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USA: Former NFL player Phillip Adams kills 5 including a prominent doctor and a 5-year-old child, then shoots himself

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USA: Former NFL player Phillip Adams kills 5 including a prominent doctor and a 5-year-old child, then shoots himself

Former National Football Player Phillip Adams killed 5 people, including a prominent doctor and two children aged 9 & 5, on Wednesday and then killed himself early Thursday, according to a source who was briefed on the police investigation.

The anonymous source revealed that Adams’ parents live near the doctor’s home in Rock Hill, South Carolina and that he had been treated by the doctor before. The source also said that Adams killed himself after midnight with a .45-caliber gun.

The County’s Sheriff Office said that they searched for Adams for hours before finding the suspect’s body in a nearby home.

Phillip Adams was 33 and played in 78 NFL games over five seasons for six teams. His playing position was Cornerback. He played college football for South Carolina State, and then joined the NFL as part of the San Francisco 49ers in 2010 as a seventh-round draft pick.

Adams was seldom a part of starting teams, and warmed the bench for many other teams like New England, Seattle, Atlanta, Oakland, and the New York Jets, finishing his career with the Falcons in 2015.

The victims of Phillip Adams were Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, and his wife, Barbara Lesslie, 69, along with grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5, according to the York County coroner’s office.

A helper of the Lesslie family named James Lewis was shot to death outside the house, and a 6th person is in the hospital with “serious gunshot wounds” Trent Faris, a spokesman for the York County Sherriff Office said.

According to his website, Dr. Lesslie had worked for decades as an emergency room doctor in Rock Hill, board-certified in both emergency medicine and occupational medicine, and serving as emergency department medical director for nearly 15 years at Rock Hill General Hospital.

Dr. Lesslie was a great humanitarian, who opened two urgent care centers in the area. He also wrote a book called “Angels in the ER”, a collection of “inspiring true stories” from his time working in medicine. An excerpt from that book reads, “I know without a doubt that life is fragile. I have come to understand that humility may be the greatest virtue. And I am convinced we need to take the time to say the things we deeply feel to the people we deeply care about.”

Dr. Lesslie was well-liked and tall figure in the Rock Hill community.

“Dr. Lesslie was my doctor growing up,” Faris said. “Dr. Lesslie has been one of those people that everybody knows. He started Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill and it’s been a staple in Rock Hill for years.”

A biography page says that he and his wife raised four children and that Lesslie received his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Rock Hill is a city in northernmost South Carolina about 40 kilometers southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina.

USA: Black Lives Matter protestor charged with anti-Asian hate crimes, arrested by Seattle police

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USA: Black Lives Matter protestor charged with anti-Asian hate crimes, arrested by Seattle police

A Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestor in Seattle, who was also a part of CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone), has been charged with hate crimes against Asian American women. The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone was a Left-wing occupation of a six-block area in Seattle in order to establish a “socialist utopia”.

According to a local Seattle news outlet, BLM activists and organizers in the area did have a recollection of the suspect, Christopher Hamner. One describes his “creepy stares”, another says that his actions seemed “out of left field”.

Hamner was arrested last month for three counts of malicious harassment against three different Asian-American women. According to court documents, on March 16th, Pamela Cole and her two children were driving when Hamner, aged 51, approached her vehicle, which was stopped at a traffic light. He started walking towards her vehicle and yelled at her, using explicit profanity and anti-Asian hate speech.

“He just opens his door and starts yelling at me. ‘F’ you, you Asian ‘B’. ‘F’ you kind of thing,” Pamela Cole said. “And then he pulls in the parking lot and comes charging at us.”

According to investigators, Hamner committed similar anti-Asian harassment to two other women just days later.

Last summer, during the Geroge Floyd protests/riots, Christopher Hamner was an extremely active BLM activist, often seen in BLM protests. According to Hamner’s social media activities, he was also part of the anarchist Left-wing CHAZ, which was a police-free autonomous zone controlled by BLM activists and Antifa.

