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Modi govt signs MoU with food delivery major Swiggy to bring street food vendors on the app

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Modi govt signs MoU with food delivery major Swiggy to bring street food vendors on the app

In an effort to bring the street food vendors into the fold of the online market, the Modi government has signed an MoU with food tech major Swiggy to bring street food vendors onboard of the e-commerce platform.

Under the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) mission, the Modi government intends to help these street vendors to expand their business, who have been severely hit due to coronavirus pandemic.

In a press release, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has stated that initially Swiggy and the ministry will run a pilot program by on-boarding 250 vendors across five cities – Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Indore, and Varanasi.

As a part of the initiative, these street food vendors will be assisted to get PAN and FSSAI registration, menu digitization and pricing, and training for packaging and maintaining hygiene practices.

Capital loan to be provided under the scheme

Under this mission, the government will be targeting at least 50 lakh street vendors, who will be provided with a working capital loan of up to Rs 10,000 to be payable in 12 months EMI.

The Urban Housing Ministry will also reward on time and early repayment of the loan with an interest subsidy at 7% per annum. The subsidy will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on a quarterly basis. 

Upon the successful completion of the pilot project, MoHUA and Swiggy have a plan to expand this initiative across the country in phases. 

According to MOHUA, they have received over 20 lakh loan applications under the PM SVANidhi Scheme. Out of these over 7.5 lakh loans have been sanctioned and over 2.4 lakh loans disbursed under the scheme.

Child pornography cases spike in Kerala, cyber cell arrest 41 people in a major crackdown

OpIndia Staff
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Child pornography cases spike in Kerala, cyber cell arrest 41 people in a major crackdown

In a major crackdown against child pornography, the Kerala police’s cyber wing on Monday arrested 41 people, including some IT professionals, and registered 268 cases on the charge of browsing and downloading child pornography.

According to the reports, the Kerala police had carried out a month-long covert online surveillance operation code-named “P-Hunt_20.2”. The operation has culminated in the arrest of 41 persons from across the state Kerala on the charge of “seeking, collecting, browsing and downloading” child pornography.

The police said that most of the arrested persons were using encrypted handles to upload such material and circulating them on social media platforms. The cyber cell has seized many electronic devices and phones from these arrested individuals. Some of the arrested include IT professionals, the police said.

The accused were identified and arrested with the help of Cyberdom (specialised wing of cyber police), Interpol and other agencies, said additional director general of police Manoj Abraham.

Police seized child porn materials from arrested

According to the police, most of the seized material had contained child pornography related to children between the age group of 6-15 years. The Cyberdom officials also found that some of these accused had formatted their smartphones regularly to avoid detection and also used malware to activate the webcams of the victim to steal information of children.

“The biggest impact of the pandemic, besides health issues, is an online crime. True, the lockdown has increased digital usage and this also spiked use in pornography, especially involving minor children. Many think that these acts use will go unnoticed but they are mistaken. In many cases, it looks like a sickness that requires medical treatment as many are repeat offenders,” said Abraham.

The officer added that many obscene pictures, videos captured were taken from Kerala, stating that abuse of children locked up in their homes was quite evident in many cases.

The police also found out that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) content was sourced from security cameras at homes, flats. The accused recorded images and videos of children from webcams.

The Kerala police had deployed used a mix of surveillance software, social engineering techniques and deceptive social media identities to infiltrate into the clandestine child porn sharing circles.

According to country’s penal laws, watching and sharing child pornographic images, videos and literature is a crime and can invite a five-year-jail term and maximum fine of Rs 10 lakh.

Kerala: Two brothers Naushad and Nawas arrested for raping 10 and 5-year-old minors

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Two brothers Naushad and Nawas arrested for raping 10 and 5-year-old minors

The Trivandrum police on Sunday arrested two brothers, Naushad and Nawas, in connection with the rape of two minors, one 10-years-old and the other 5-years-old in Thiruvallam Pachallur. The accused Naushad and Nawas are reportedly twins. The brothers allegedly raped the little girls several times.

As per reports, the minors were left under the care of the accused while their parents went to work. The matter came to light when the parents detected unusual behaviour of their children and asked them about it. The children narrated their ordeal to their parents after which the parents approached the police and filed a complaint against the molesters. The minors were allegedly raped several times over a certain period of time.

Following the complaint, the police arrested the two brothers and charged them under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act(POCSO), 2012. According to the police, after allegedly raping the children, the accused had threatened them with dire consequences if they disclosed anything to their relatives or parents.

The twin brothers, Naushad and Nawas, have been sent to 14-days judicial custody.

