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India objects to Saudi Arabia over distorted map of India on new 20 Riyal banknote, asks to take urgent corrective steps

OpIndia Staff
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India objects to Saudi Arabia over distorted map of India on new 20 Riyal banknote, asks to take urgent corrective steps

India has submitted a strong objection over the distorted map used by Saudi Arabia in its newly released 20 Riyal banknote which had shown Jammu and Kashmir as a separate territory from India. It was released to commemorate Saudi Arabia’s presidency of organizing the G-20 Summit on 21st and 22nd November.

A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said, “India has conveyed its serious concerns to Saudi Arabia both in Delhi & in Riyadh over gross misrepresentation of India’s external territorial boundaries in new Saudi banknote. We’ve asked Saudi side to take urgent corrective steps. J&K and Ladakh are integral parts of India”.

Banknote has King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud one side and world map on other

In the newly released banknote, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the 2020 G20 Summit logo has been featured on one side. On the other side, it highlights the G20 nations in a darker shade and the rest of the world in a lighter shade. It showed Gilgit-Baltistan and Jammu and Kashmir are not part of any country, neither India nor Pakistan, causing a huge outrage on social media.

The map also excludes territories under Pakistan, PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, from the Pakistan map. Pakistan is yet to comment on the matter. It may be noted that Pakistan is not a member of the G-20 group.

Created from screengrabs from banknote release video by SAMA

Ministry of External Affairs registered objection

India considered it to be a serious matter and conveyed the displeasure to the Saudi Arabian embassy in New Delhi and the foreign ministry in Riyadh. As per the sources, Saudi Arabia has to make the required changes to the banknote else India may not participate in the G20 summit in November. Saudi Arabia has not reacted to India’s objection yet.

While Uddhav Thackeray govt stalled a development project to ‘save Aarey’, Shiv Sena-led BMC has now been fined for letting untreated sewage into the water

OpIndia Staff
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While Uddhav Thackeray govt stalled a development project to ‘save Aarey’, Shiv Sena-led BMC has now been fined for letting untreated sewage into the water

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped the Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) a fine Rs 34 crore for letting untreated sewage into the ocean.

According to the reports, the National Green Tribunal penalised Shiv Sena-ruled BMC and has asked the civic body to pay compensation for causing environmental damage. The civic body has also been ordered to pay Rs 4.25 crore a month to Central Pollution Control Board till they take action against 85 major outfalls that release effluents into water bodies.

If such measures are implemented through bioremediation procedures, then the fine would be reduced to Rs 5 lakh per outfall, the NGT order noted. The NGT has ordered BMC to pay the one-time penalty within the next 30 days.

The NGT passed the order after hearing a plea filed by an NGO named Vanshakti, asserting that the ability to “enjoy pollution-free water and air” is protected by the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The NGT panel headed by Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and expert member Dr Satyawan Garbyal pointed out that out of the 186 outfalls in the city, 85 major ones discharge untreated sewage directly into water bodies and only six of them are above the high tide line.

One fourth of the sewage produced in Mumbai enters sea, says expert

A study done by Darshan Sansare, principal investigator and research scholar, reveals that Mumbai produces 2,200-2,400 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage of which only 1,500 MLD is treated at the seven STPs. He added that private units treat some of the remaining sewage at hotels and housing complexes and yet at least 25 per cent of the total sewage enters water bodies untreated.

Prior to imposing fine, the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) had earlier directed the Maharashtra government to offer an in-depth report on the whole amount of garbage collected at mangroves coupled with a plan to eliminate them inside six weeks.

In July, the Forest Department’s Mangrove Cell had estimated that there could possibly be round 50,000 tons of plastic waste at around 6,600 hectares of Mumbai’s mangroves. It had also said that the rivers and the creeks together with the ocean are threatened by plastic waste that’s discarded by the individuals.

Reportedly, BMC runs seven sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Bhandup, Ghatkopar, Versova, Malad, Colaba, Worli and Bandra, which are at least 17 years old. The BMC was planning to add seven sewage treatment plants along the coast to its existing network for more than 15 years.

