed a mass conversion racket, efforts are now being made to trace the victims, reported The Times of India.

As per reports, the ATS has launched a manhunt to trace students of the Noida Deaf Society (NDS) who were coerced to convert to Islam in the past 3-4 years. Citing sources, TOI reported, “The most important factors in this conversion row are allurement and inducements. In most cases, it seems to be the lure of money or a job. But one thing is certain —the conversions were based on inducements and they were not voluntary.”

In videos that had earlier surfaced on social media, accused Maulana Mohammad Umar Gautam was heard naming a few individuals who had fallen prey to his coercion tactics. The ATS is now probing the larger conspiracy in the case and the funding trail of the institution Islamic Dawah Centre, which was run by the accused. The ATS source emphasised, “This racket seems to be backed by a larger conspiracy. The conversions have been happening over a period of time and they are not new. But since the accused targeted gullible deaf and mute people, this is a well-planned conspiracy.”

According to another ATS officer, accused Umar Gautam had also visited foreign nations such as the UK, the US, and other Arab nations. The official said that all such trips are now under the scrutiny of the law enforcement authorities. While speaking on the matter, ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar informed that evidence was being collected to prove the accusations of forced conversions. Reportedly, two teachers at the Noida Deaf Society (NDS) are also under scrutiny.

One of the teachers at the Tyoti Badhir Badhir Vidyalaya Bithoor Kalan, a partner of NDS in Kanpur, was ousted after he showed a ‘religious video’ behind closed doors in the classroom. According to NDS founder Puma Poke, one of the key challenges is to obtain information about past students. Poke added that since the students were no longer part of the system, it was difficult to gather information about them or find out about their current profession.

She said, “Think logically. We have a hiring process here. Anyone who meets the criteria of being a good trainer for deaf and mute people is hired. It is like any other company.” Meanwhile, the ATS officers are checking deaf and mute schools in Delhi-NCR to further the probe in the conversion racket. “Many students who had converted earlier are active in influencing others into changing their religion. They have been interacting with them over the phone and through video calls,” an official conceded.

UP police unearths forced conversion racket: What we know so far

On June 21, it was reported that the Uttar Pradesh ATS had arrested two men identified as Umar Gautam and Mufti Qazi Jehangir for their involvement in illegal religious conversions. According to police, women, and physically challenged children were their primary targets. The duo was arrested from the Jamia Nagar area in Delhi. Prashant Kumar, Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order), said that the arrested were running a conversion racket that was being funded by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.

He added, “The accused were using enticement, provocation, and deceit to convert people apart from creating distrust and promoting enmity among different communities.” Umar Gautam who is a convert himself revealed that they converted around 250-300 people every year. During the interrogation, Umar also informed that he targeted people from the economically weaker section of the society including women, children, and the disabled. Gautam confessed to having converted around 1,500 children at school for the deaf and mute in Noida after the school management was enticed with promises of employment and money.

A day later on June 22, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had instructed the agencies to invoke National Security Act (NSA) against the accused. He had also instructed to book the accused under Gangster Act. The State government had directed the authorities to start the process of confiscating the properties of those who were accused of the conversion racket. Earlier on June 2, sevadaars of Dasna Mandir, Ghaziabad, caught two men identified as Vipul Vijayvargi and Kashif on suspicion of carrying out the assassination attempt on Mahant Yati Narsinghanand. 

One resident of Sector 12 in Vijaynagar, Salimmuddin, was identified as the Guru of Vipul Vijayvargi. The probe by the Uttar Pradesh ATS into the conversion racket revealed that Salimuddin had ties with accused Maulana Umar Gautam. Following the revelation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad issued a press release demanding the enactment of central law to stop illegal conversions. Mufti Qazi Jahangir Qasmi and Mohammad Umar Gautam and their organisation were booked under Sections 420, 120 B, 153A, 153B, 295, and 511 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3/5 the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance-2020.

The duo was sent to 7-day judicial custody remand on June 23. Two old videos of Umar Gautam had also surfaced before the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in which he openly boasted about converting several people to Islam. Several Islamists took to Twitter on June 24 to defend the accused cleric and claim that proselytisation is legal under Article 25 (Right to Religion) of the Indian Constitution.

Meanwhile, several families of the victims came forward to narrate how they fell prey to the mass religious conversion racket. The father of a victim named Manu Yadav had alleged that he received a threat call on his son’s mobile number from Pakistan asking him not to cause hindrance in the conversion of his son. A lady teacher named Kalpana Singh from Nurul Huda English Medium in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh had revealed how Umar Gautam had visited the school she taught in with 20-25 other Maulanas in the year 2020, to brainwash them to adopt Islam.

She claimed that the clerics lured students and the staff for conversion by promising financial support. Umar Gautam and his accomplice assured them that they would pull them out of poverty if they converted to Islam. The female teacher also disclosed how Umar Gautam pressurised the school management to teach young students Urdu and Arabic in class.