He recorded a video of himself in the zone where he was holding an anti-Donald Trump and anti-police sign. His social media accounts are filled with posts expressing hatred of Trump and Republicans. Hamner is also a loyal supporter of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as well as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and “progressive” causes. He had even uploaded multiple posts condemning anti-Asian hate crimes and white supremacy. 

When informed about his BLM past, Pamela Cole said, “Of course it strikes me as hypocritical, but I wasn’t surprised to be completely honest, I wasn’t shocked about it.”

BLM leaders from last year’s wave of protests tried to distance themselves from Hamner, saying that he always seemed to be on the fringe.

Christopher Hamner is presently in custody, with a court date tomorrow. However, Pamela Cole does not think that prison will solve Hamner’s issues.

“At the end of the day if he goes to jail, he still comes out as a racist full of hate,” Cole said. “Nothing’s changed. He didn’t learn anything. There was no rehab in it so to me it’s pointless.”

King County prosecutors charged the 51-year-old with a felony hate crime for targeting multiple Asian victims on two separate occasions in March. Currently he is being held at the King County Correctional Facility for the felony hate crime charge plus three additional counts of malicious harassment, and his bail  is set at $75,000.

In February, A Black Lives Matter leader was arrested in connection with the vandalism of an Abraham Lincoln statue in Boise, Idaho.

The truth behind video shared by Manjinder Singh Sirsa claiming Pakistani Army officials tortured an Indian soldier

OpIndia Staff
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The truth behind video shared by Manjinder Singh Sirsa claiming Pakistani Army officials tortured an Indian soldier

Today Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa took to his official social media accounts to share a video that showed a man being mercilessly thrashed by a few men who look like Pakistani soldiers. The bruised man lies lifeless on a Charpai, while the soldiers continue to hit him with their legs and canes. Other men, dressed in the Pakistani Army outfit, are seen standing around the injured man like mute spectators, while one is seen recording the entire episode.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa took to his official Facebook page to share the video claiming that the victim is an Indian soldier, who was beaten up mercilessly by Pakistani soldiers.

The SAD leader shared the same video with similar claim on his official Twitter handle.

While sharing the particular video, Sirsa suggested that the video shows a few Pakistani soldiers inflicting intolerable atrocities on an Indian soldier. He appealed to the Union Home Ministry to raise the issues of such gross human right abuse at the hands of the Pakistan Army on the global platform and urged the ministry to make urgent arrangements to bring the Indian soldiers in Pakistan custody, back to India safely.

Truth behind the video shared by Manjinder Singh Sirsa

However, what appears is that the claim made by the SAD leader is only partially true. Though the video shared by the SAD leader is that of a true incident and the assaulters here are also Pakistani Army officials, but his claim that an Indian soldier is being beaten up by Pakistani soldiers in the video appears to be untrue.

The truth is that the victim in the video is not an Indian soldier as claimed by Sirsa, but a Baloch, on whom the state-sponsored puppets, under the umbrella of the Pakistan Army, are seen inflicting unendurable atrocities.

News Nation claims video is a 6-month old video where the victim is a Baloch

This aforementioned video was shared by News Nation on April 2, 2021. News Nation claimed that this particular video is a six-month-old video where Pakistani soldiers are seen brutally torturing a Baloch youth in full public view.

In the video, the Pakistani soldiers are heard talking to each other. “Isse sab pata hain yahan kaun khada hain” (He knows who all are standing here), one officer is heard saying to another who responds by saying that even we know who he is. The Pakistani soldiers keep hitting the almost lifeless victim, who is tied to the Charpai, with canes. They are also seen mercilessly kicking the victim’s face, repeatedly. The victim’s legs and face looks completely bruised and distorted as he lies on the charpai, bleeding profusely.

Therefore, though the video shared by SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa is that of a true incident, the claim attached to it is untrue. In reality, this is a 6-month-old video that has resurfaced on social media. This video is of Pakistani soldiers torturing a Baloch youth and not an Indian soldier as claimed by Sirsa.