NGT order rapping Shiv Sena comes after Aarey controversy

The scathing attack by NGT against Shiv Sena-led BMC over its inability to handle sewage waste in the city comes weeks after the Shiv Sena-led government had taken another decision to shift the metro car shed from Aarey milk colony to Kanjurmarg citing ‘environmental damage’ to Aarey forest area.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led govt, in a vindictive order, had declared the Aarey area where the metro car shed was planed as ‘forest land’, and had shifted the facility to a government land in Kanjurmarg. The decision to shift the metro car shed came after several left wing activists and Sena prince Aaditya Thackeray had expressed their disapproval for the construction of metro shed at Aarey.

Even though the metro project will result in substantial improvement in environment by removing lakhs of fossil fuel guzzling vehicles from the roads, the project was opposed due to political reasons.

The decision to shift the metro car shed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg will now increase the cost of the project by at least Rs 4,000 crore, which was estimated by a committee appointed by the current government. Further, the project will also be delayed by several years due to ongoing litigation and the condition of the new site.

‘We are proud’: Terroristan admits hand in Pulwama attack, minister claims victory of people under leadership of Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan

OpIndia Staff
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‘We are proud’: Terroristan admits hand in Pulwama attack, minister claims victory of people under leadership of Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan

In a shocking disclosure, the terror-state of Pakistan on Wednesday finally owned up to its involvement in carrying out cowardly terror attacks in Pulwama last year, that killed at least 40 CRPF soldiers.

Speaking at the National Assembly, Pakistan’s Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry admitted Terroristan’s role in the barbaric 2019 Pulwama terror attack. Responding to the opposition criticism against Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan-led government over its failure to respond to India, Fawad Chaudhry said that Pakistan gave a befitting reply to India by entering their territory and attacking them in Pulwama.

“Humne Hindustan ko ghus ke maara (We hit India in their home). Our success in Pulwama, is a success of the people under the leadership of Imran Khan. You and us are all part of that success,” Fawad Chaudhry said in the national assembly.

“We are proud that our brave sons (terrorists) entered their territory and attacked them in Pulwama. Even Indian media is ashamed to report about Pulwama incident,” said Fawad Chaudhry as he boasted about Pakistan’s direct involvement in the deadly terrorist attack on CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir on February 14, 2019.

The Pakistan Minister was referring to the suicide-attack unleashed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad on the convoy of CRPF soldiers. Even though India had blamed Pakistan for carrying out attacks on Indian soil, Pakistani govt has been denying its involvement so far, blaming home-grown terrorists in India instead. But the shocking admission by an incumbent minister of the Pakistan government has now exposed Pakistan’s direct support for Islamic terrorist groups.

Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistani sponsored terror group had initially admitted to have carried attacks in Pulwama. A Kashmiri terrorist named Adil Ahmad Dar was the suicide bomber who led a deadly attack leading to the killing of 40 CRPF men in Pulwama by ramming his car loaded with 100 kg of explosives into a CRPF bus on 14 February 2019.

With Fawad Chaudhary’s disclosure on the floor of the Parliament, it is rather clear that the Pakistan government actively supported these terrorists to enter India and carry out such deadly terror attacks.

Pakistani opposition leader reveals Imran Khan govt was fearful of another attack by India

The sensational disclosure came after a war of words between opposition members and the Pakistan government over Ayaz Sadiq’s disclosure about a meeting attended by ministers, opposition leaders and the army chief on the release of Abhinandan Varthaman.

Ayaz Sadiq, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) had revealed that Foreign Minister Qureshi was afraid of another attack by Indian on Pakistan and had pleaded General Bajwa to release Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman or else India would attack Pakistan “that night by 9 pm.”

“I was present in the meeting, I remember Shah Mahmood Qureshi was present in the meeting which the prime minister had refused to attend. Chief of Army Staff was present. His legs were shivering, head was sweating, and the foreign minister Shah Mahmood Sahab told us, for the sake of God, let him go now, else India will attack Pakistan by 9 o’ clock,” Sadiq had revealed.

Responding to this remark, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan didn’t deny the claim made by Ayaz Sadiq, although he had said that leaders of all the parties present in the meeting had agreed to the decision.

After Nice, another Islamic terrorist shouting Allahu Akbar attacks France’s Avignon, guard at French embassy in Jeddah attacked too

OpIndia Staff
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After Nice, another Islamic terrorist shouting Allahu Akbar attacks France’s Avignon, guard at French embassy in Jeddah attacked too

Soon after reports came in that three people have died of which at least two are reportedly beheaded in a terrorist attack at Notre Dame Church in Nice, France, two other attacks have been reported. One from Avignon in France and the other from Mecca.