Uttar Pradesh: Four PFI members arrested for planning to create caste-based unrest and communal tension over Hathras case

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Four PFI members arrested for planning to create caste-based unrest and communal tension over Hathras case

Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested four people, Siddiqui of Nagla in Muzaffarnagar, Siddique of Malappuram, Masood Ahmed of Jarwal in Bahraich district, and Alam of Kotwali area in Rampur district in connection to the Hathras case on Monday. So far, police have filed 21 cases across the state.

As per the reports, the arrested four have connections with Popular Front of India (PFI) and were planning to cause caste-based unrest in the state. The police have alleged that they were conspiring to spoil the government’s image and disturb the atmosphere in the area.

On Monday, Prashant Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), said police received information about suspected persons traveling from Delhi to Hathras. The police intercepted their vehicle. Upon questioning their connection with PFI and Campus Front of India (CFI) came into light.

Conspiracy to cause riots and communal tension

ADG Kumar said there are a total of six cases in various police station areas of Hathras district. 13 cases were filed for making objectionable comments on social media platforms in Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Saharanpur, Hathras, Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Lucknow. The four suspects were arrested as a preventive measure as they are allegedly involved in a conspiracy to cause tension in the state under the pretext of Hathras incident. Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also said that conspiracies are hatching to spread communal riots in the state and the rest of the country. He also alleged foreign funding involved in the conspiracy.

Charges against the alleged conspirators

As per the reports, police have recovered the mobile, laptop, and suspected literature from the suspects. The FIR launched against the four has serious charges, including threatening the unity and integrity of the country (treason).

The cases have been filed under section 109 (abetment of offense) of the Indian Penal Code, 124A (attempt to threaten the unity and integrity of the country-treason) 120-B (conspiracy), 153 -A (Spreading hate based on religion, language and caste), 153-B (Statements adversely affecting national integrity), 195 (Formation of evidence), 465 (Counterfeiting), 468 (Use of malicious documents), 501 ( A total of 20 sections, including defamatory printing), 505 (statement making the atmosphere of fear) and Section 67 of the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008.

Use of social media and other communication methods

ADG Kumar said there are attempts to spoil the atmosphere of the state via provocative posters and social media posts. Police also learned about viral audio that has been making rounds on social media as well as on messaging services like WhatsApp. Several investigation agencies are looking into the matter. It was reported on Monday that a website was made to provide information on how to launch protests across the country without getting identified by the police. The website also urged people to donate for the protests. After the uproar, the website was deleted. Police are gathering information about the people behind the website.

Involvement of the media, opposition leaders and a case against the unknown reporter

The cases filed in the Hathras case also include a case against an unnamed reporter for allegedly calling the brother to ask his parents to make a video saying they are not satisfied with the administration’s actions. OpIndia gained exclusive access to the recordings, after which the alleged “spoon-feeding of the words” went viral on the social media.

A similar case has been filed against an unknown leader who was pressurizing the victim’s family to give a statement that they are not satisfied with the state government. Some politicians and leaders also provoked the family on the pretext of providing more compensation. It has to be noted that the government has already announced 25 lakh in total as compensation.

The Hathras case

The Hathras case has become a political battleground where the justice for the victim seems to have taken a backseat as politicians huddle up to score political brownies. Every political party in the opposition is trying to use the tragedy for their gain and the media is not far behind in using it for their own interests. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has ordered a CBI inquiry into the matter with numerous facets emerging to the story. The chronology of the events in the Hathras case can be explored here.

Congress Dalit leaders seen laughing and cracking jokes while protesting against the Hathras case

OpIndia Staff
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Congress Dalit leaders seen laughing and cracking jokes while protesting against the Hathras case

The Congress has been desperately clinging to the Hathras incident to gain some much-needed political capital in Uttar Pradesh, by exploiting the caste angles in the case. As the unfortunate incident of a Dalit girl’s strangulation, allegedly by an ‘upper caste’ boy becomes the political battleground, Congress leaders seem to be taking Hathras as their picnic spot.

Earlier, Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were seen laughing, enjoying their long drive on the way to Hathras.

On Monday, Congress Dalit leader Udit Raj and his supporters travelled to Hathras from Delhi to meet the victim’s family. However, he was temporarily stopped by the Ghaziabad police near UP gate for not having requisite permission. Udit Raj had however claimed that he had sought permission of District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police in Hathras and Additional Director General of Police (Agra).

Udit Raj laughs, cracks jokes at a sit-in-protest

Nevertheless, the Congress Dalit leader staged a sit-in protest on the road against the supposed high-handedness of the police. In a viral video that has now come to light, Udit Raj was seen in a jovial mode. While his supporters raised the slogan of ‘Bharat mata ki jai‘, the Dalit leader from the Congress party was seen giggling and cracking jokes with a female supporter. The merry-making was clearly visible as Udit Raj was seen first pulling the female supporter closer, whispering something in her ears after which they both double up laughing while the ‘protest demanding justice for the victim’ continues on the background.