Atrocities on ethnic minorities in Balochistan by the Pakistan army

Atrocities on ethnic minorities in Balochistan by the Pakistan army is not new. For ages now, the Pakistan army has allegedly been involved in the abduction, forced disappearances, torture and forced organ harvesting of people living in ethnic areas of Balochistan.

The Human Rights activists in Balochistan have been time and again emphasised the need for international organisations such as Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, European Council, Human Rights without Frontiers, etc. to take cognisance of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. Besides requesting them to set up their offices in Balochistan, they have demanded reports on the deaths of civilians at the hands of the Pakistani army.

They have demanded trial against guilty army personnel and high-ranking officers for crimes against humanity. Owing to the atrocities perpetrated on the people of Balochistan, they have demanded freedom from the Punjabi-dominated army. Several people are forced to pick up arms and resist the tyrannical army.

Abducted CRPF soldier Rakeshwar Singh Manhas released by Naxal terrorists in Chhattisgarh

OpIndia Staff
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Abducted CRPF soldier Rakeshwar Singh Manhas released by Naxal terrorists in Chhattisgarh

The soldier of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rakeshwar Singh Manhas, who was captured by the Naxalites in Chhattisgarh after the April 3 ambush, was released on Thursday. According to ANI, the soldier was taken to the CRPF camp in Bijapur after his release where his medical examination was done.

“At around 4.30 pm the abducted jawan Rakeshwar Singh Manhas returned safely to Terrem police station along with the facilitators who went inside the jungle to trace his location. He has now been admitted to the Basaguda field hospital for medical examination,” Inspector general of police (Bastar range), Sundarraj P said.

According to reports, the state government had adhered to the Naxal terrorist’s demands and nominated two people, including a person from the tribal community, to negotiate with the Maoists and secure the soldier’s release.

Sharing more details about the release, journalist Aditya Raj Kaul wrote on Twitter that the CRPF jawan could be brought back because of the timely intervention of a few local journalists, who mediated with the Maoists facilitating Rakeshwar Singh Manhas’s release.

According to another video shared by Aditya Raj Kaul, the Maoists released the jawan amidst a huge gathering of locals in Bijapur.

The Maoists earlier released a photograph of the 35-year-old which showed him sitting alone in what appeared to be a hut. Manhas is a commando with the 210th CoBRA battalion.

Manhas’ family had appealed to the Centre to ensure he is released unharmed. He is the family’s sole breadwinner, and has a five-year-old daughter.

Following Rakeshwar Singh Manhas’ release, his wife Meenu expressed her gratitude to the government and said, “Today is the happiest day of my life. I always remained hopeful of his return. I thank the government”.

Maoist terrorists admit to keeping CoBRA jawan hostage after Sukma attack, demand govt negotiator

Days after the deadly terror attack in Sukma, the Left-wing terrorists had admitted that they are keeping CRPF constable Rakeshwar Singh Manhas as a hostage. The terrorists had sent a letter to the security forces, acknowledging that they are holding Manhas captive and asked the government to appoint a negotiator to discuss his release. 

The brutal massacre of Indian security personnel in Chhattisgarh

For the uninitiated, Rakeshwar Singh Manhas was abducted by the Naxal terrorists after a group of 400 Naxals ambushed a massive operation that included the STF, DRG and District Force of the Chhattisgarh Police, the CRPF and its elite COBRA unit on April 3. The teams were deployed in the forests of Chhattisgarh for a search and destroy anti-Naxalite operation along the border of the Bijapur-Sukma district.

It was during this operation that the security teams of around 1500 personnel were ambushed by 400 Naxalites from three sides- led by the most-wanted Maoist commander and leader of the ‘People’s Liberation Guerilla Army’- Hidma. The close encounter between the Naxalites and security forces lasted for four hours in which the Naxalites rained bullets from light machine guns, used low-intensity IEDs and rocket launchers.

The counter-attack by Naxalites had resulted in the martyrdom of 22 jawans leaving 31 others injured.