Attack on a guard of the French consulate in Jeddah

A man in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah has reportedly been arrested after he stabbed a guard at the French consulate, state media reported on Thursday. The man reportedly used a sharp tool to stab the guard.

The guard was immediately rushed to the hospital and is said to be recovering. The French embassy released a statement saying the guard in the Jeddah consulate attack has been hospitalised and he is out of danger. “The assailant was apprehended by Saudi security forces immediately after the attack. The guard was taken to hospital and his life is not in danger,” the embassy said in a statement.

Statement released by the French Embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“The French Consulate General in Jeddah this morning was subjected to a knife stabbing incident targeting a security guard, an employee of a private security company, and immediately, the Saudi security forces arrested the perpetrator. The security guard was taken to a hospital, and his health condition remains stable,” the French Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said in a press release posted on Twitter.

“The Embassy of France strongly condemns this vicious attack against a diplomatic facility,” the press release read, adding that the embassy “affirms its full support for the victim and expresses its confidence in the Saudi authorities to uncover the circumstances of the accident and ensure the security of French facilities and the French community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

French Embassy has asked diplomats and officials to remain vigilant and safe.

Knife-wielding man shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ killed after attacking police in Avignon, France

In another incident, an unidentified man wielding a knife reportedly attacked a group of police officers patrolling the streets of Montfavet, near the southern French city of Avignon. The reported attack took place at approximately 11:15 local time. The attacker here too shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ while carrying out the attack.

Meanwhile, Police in Avignon confirmed that they have shot dead the attacker who was reportedly threatening passers-by with a hand-gun.

Three killed, reportedly beheaded by an Islamic terrorist shouting Allahu Akbar at a Church in Nice

Earlier in the day, it was reported how Islamic terrorist killed three people and left several injured in an attack at a church in Notre Dame Church in Nice, France. In the attack, the Islamists beheaded two people, including one elderly lady inside the church. As per local French media, the Nice Mayor, Christian Estrosi has said that the Islamic terrorist did not stop shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while carrying out the attack.

In his first address, he said that the entire Christian world was targeted in this Islamofascisim terrorist attack which beheaded and killed innocents at a holy church. How long before the world unites against Islamist terror and indoctrination?

The suspect behind the incident has been arrested. As per local media reports, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to reach Nice later today.

This series of shocking incident comes days after a high school teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in broad daylight over ‘blasphemy’. An Islamic terrorist had beheaded him for showing Charlie Hebdo’s caricature of Prophet Muhammad in his class.

Mumbai police intensifies witch-hunt, now wants details that would give him almost unfettered access to the Republic TV newsroom: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai police intensifies witch-hunt, now wants details that would give him almost unfettered access to the Republic TV newsroom: Read details

After issuing a statement condemning the summons served by Mumbai police on the investors of the Republic TV network, the channel today issued another statement this time calling out the Mumbai police for demanding editorial access to the the newsroom of the channel. Terming the action of Mumbai police as “an unprecedented move in the history of Indian media”, the media channel in their statement said that Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh wanted the details of every journalist working with the channel including their contact details, addressed and even login IDs.

The other things that Mumbai Police have demanded is access to include newsroom software details, newsflow with broadcast rundown details, details of shift in-charges, copies of weekly schedule of news desk and the details of the technician familiar with the newsroom software. While agreeing to cooperate with legitimate means of investigation, the channel refused to provide access of their newsroom software and other details to Mumbai Police.

Republic TV statement

The channel urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcast to take cognisance of the matter and stop Mumbai police from “trampling the press freedom”.

Hounding of Republic TV by Mumbai Police

In an interview given to the Editor of OpIndia Hindi, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar had criticised the action of Mumbai police against Republic TV. “What Mumbai Police is doing, no one will endorse this”, the Minister said. Mumbai police had falsely implicated Republic TV in the TRP scam on the basis of an FIR naming India Today. The police had also reportedly coerced witnesses into naming Republic TV in the TRP scam. Mumbai police had also sought details of all financial transactions of the channel ever since its inception.

Witch-hunt continues: Parambir Singh sues Goa Chronicle and RVS Mani, wants to know if portal made money by publishing interview ‘defaming him’

OpIndia Staff
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Witch-hunt continues: Parambir Singh sues Goa Chronicle and RVS Mani, wants to know if portal made money by publishing interview ‘defaming him’

After filing countless cases against Republic TV and Arnab Goswami, now Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has filed a case against former bureaucrat RV Subramani and online news portal Goa Chronicle for articles on him.