On June 25, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights took cognisance of the Opindia report on Kalpna Singh. It wrote to the District Magistrate (DM) and the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Fatehpur district, saying that the statutory body had taken suo motu notice of matter under Section 13(1)(j) in the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. Meanwhile, the ATS also found damming evidence about the penetration oof the conversion racket in a whopping 24 States.

Yogi Adityanath government increases Jain representation in UP minority commission: Here are the changes

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Yogi Adityanath government increases Jain representation in UP minority commission: Here are the changes

The Yogi Adityanath government on Friday appointed a new minority commission comprising of 8 members, including a chairperson to the UP State Minority Commission, after getting approval on the names by Governor Anandiben Patel. The commission includes two Jain members.

Source: Twitter

The recently nominated commission will be valid for three years as per the government order released by the state minority welfare department.

The commission will be headed by Agra based Ashfaq Saifi, who is also a committed member of the BJP and has been associated with the party for the last 32 years. Saifi has also served as a national secretary of the minority morcha at the BJP.

After being appointed the head of the minority commission of Uttar Pradesh, Saifi said, “I am grateful to the BJP for entrusting such a big responsibility to a small worker like me. I will work with full sincerity and hard work to realise the plans in the interests of the minority communities. I will for providing them employment, education and for the overall development of the minorities in Uttar Pradesh.”

Besides Saifi, other members of the minority commission include Varanasi resident Haider Abbas Chand, Meerut resident novelist Suresh Jain Rituraj who is, Navendu Singh from Shahjahanpur, Samman Afroz Khan from Aligarh, Bakshish Ahmad Warsi from Gorakhpur, Lucknow’s Rumana Siddiqui and Anita Jain.

It is worth noting that the Yogi Adityanath government has diversified the representation of minorities in the new commission. In the last minority commission that was elected in 2018, there were nine members, including the chairperson of the commission, Md Usmani.

The other eight members included Sukhdarshan Bedi from Muzaffarnagar, Suresh Jain Rituraj from Meerut, Manoj Kumar Masih from Budaun, Kunwar Syed Iqbal Haider from Lucknow, Kunwar Afzaal Chowdhary (Ghaziabad), Mohammad Aslam (Fatehpur), Sophia Ahmad (Kanpur) and Rumana Siddiqui from Lucknow.

The last minority commission included 1 Jain and 1 Punjabi member in addition to others. However, this year around, the UP government has increased the representation of Jains with 2 members in the eight-member minority commission.

Munger case: Amarnath Poddar, whose son Anurag Poddar was killed in police firing during Durga Puja procession, paid compensation of ₹10 lacs

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Munger case: Amarnath Poddar, whose son Anurag Poddar was killed in police firing during Durga Puja procession, paid compensation of ₹10 lacs

On Wednesday (June 23), the Bihar government paid a compensation of ₹10 lacs to the father of 18-year-old Anurag Poddar. Anurag Poddar, the 18-year-old. died due to police brutality during the Durga idol immersion in October last year.

According to District Magistrate (Munger) Navin Kumar, Poddar’s father Amarnath came to his office on Wednesday. An amount of ₹10 lacs was then transferred to his bank account and he was provided with a compensation letter. Hindustan Times, however, reported that the Munger DM had handed over a cheque of ₹10 lacs to the victim’s father.

Kumar informed, “We offered him help in getting a loan on a priority basis for expanding his hardware shop business. However, Amarnath told us that he doesn’t need a loan.”

The development comes days after the Supreme Court dismissed the special leave petition (SLP) by the Bihar government, wherein it challenged the order of the Patna High Court. It must be mentioned that the Patna High Court had noted that the State was duty-bound to protect its citizen and pay a compensation of ₹10 lacs to the victim’s family.

Bihar govt had no choice but to compensate the family of Anurag Poddar: Lawyer

Lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava, who is representing Amarnath Poddar in the Supreme Court, said that the Bihar government was left with no choice but to compensate the victim’s father. He added, “The CID is expected to reply if the then Munger SP, Lipi Singh, has been quizzed and sub-inspector Brajesh Singh nabbed. It’s also expected to file a report on further progress made in the investigation.”

He also pointed out how the Patna High Court was dissatisfied with the probe conducted by the CID in the case. Initially, Amarnath Poddar had demanded ₹5 crores as compensation for his son’s death.

Munger firing incident: Background of the case

On October 26, 2020, during the Bihar assembly election campaign, the famous Shadipur Badi Durga procession for Visarjan was attacked and allegedly fired upon by police officials. Though the police had denied firing and had claimed that the shots were fired by some members of the crowd, those claims were later dismissed by CISF.

The police had beaten up the devotees who were taking the idol for immersion. Video footage of police brutally lathi-charging devotees who were trying to shield the huge idol and pandal had created a furore on social media. In the violence that ensued, shots were also fired and the 18-year-old Anurag had lost his life. Several other persons were injured in the police brutality.

1...4,1964,1974,198...7,681Page 4,197 of 7,681