Shiromani Akali Dal fields Indira Gandhi assassination conspiracy convict Kehar Singh’s son Charanjeet Singh in DSGMC elections

OpIndia Staff
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Shiromani Akali Dal fields Indira Gandhi assassination conspiracy convict Kehar Singh’s son Charanjeet Singh in DSGMC elections

On April 6, Shiromani Akali Dal’s leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced on his Facebook account that his party is fielding Charanjeet Singh, son of Kehar Singh, from the Greater Kailash area for upcoming Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections. Notably, Kehar Singh was tried and executed for conspiracy in the plot of the Indira Gandhi assassination. Beant Singh, one of the assailants who killed Gandhi, was married to the niece of Kehar Singh.

Sirsa announced Charanjeet Singh as SAD candidate on his FB profile

In his post, Sirsa wrote, “We are proud to announce S. Charanjeet Singh, son of Shahid Bhai Kehar Singh Ji, as Shiromani Akali Dal candidate. Courage and Integrity runs in his blood. He is fighting from the Greater Kailash area and seeks your blessings to be a part of DSGMC. I humbly request you to support him; show your support in comments.”

The story of Kehar Singh

On October 31, 1984, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Beant Singh and Satwant Singh. They killed Gandhi to take revenge for Operation Blue Star, an army operation in which several Khalistanis were killed, including their leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Operation Blue Star was not an end to the insurgency in Punjab. It took several years for the security forces to wipe out the anti-India forces from Punjab.

Kehar Singh took Beant Singh to Golden Temple to take the oath to kill Gandhi

According to a report published in The Register-Guard on February 12, 1985, Kehar Singh, uncle of Beant Singh’s wife, took him to Golden Temple to take an oath to kill Gandhi. The primary evidence against Kehar Singh, who was an assistant in the Directorate General of Supply and Disposal, New Delhi, was Beant Singh’s wife’s testimony.

News clipping of The Register-Guard, February 12, 1985

Beant Singh’s wife, Bimal Kaur Khalsa, in her testimony against Kehar, said that on October 17, 1984, Beant Singh and Kehar Singh conspired to kill Gandhi on the roof of their house. Satwant Singh also joined them on the same evening for meals. On October 20, 1984, Beant Singh and Kehar Singh, along with their families, went to Amritsar. During the visit, Beant Singh took the oath to kill then-PM Gandhi.

It was mentioned in a Supreme Court Judgement that Kehar Singh started visiting Beant Singh’s house more often after `Operation Bluestar’. Both had talked about the destruction of the Akal Takht in the Golden Temple complex on two or three occasions but became silent when Bimal came.

Kehar was a religious fanatic

The court noted that Singh was a religious fanatic. He had intense hate against Gandhi for damaging Akal Takht in Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star. Being a family member, he influenced Beant Singh. “He converted Beant Singh and through him Satwant Singh to religious bigotry. He made them to undergo “Amrit Chakhan Ceremony” on October 14 and 24, 1984, respectively, at Gurdwara, R.K. Puram, New Delhi. He also took Beant Singh to Golden Temple. Amritsar on October 20, 1984. Gold `Kara’ and `ring’ of Beant  Singh were later recovered from him,” the judgement added.

In the judgement, it was mentioned that Kehar Singh and Beant Singh kept themselves away from their families during the trip to Amritsar. “The attempt of these two persons to keep themselves away from the company of their wives and children speaks volume about their sinister designs,” it added. The court also noted that they wanted to keep their plan to kill Gandhi a secret from Beant Singh’s wife.

Kehar blamed Gandhi’s death on her confrontation with the ‘Panth’

On learning about Gandhi’s death, Kehar said, “whosoever would take confrontation with the Panth, he would meet the same fate.” The court believed that such incidents indicated Kehar Singh was a co-conspirator to the assassination of then-PM Gandhi.

After investigation, the charge sheet was filed against Satwant Singh, Balbir Singh and Kehar Singh. They were accused of offences under Sections 120-B, 109, 302 of the IPC and also of substantive offences under Sections 302 and 307 of the IPC and Sections 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

Kehar Singh was hanged to death on January 6, 1989.