The IPS officer has filed a criminal defamation case against them at the Bombay High Court, after RV Subramani had explosive allegations in an interview with Goa Chronicle, where he had said that Dawood Ibrahim is behind the attack on Republic TV and that Arnab Goswami may face a threat to his life.

The petition, filed through law firm Crawford Bayley and Co, names R V Subramani, Goa Chronicle editor Savio Rodrigues, his wife Myrtle Rodrigues, Kaydence Media Ventures and Twitter as defendants in the case seeking to restrict publication and distribution of articles and news reports on him.

The Petition alleges that the ‘allegations and insinuations’ published Goa Chronicle against Param Bir Singh are false and defamatory, and has sought relief from the same. It says that in March 2020, RV Subramani made ‘false and defamatory’ statement about Param Bir Singh when he had said that Singh’s appointment as Mumbai Police Commissioner was made on the behest of a corporate house. After that, Param Bir Singh in his official capacity as Mumbai Police Commissioner sought the permission of Maharashtra government to initiate legal action against the former under-secretary at the union ministry of home affairs. In September this year, the state government granted him the permission to file case against Subramani for his comments against Param Bir Singh.

After that, on 19th August, Goa Chronicle published an article titled “Former MHA civil servant alleges Rs 500 crore was set aside by a corporate house for appointment of Mumbai Police Commissioner”, based on an interview with Subramani, which contained the comments made by the former bureaucrat.

In the interview, Subramani had accused that that a particular corporate group had set aside Rs 500 crore for appointment of Mumbai Police commissioner, and Param Bir Singh was appointed to the post immediately after the Shiv Sena led govt came to power. “The present Police Commissioner’s wife was a Director in the corporate house”, Subramani had said in the interview. He had also accused that Param Bir Singh had led the torture on Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Col Purohit and others.

Other than filing criminal defamation charges, the petition by Param Bir Singh also seeks restraining order from the court restricting Subramani and Goa Chronicle from publishing any article, interview or content containing the allegations made by Subramani. It also seeks a direction to Twitter to remove the tweet by Savio Rodrigues sharing the link to the article, including all retweets of the same.

In addition to that, Param Bir Singh has also sought accounts of all income earned by RV Subramani in connection with his comments on the Mumbai Police Commissioner from 5 March 2020. The plea further seeks the accounts of all income earned by Goa Chronicle from the interview with Subramani from 19th August 2020, including revenue from readers and advertisement. The plea says that such amount should be paid to the Mumbai Police Welfare Fund, along with 12% interest.

Goa Chronicle editor Savio Rodrigues has issued a statement responding to the lawsuit filed by the police commissioner. He said that persons and entities associated with Goa Chronicle has been dragged into a defamation suit for publishing an interview with former MHA diplomat RV Subramani. He said that their legal team will look into the affairs of the defamation suit. “GC will continue to seek the truth in India and globally and expose it for the better of India and the world”, he added.

Blast in firecrackers factory running illegally in his house leaves Congress leader Asim Khan dead: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Blast in firecrackers factory running illegally in his house leaves Congress leader Asim Khan dead: Reports

A local Congress leader named Asim Khan lost his life in a blast that happened in his house situated in Pir Jagdan colony of Saradhna own in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh today. Reportedly, the blast that took place around 9 in the morning was so strong that his double storey house came crashing down.

Nearby houses were also jolted by the blast which left the walls and roofs of many houses damaged. Khan died in the blast while many people were buried under debris. A rescue team reached on the spot and rescued the people buried under the debris. The injured were taken to hospital. Two deaths have been confirmed in the blast and the bodies have been sent for postmortem.

A team of fire brigade and a forensic team also reached the spot. Cops from nearby police station were also called to the scene.

Locals suspect an illegal firecracker factory

The reason of blast is not yet clearly known, but according to some reports, locals suspected that an illegal firecracker factory was being run in Asim Khan’s house. Some inflammable material kept in the house caught fire which spread to a gas cylinder which caused the major blast. According to CO Sardhana RP Shahi, the prima facie reason for the blast appears to be a gas cylinder kept in the house. The police have not yet confirmed the existence of an illegal firecracker factory.