Udit Raj also wrapped his arms around the shoulder of his supporter for a brief moment while ignoring the seriousness around the Hathras case. He faced criticism on social media for his callous and insensitive behaviour, prompting social media users to question whether he was on a ‘picnic.’

Udit Raj poses for the camera, flouts social distancing guidelines

The District Magistrate had imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the area, which prevents congregation of more than 5 people. The Ghaziabad police informed that Udit Raj wanted to take out a rally in Hathras but was not allowed to do so. Following his conversation with the District Magistrate of Hathras, he was allowed to visit the victim’s family with a convoy of 6 vehicles.

When Udit Raj reached the house of the victim, the Congress Dalit leader hugged a victim’s family member. During the photo-op, he claimed that he stood by the family of the deceased girl. Once the photo session was over, he was quick to distance himself from the man. Udit Raj was also spotted not wearing his mask and flouting social distancing guidelines, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. He had shared the video clip of the meeting on Twitter and claimed that he had shared ‘condolences’ with the family and vowed to fight against the ‘injustice’.

Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi’s ‘happy drive’

Earlier, senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi came under intense criticism for their callousness. People pointed out how they were laughing and having fun while visiting the family of the bereaved. The laughter of the siblings appeared consistent with the recent declaration of a journalist that the Hathras case was a ‘god given opportunity‘ for them to resurrect their careers.

The Hathras incident

A lot of debate and political mudslinging has been happening around the Hathras case since the victim succumbed to her injuries in Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital last week. While the victim and her family had claimed that she was gang-raped by the four accused, post mortem and forensic lab results have ruled out rape. Later, the initial statements and police reports filed by the family with the local police emerged, where no rape or sexual assault was mentioned, casting a doubt of possible foulplay in the entire incident.

The initial statements by the victim and her family members are contradictory to the later claims of brutality and gang-rape. Also, the names of the three other accused were ‘added on’ in later statements. Owing to the caste of the victim and the accused, the case has become a fertile ground for some political parties to create social divisions and exploit the caste angle politically.

All four accused named by the victim had been arrested by the police.

Mumbai Police claims over 80,000 social media accounts created for ‘defaming’ Police Commissioner and police force in Sushant Singh Rajput case

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Police claims over 80,000 social media accounts created for ‘defaming’ Police Commissioner and police force in Sushant Singh Rajput case

Mumbai Police on Tuesday said that they have registered two FIRs against social media users over allegations of ‘defaming’ the Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. One FIR is regarding ‘defaming’ the Mumbai CP while other is for using ‘morphed’ image of Mumbai Police’s official Twitter account.

Mumbai Police has claimed that many social media users and some ‘fake’ accounts were used for ‘defaming’ Mumbai Police Commissioner on various sites like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Mumbai Police has alleged that ‘abusive language’ was used against Singh and the Mumbai Police force.

As per reports, Mumbai Police has claimed over 84,000 ‘fake’ accounts were created from June 14 onward after the 34-year-old actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment under mysterious circumstances. While initial reports had suggested death by suicide, the family had later alleged foul play.

Mumbai Police has claimed that the ‘fake accounts’ were created from countries like Italy, Japan, France, Indonesia and others. Mumbai Police Commissioner Singh claimed that a campaign was run to demoralise the police force and derail the investigation in the deceased actor’s case. “Multiple fake accounts on social media were created to target Mumbai police with abusive tones. Our cyber cell is conducting a thorough investigation into this matter and all those found violating the law will be prosecuted under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act,” he said.

Sushant Singh Rajput death

The 34-year-old actor was found dead in his apartment on 14th June 2020. The Mumbai Police had come under fire over allegations of shoddy investigation. The Supreme Court had also pulled up Mumbai Police for delay in filing the FIR.

Watch: Bhim Army and Congress workers clash in Chhatisgarh during protest against Hathras incident

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Bhim Army and Congress workers clash in Chhatisgarh during protest against Hathras incident

On Monday, Congress party workers clashed with members of Bhim Army in Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh during a protest against the Hathras incident.

According to the reports, the clashes between two sides erupted after Bhim Army members started sloganeering against Congress party workers who were protesting against the Hathras incident.

During the protest, the Bhim Army members also hurled slogans against the Congress government in Chhattisgarh accusing them of being anti-Dalit. In the video, the two groups can also be seen shouting abusive slogans against each other.