Amazon-owned Twitch will now ban users for harassment that does not take place on its streaming platform

OpIndia Staff
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Amazon-owned Twitch will now ban users for harassment that does not take place on its streaming platform

In a major expansion of its misconduct policy, Twitch will now ban users for harassing members of its community, even if it takes place off the website. The Amazon-owned streaming platform announced that the updated policy allows it to take counter-measures against users who harass or mistreat members of the Twitch community, either online or offline.

The policy is divided into two sections. One section deals with harassment that takes place on and off Twitch, and the other section deals with harassment that specifically takes place off Twitch. The first section has remained unchanged. Twitch already takes into account any Twitch-related harassment that takes place on Facebook when it reviews harassment complaints that happen on Twitch.

However, the second section is part of the policy expansion. Now, if Twitch gets to know about any “serious offences that pose a substantial safety risk to the Twitch community,” the streaming platform will take action, even if it happens outside of the internet. The platform defines “serious offences” as incidents of violent extremism, credible threats of mass violence, membership in a known hate group, sexual exploitation of children, and nonconsensual sexual activities, credible threats against Twitch staff, among others.

In order to investigate these “serious offences” Twitch is bringing on a third-party law firm. “These investigations are vastly more complex and can take significant time and resources to resolve,” wrote Twitch in an official blog post.

“For behaviors that take place off Twitch, we must rely more heavily on law enforcement and other services to share relevant evidence before we can move forward.”, the streaming platform added.

Twitch had just recently overhauled its harassment policy in December last year, including stricter rules regarding sexual harassment and promotion of “hateful opinions” under the pretense of comedy. Twitch announced that it will focus on “the most egregious types of physical and psychological harm” to begin with. However there is always the possibility that Twitch’s off-site harassment policy could be expanded in the future.

Even though the policy change of banning for off-platform acts has been announced now, Twitch had already implemented this policy, when it had banned President Donald Trump after the Capitol Hills violence.

Sachin Vaze names Pradeep Sharma before NIA: All you need to know about the ex-cop who was Shiv Sena’s MLA candidate

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Sachin Vaze names Pradeep Sharma before NIA: All you need to know about the ex-cop who was Shiv Sena’s MLA candidate

As National Investigation Agency continues to tighten its noose in the Sachin Vaze case, the central agency’s axe has fallen on the latter’s mentor Pradeep Sharma, who is one of the five officers who are under the NIA’s scanner. Currently, the central agency is interrogating the Shiv Sena leader and former policeman, ‘encounter specialist’ Pradeep Sharma, for his alleged involvement in the Antilia bomb scare case.

Earlier in the day, Republic TV had reported that Sachin Vaze named Sharma in his confession. He had reportedly confessed that Sharma had helped him procure the gelatin sticks that were planted in the SUV outside Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani’s residence. Vaze also told the central agency that he had met Pradeep Sharma on March 3rd and 4th.

Who is Pradeep Sharma?

Ex-cop Pradeep Sharma is the newest entrant in the list of Mumbai police officers who are being investigated for their alleged link with the Sachin Vaze case. Pradeep Sharma (58) is better known for being part of the Mumbai Police’s encounter squad, which Sachin Vaze and other officers were also a part of.

Sharma’s dismissal and reinstatement

Sharma joined the State Police Service in 1983 as a sub-inspector. He was first posted to the Mahim police station in Mumbai and was later moved to the special branch in Juhu, Mumbai. Rising through the ranks, Sharma went on to head the police stations in other suburbs of Mumbai. He eventually became a senior Inspector in the crime intelligence unit of the Mumbai police, until he was dismissed by the Maharashtra government on August 31, 2008, for his alleged involvement and contacts with criminals.

The dismissal of Sharma from the police force came after the Intelligence Bureau (IB) tapped an alleged telephone conversation between Sharma and Dawood Ibrahim henchman Chhota Shakeel. This resulted in an inquiry against Sharma following his dismissal.

In 2009, the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) quashed his dismissal order for his alleged links with the underworld don.