Why is Europe locking down instead of copying globally famous Kerala model?

Abhishek Banerjee
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Why is Europe locking down instead of copying globally famous Kerala model?

Now, this is surprising. They say that a second wave of Covid-19 is sweeping across Europe, pushing these countries into a second round of lockdowns.

France and Germany getting into lockdown as coronavirus cases increase

To give you an idea of how terrifying this spike is, yesterday France reported some 35,000 cases and over 500 deaths. Keep in mind that France has a population roughly the same as Gujarat. Here is what the spike looks like in terms of a graph.

France spike on coronavirus cases

As Europe reels under the second wave of Coronavirus, there is something we have to wonder. Why are European governments putting their people through such misery? Why won’t they just follow the globally acclaimed and supremely successful Kerala model of containing the Coronavirus?

The virus claimed 500 lives in France just yesterday. Is there anything funny about that? Now there is another lockdown coming. The economic cost could be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Millions of livelihoods are at stake. These governments owe it to the world and to their own people to explain: why not just copy the Kerala model?

I’m surprised. Why is nobody else asking this question? It’s common sense, right? I mean, we are all facing Covid-19. The state of Kerala, under the visionary leadership of health minister Shailaja “Teacher” has a solution to Covid-19. Why wouldn’t the world just copy the Kerala model?

Did something go wrong with the Kerala model? I mean, the media praised it and everything. The Guardian covered it. Al Jazeera covered it. The BBC interviewed Shailaja “Teacher.” A UK magazine declared her to be the deepest thinker in the world.

Even the MIT Tech Review announced the astounding success of Shailaja Teacher. Do governments around the world have any excuse for not taking note of Kerala model?

MIT hailing Kerala model for containing coronavirus

Hey there, world. What’s your excuse? Notice the date of that article: April 13, 2020. It’s nearly the end of October and you still haven’t learned from Kerala? Seriously, what’s your excuse?

I just hope nothing has gone wrong with the famed ‘Kerala model’ since then. The media has recently stopped covering the Kerala model. I take this to mean that everything has been going well since then. Kerala has successfully put the virus behind and returned to its usual routine of opening industries, creating jobs and generating wealth. If something had gone wrong, surely the media would have followed up on the story and asked some tough questions to Shailaja “Teacher.” Not doing so would be highly dishonest.

We now have a real mystery on our hands. Why has the rest of the world not followed the Kerala model? Who would be foolish enough to reject something so successful?

I don’t have a definite answer. But here is one possibility. This bit from a May 2020 editorial in The Hindu, titled “The mark of zero: On containment of Covid-19 cases in Kerala” might contain some clues:

“While active involvement of all the stakeholders who complement each other especially during the crisis has worked in Kerala’s favour, these are not measures put in place to fight coronavirus but what has been a legacy of the State. It is a success born out of decades-old social revolution and development. This is also the reason why other States, even if they emulate the measures adopted by Kerala to fight the virus, may not be able to achieve the same level of success.“

A sobering slap indeed on the faces of everyone else in India. Kerala’s success appears to be a consequence of decades of social revolution and development. And while we can all rush to copy from the Kerala model now, it may not be enough. It’s too late for the rest of us.

Perhaps this applies not just to the rest of India, but to the rest of the world. If only Western Europe had followed the Kerala model in all these decades. If only Western Europe had achieved 100% literacy, built schools and hospitals. Too late now.

Like Rome, the Kerala model was not built in a day you know.

Angry over inaction against police officials who had attacked Durga Puja Immersion procession, locals attack SP Lipi Singh’s office, burn police vehicles

OpIndia Staff
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Angry over inaction against police officials who had attacked Durga Puja Immersion procession, locals attack SP Lipi Singh’s office, burn police vehicles

The furore over the brutality unleashed by Munger police personnel on the Hindu devotees who participated in the Durga Puja immersion ceremony in the town, which led to the death of an 18-year-old youth, has been on the rise. Hundreds of angry locals have now allegedly ransacked the SP Lipi Singh’s office and set fire to police vehicles as their fury over the police excesses escalated.

Miffed by the callousness shown by the Munger authorities to act against the police officials who had indiscriminately attacked and fired at the devotees during Durga Puja idol immersion event on October 27, leaving one dead and several injured, hundreds of the locals reportedly reached the East Sarai police station to agitate. They vandalised and pelted stones at the PS and set fire to two police vehicle parked outside. The board next to the police office was also uprooted. The group of angry youths also vandalized the secret branch office of the SDO.