“Congress workers were protesting against Hathras case. Meanwhile, Bhim Army members went there and started sloganeering against them, leading to the clash. Later police dispersed them,” said police officer Lakhesh Kevat.

The SDM said that the district administration has also received complaints from Mahila Congress demanding strict action against Bhim Army members. The authorities also added that they are investigating the matter and strict action will be taken against all those who created ruckus during the protest.

The Wire passes off ‘study’ of five random individuals as that of University of Michigan to discredit calls for Sushant Singh Rajput’s death probe

OpIndia Staff
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The Wire passes off ‘study’ of five random individuals as that of University of Michigan to discredit calls for Sushant Singh Rajput’s death probe

In a major embarrassment to leftist propaganda website, The Wire was found trying to pass off ‘study’ of social media trends conducted by five individuals, one of whom is associated with the University of Michigan, US, as that of an official study by the university. The discrepancy was pointed out by various social media users.

In its article titled “Sushant Singh Rajput: Study Reveals BJP’s Hand in Hyping Conspiracy Theories”, The Wire claimed that the University of Michigan carried out a study wherein “members of the BJP” were the ones who were ‘amplifying’ what The Wire claims is conspiracy theory on his death under mysterious circumstances.

The Wire passing off ‘study’ by four individuals as that of University of Michigan

The ‘study’ claimed that they ‘analysed’ social media trends over three months to conclude that pro-BJP social media handles ‘cranked up the rumour mill’. The Wire claimed that people demanding fair probe by Mumbai Police in the actor’s death was ‘troll attacks’. Nowhere in the article does The Wire clarify that this is not an official study by the University of Michigan.

Interestingly, the link of the ‘study’ which is used by The Wire leads to the landing page of one of the individual who spent time ‘analysing’ social media trends. The five individuals who conducted the study are: Syeda Zainab Akbar, Ankur Sharma, Himani Negi, Anmol Panda, and Joyojeet Pal. Syeda Zainab Akbar, Ankur Sharma, Himanshi Negi and Amol Panda are all researcher at Microsoft Research, Bengaluru.

OpIndia has reached out to University of Michigan to confirm whether the above ‘study’ is the official study of the university. We shall update the report once we hear back from them.

Bihar: Locals allege drunken police officials took away the idol of Goddess Durga, money received in the donation and jewellery, police deny

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Locals allege drunken police officials took away the idol of Goddess Durga, money received in the donation and jewellery, police deny

A case of skirmishes between the locals and police has been reported from the Meghpur village of Sitamarhi district of Bihar. The incident is from two days ago, i.e October 3, 2020. While the police alleged that the clashes erupted based on a rumour, the villagers claim that the police inflicted brutality on them, threw their revered Goddess Durga’s idol in the water and opened fire at them.

As per media reports, a group of people were conducting Durga Puja at Meghpur in Sitamarhi district. An idol of the Goddess Durga was also being fashioned at the place. When police administration got the knowledge of the event, the station in-charge, along with a phalanx of police troops, reached the spot and disrupted the Durga Puja. He is also accused of removing the statue by the villagers. Enraged by the police officials’ actions, the villagers reportedly pelted stones at the police.

Accusations levelled by the Villagers against the police personnel

The locals who were carrying out the Durga Puja alleged that the police initially wanted to forcibly immerse the idols of their Gods in the water. However, later they lifted the idols of Ganesh, Saraswati, Karthik, Lakshmi etc., along with Goddess Durga, and threw them in Sareh, about one kilometer from the place of worship.

This triggered anger among villagers, who started pelting stones at the police for disrespecting the idols of their Gods. The villagers have alleged that the police officials who came to stop the Durga Puja were under the influence of alcohol and when the locals tried to confront them for lifting and dumping the idols in water, they fired in the air to repel them.

In the ensuing clashes, Palak Chaudhary’s son Raghavendra Chaudhary got injured due to bullet injury. He has been admitted to Sitamarhi’s private clinic for treatment. However, the police, in their defence, claim that Raghavendra was injured by a bullet shot by one of the villagers.

Besides Raghavendra, 12 more people have been injured in the clashes, including Sushil Chaudhary, Umesh Chaudhary, Sunil Jha, Circle Inspector Arun Kumar, Zonal Officer Sanjay Kumar, Inspector Lallan Singh in stone-pelting and lathi-charge.

BJP district president demands for investigation

The BJP district President Suresh Kumar Mishra has asked for an investigation in the case. In addition to this demand, Chairman of Pooja Samiti, Brajesh Chaudhary, Vice President Rakesh Chaudhary, Secretary Brijesh Mandal and Treasurer Sakir Hussain etc. suspect a conspiracy behind the action initiated by the police in the village.