Subsequently, in 2010, Pradeep Sharma was arrested in an alleged 2006 fake encounter of criminal Lakhan Bhaiyya, a close aide of gangster Chhota Rajan. After spending four years in jail Sharma was acquitted in 2013.

Sharma’s acquittal was subsequently challenged in the Bombay High Court by the state. He was the only one to be acquitted as 13 other cops in his team were convicted and given life imprisonment. While three policemen were convicted for murder, 10 were convicted for aiding and abetting the encounter.

In 2017, Sharma was, however, cleared of all charges and reinstated into the police force. He was made the senior of the Anti Extortion Cell of the Thane police then led by Param Bir Singh, the former Mumbai Police Commissioner who is also being probed for his involvement in the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren and Antilia bomb scare case.

Pradeep Sharma and his Shiv Sena links

The former encounter cop, however, quit the Mumbai Police in 2019 after having served for over 30 years following which he joined the Shiv Sena. He contested in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections from the Nalasopara constituency. Sharma, however, lost to Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi’s Kshitij Thakur by over 40,000 votes. At the time of contesting elections, Sharma in his affidavit had declared assets of Rs 36.21 crore in his and his wife’s name.

Now, the trouble for this ‘encounter-cop’, who has for all these years has shared an extremely close relationship with the Shiv Sena Party, has increased after Sachin Vaze reportedly named him in his confession today.

Sachin Vaze has reportedly said that Sharma helped him procure the gelatin sticks that were implanted in the SUV found outside the residence of Mukesh Ambani. In his confession to the NIA, Sachin Vaze further claimed that Pradeep Sharma was with him during the nights of March 3 & 4 and was also present on the night when Sachin Vaze had actually called Mansukh Hiren to come and meet him. Vaze told NIA that Pradeep Sharma was using SIM cards acquired from Gujarat. Sharma is also being interrogated by NIA.

Sharma is being questioned by the NIA for his alleged connection with arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze. He was questioned for more than 8 hours yesterday. The NIA is continuing to interrogate him today.

Madhya Pradesh: Raja Khan promises to become Hindu to marry girl, ends relationship after girl refused to convert to Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Raja Khan promises to become Hindu to marry girl, ends relationship after girl refused to convert to Islam

Madhya Pradesh assembly had passed the MP Freedom of Religion Bill 2021 on March 08, with an intention to make forceful religious conversions through fraudulent means punishable. To deter the public from doing so, the bill made provisions to imprison the culprit for a period of 10 years and levy heavy fines.

However, in just a month the capital city Bhopal witnessed 10 cases of unlawful religious conversion by force or deceit. As per a TV9 report, a 20-year old girl filed a case against a boy named Raja Khan who developed physical relations with the girl on the pretext of marrying her by changing his religion. 

Here’s what happened:

The friendship between the 20-year-old girl and Khan started on a popular social media networking site. After being good friends for five years, the duo decided to get married. The girl, however, was hesitant as both belonged to different religions. The boy then promised that he would change his religion to marry her. On March 24, the duo eloped to Delhi and stayed in a rented house for 10 days. The girl then asked Khan about his plans for marriage. He instead pressured the girl to convert to Islam. When the girl declined, Khan refused to marry her.

The duo then returned to their hometown and the girl narrated the entire incident to her family. A case has been filed against Khan under IPC section 376 at Shahjahanabad police station and has been taken into custody.

Man hid identity for a year:

A man by the name of Gabbar alias Mustafa was arrested by the Dwarakapuri police in Indore in Madhya Pradesh in connection to a grooming jihad case. The matter came to light when the accused was asked to produce his identity card at a maternity hospital by a doctor who diagnosed his wife’s pregnancy. It was then that the woman learnt that his name was not ‘Gabbar’ but Mustafa.

Grooming jihad in Madhya Pradesh:

In December last year, a Hindu woman (35) was allegedly cheated, raped and blackmailed by a Muslim man pretending to be Hindu. The woman, accompanied by few activists belonging to a Hindu outfit approached the Munninagar police station in Ujjain to lodge a complaint against one Wasim Akram, accusing him of rape, torture and blackmail under the pretext of love and marriage.