The angry mob took to the streets to protest against the police administration and demanded that the police officer who shot the young devotee should be charged with murder. They also demanded immediate suspension of Lipi Singh, the superintendent of police (SP) of Munger, Bihar.

The situation remains tensed. In order to control the exacerbations, additional police forces have been deployed in the area.

EC orders immediate removal of Munger SP 

With the rage over the Munger incident rising, the Election Commission had earlier in the day ordered the immediate removal of Munger Superintendent of Police and District Magistrate. As per reports, a new DM and SP will be posted in Munger today itself. 

SP Lipi Singh defends the police brutalities on the devotees

After the videos of the police unleashing brutality on the Hindu devotees went viral on social media and people started outraging for the police excesses, the SP of Munger, Lipi Singh had gone on to defend the police brutalities on the devotees, claiming that the stone-pelting from devotees provoked the ensuing violence. She also asserted that 20 policemen were injured by stone-pelting from the crowd. She had added that one of the members of the crowd opened fire which led to the death of the 18-year-old devotee.

The SP, however, drew flak for brazening out police heavy-handedness on devotees in Durga procession and the calls for her suspension started to rise. Following the backlash the Munger police had deactivated its Twitter account.

Police open fire at Durga Visarjan procession in Munger

The violence, as per reports, had broken out after Kotwali police asked Hindus not to delay the idol immersion procession of Shadipur Badi Durga. Traditionally, the idols are immersed after three days of Vijayadashami but this time, in view of the first phase of Assembly polls in the state on Wednesday, the administration had insisted on the immersion by 5 am on Tuesday.

Durga puja organizers, as instructed, had taken out the procession allegedly with DJs close to midnight as they headed for the immersion. The situation turned ugly around 11.50 pm when police officials used brutal force on Hindus going for Durga Puja Visarjan.

Several videos of the incident had gone viral on the internet in which police officials of Munger Police were seen mercilessly charging the devotees with batons. An 18-year-old man was killed and several others were injured in the ensuing violence.

France: Three killed, reportedly beheaded by an Islamic terrorist shouting Allahu Akbar at a Church in Nice

OpIndia Staff
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France: Three killed, reportedly beheaded by an Islamic terrorist shouting Allahu Akbar at a Church in Nice

Three people have died of which at least two are reportedly beheaded in a terrorist attack at Notre Dame Church in Nice, France. The attack that began at around 9 AM local time has also left several people injured. The police reached the spot immediately and apprehended the terrorist.

As per local French media, the Nice Mayor, Christian Estrosi has said that the Islamic terrorist did not stop shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while carrying out the attack.

As per the reports, the incident took place on Thursday morning. The Mayor of the city, Christian Estrosi, has thanked the local police officers for their quick action. “Thank you to our municipal police officers who arrested the author of a stabbing attack in the Notre Dame sector at # Nice06. I ask the people of Nice to avoid the area to let the police and emergency services work,” he said in a tweet.

National Police has reported from its official Twitter handle that the operation is still going on and people should confirm forwarding any report. They urged everyone to follow official accounts for updates.

The Minister of the Interior has urged people to avoid coming to the area as the police investigation and rescue is underway. The authorities are holding a crisis meeting.

Early media reports suggest that two out of the three deceased in the terror attack were beheaded. The shocking incident comes days after a high school teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in broad daylight over ‘blasphemy’. An Islamic terrorist had beheaded him for showing Charlie Hebdo’s caricature of Prophet Muhammad in his class.

As per local media reports, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to Nice later today.

The French government observed one minute silence for the terror attack.

2016 Nice truck attack

Back in 2016, a 31-year-old Tunisian man, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, ploughed his lorry into a large crowd gathered to watch a fireworks display in Nice to mark the Bastille Day holiday. On 14th July at around 10:30 PM local time, when people enjoyed the fireworks show on the seafront, a large white lorry ploughed into them at high speed. According to a witness named Laicia Baroi, “He was speeding up, braking, speeding up again and braking again. We thought it was weird.” 86 people were killed, including ten children and teenagers. A total of 303 were taken to the hospital for medical attention. The terrorist organisation Islamic State claimed that the attack was carried out by one of its members.

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