The locals have alleged that the policemen who had come to stop the Durga Puja, allegedly took away Rs 55,000 received in donation and jewellery worth more than Rs 1 lakh. To oppose police action, the villagers and dozens of members of the Pooja Samiti associated with Durga Puja staged a demonstration by blocking the Sursund Meghpur path for hours. They demanded action against the accused policemen.

Police defends itself, says rumours of police assault were spread by mischief-mongers

As per a report published in Dainik Bhaskar, Sursund police station chief, Bhola Prasad Singh, while the police were patrolling the area on Saturday night, some rumours were being broadcasted on the loudspeaker in a temple in Meghpur, accusing the policemen of launching an assault against the villagers.

Dismissing the allegations levelled against the police, SP Pramod Kumar Yadav said that 2-3 miscreants incited the villagers by spreading rumours about the police. He added that the mischief-makers have been identified and an FIR has been filed against them. He also added that the allegations against police are completely false and there is peace and tranquillity in the region.

Only CBI can confirm contents of report: AIIMS issues statement disowning selective media leaks in the Sushant Singh Rajput case

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Only CBI can confirm contents of report: AIIMS issues statement disowning selective media leaks in the Sushant Singh Rajput case

Disowning the selective leaks to the media regarding the autopsy by Dr Sudhir Gupta, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has issued a statement on Monday in which it said that it has submitted the expert opinion report on Sushant Singh Rajput’s post-mortem and viscera reports to the CBI and only the department can now confirm the contents of the same.

AIIMS statement read: “A Medical Board was constituted by Dr Sudhir K Gupta, Professor & Head, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, AIIMS, New Delhi as per request received by him from CBI for providing expert opinion in the case relating to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. The medical board has submitted the report directly to the CBI as required. Being a legal matter, any inputs on the report submitted by the Medical Board would have to be obtained from the CBI”.

Statement issued by AIIMS

Moreover, CBI has also released an official statement Monday confirming that the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput is still ongoing and that all aspects of the investigation are being looked into meticulously, including the homicide angle.

Two days earlier, AIIMS doctor Dr Sudhir Gupta had claimed that the medical team investigating the case has ruled out the ‘murder angle’ in the Sushant Singh case. “Sushant’s death is a case of suicide. Murder completely ruled out,” Dr Sudhir Gupta claimed on October 3 as per an India Today report. Dr Sudhir Gupta is the AIIMS panel’s chief who was tasked to examine the post-mortem and viscera reports of the deceased actor.

Republic TV exposes Dr Sudhir Gupta’s U turn

This revelation by the doctor was in stark contrast to his initial observations in the case, which Republic TV exposed on Monday. The channel leaked audio recording of the telephonic conversations it had with Dr Sudhir in August in which the latter had expressed suspicious over the autopsy conducted under the supervision of the Mumbai Police.

Following this, different news channels started publishing contradictory reports about Dr Sudhir Gupta’s present claims and past statements to the media.

Times Now contradicts its own ‘unleaked’ audio tape

On Monday, Times Now claimed that they are in possession of ‘leaked audiotape’ wherein Dr Sudhir had allegedly said that Sushant Singh Rajput was murdered. The news channel emphasised how the AIIMS doctor initially ruled out the ‘suicide theory’ after looking at the photographs of the deceased body of the actor. While Times Now did not telecast the audio clip, which formed the crux of their report, they, however, pointed out the contradiction between the observations and statements made by Dr Sudhir Gupta, in connection to the case.

Just half an hour later, Times Now in another report contradicted its own ‘leaked audiotapes’ to claim that not just Sudhir Gupta but the entire panel of 7 senior doctors have reached the conclusion that Sushant’s death was a case of suicide. As per the said report, Times Now claimed that even though the AIIMS doctors initially doubted ‘foul play’, the examination of all medical reports had put all speculations to rest.

India Today dismisses claims of U-turn

Meanwhile, India Today, which has been dismissing any ‘foul play’ in the unnatural death of Sushant Singh Rajput from the very onset, has been firm on its claims. The news channel was one of the first to claim that the ‘murder angle’ was ruled out by Dr Sudhir Gupta.

In line with their narrative, India Today published a report on Monday titled, ‘Dr Sudhir Gupta shares crucial facts on Sushant Singh Rajput death AIIMS report: 8 points’. The channel also published a statement of Dr Sudhir wherein he justified his U-turn. He opined, “Yes, everyone doubted when CBI started its investigation. We investigated all doubts and then came with this opinion. Now, there should be no doubts. It was a seven-member team of doctors who came to this conclusion that SSR died by suicide.”

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