‘Won’t cancel exams’, says CBSE after students launch online petition to cancel exams and trend ‘CancelBoardExams2021’ on Twitter

OpIndia Staff
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‘Won’t cancel exams’, says CBSE after students launch online petition to cancel exams and trend ‘CancelBoardExams2021’ on Twitter

Amid the demands by students to either postpone the board examinations or to conduct them online, both the CBSE and the CISCE have said that the exams will be held as per schedule. In a joint statement issued by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), they said that adequate safety arrangements are being made for students taking the exams and all COVID-19 guidelines will be followed during the exams.

The CBSE confirmed that the board exams for class 10 and 12 will be conducted as per schedule, starting from May 4, 2021. The response of the two bodies came after the students had launched an online petition demanding the board exams to be cancelled.

A petition has been launched on change.org, asking for the board exams to be cancelled due to the rising COVID-19 cases in the country. The students, parents and teachers are also using the hashtag #CancelBoardExams2021 to spread their demand.

The petition on charge.org said, “the situation in India is getting worse day by day!! When there were only a few cases in the country they cancelled the remaining board exams, and now when the cases are at a peak they’re planning to open schools!! Some Great planning our government is doing for the future of the country.”

The petitioner further said, “I urge the education ministry to look into this matter and cancel all examinations to be held this year as students are already under a lot of stress and pressure due to these unfortunate times and above that they’ll have to take the pressure of examinations which could lead them into taking bad decisions if they don’t perform well”.

The petition has received over 75,000 signatures so far.

However, the CBSE and CISCE have rejected the demand, saying adequate arrangements are being made to ensure safety of the students. They also informed that the number of exam centres have be increased by 40-50 to ensure social distancing.

While the theory exams will take place as per schedule, the CBSE has announced relaxations for practical exams in view of the pandemic. In a circular issued on 1st April, the CBSE had announced that if any candidate can’t take practical exam due to being Covid positive, or due to any family member being Covid-positive, schools will be allowed to arrange alternate practical exams for such candidates by 11 June.

‘State failed to protect his life’: Patna High Court instructs Bihar gov to compensate Anurag Poddar’s family

OpIndia Staff
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‘State failed to protect his life’: Patna High Court instructs Bihar gov to compensate Anurag Poddar’s family

The horrific visuals from a Durga idol immersion procession in Munger, Bihar had shaken the entire nation last October due to police brutality. The devotees were charged with batons and shots were fired at them, claiming the life of one 18-year-old Hindu boy Anurag Poddar. 

While the investigation into the firing incident is still pending, the Patna High Court on Wednesday said that the state failed to protect the life of the citizen and ordered the state to grant Rs. 10 lakh as compensation to the father of Anurag Poddar within a month.

The state failed to protect Anurag Poddar’s life: Bihar HC

A single bench of Justice Rajeev Ranjan Prasad observed that it is not imperative to declare who was responsible for the firing to grant compensation to the family of the deceased in the unfortunate incident. The state had failed in its duty to protect the life of the citizen and should compensate for the same, remarked Justice Rajeev Ranjan.

The order further stated, “Whether son of the petitioner died as a result of firing by police or by any miscreants from the mob would not be relevant for the simple reason that in any case, the state had failed to protect the life of the son of the petitioner who was a spectator in the procession of Maa Durga Idol Immersion.”

The petitioner has also been given the option to claim further compensation under private law remedy against the wrongdoer, reported Live Law.

During the hearing, the High Court expressed displeasure over the government’s attitude and the police investigating the matter. Observing that no concrete results have emerged from the investigation from October last year to February, the court has ordered that the CID investigation will now take place under the monitoring of the High Court. The court has also ordered a transfer of all police officers associated with the case. 

Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, assisted by Advocate Manas Prasad had represented Anurag Poddar’s father in the High Court.

Police open fire at Durga Visarjan procession in Munger:

On October 26, 2020, when the campaign for Bihar assembly elections was going on, 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 furor 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.

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