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Drugs, casual sex and taboos: This podcast by film journalist reaffirms what Kangana Ranaut says on the film industry

OpIndia Staff
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Drugs, casual sex and taboos: This podcast by film journalist reaffirms what Kangana Ranaut says on the film industry

While a lot has been happening around Bollywood and questions are being raised if there is a nexus between the Indian film industry and drug peddlers, a year interview has been making rounds on social media. Ranveer Allahbadia, better known as BeerBiceps on YouTube, interviewed Renil Abraham, a senior producer at Times Network in 2019. In the interview, they talked in detail about the film industry and the gossips that revolved around it.

Sleeping around and casual sex

Renil and Ranveer started the conversation with one of the most controversial topics about the film industry that is casual sexual relationships. Renil said that though it may sound derogatory to some, but Bollywood has always been a place where people are open to trying out things. It can be alcohol, drugs, or sleeping around. He added that though he is loyal to his partner, he has no problem with people sleeping around irrespective of the fact that they are married or in long term relationships. 

People in the industry who are married for years are cheating on their spouses, and this is something everyone knows and no one feels bad about it. According to Renil, people in the industry are chilled out and they are okay with open relationships. Casual sex in the industry is common. The main thing is people seek emotional support and often come back to their partner.

Drugs happen!

During the interview, Renil claimed that those who talk about drugs in the industry over-exaggerate it. Drugs do happen in the industry, but many people do not get indulge in such activities. He talked about the parties he had attended with guests from the political background and film industry where cocaine flowed in every room. Also, he attended house parties or club parties where there were little or no drugs. He said that the film industry has both types of people, just like any other industry. According to him, drugs happen everywhere, and it is not right to connect the only Bollywood with the drug problem.

Renil talked about the infamous video of Karan Johar’s house party, which is again making headlines nowadays. In the said video, several celebrities were seen allegedly high on drugs. He said that when controversy was built upon that clip, he was shocked. He felt it was not right to call every one of them an addict. Recently, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Sirsa wrote to Narcotics Bureau chief and submitted a complaint requesting investigation against Johar over organising alleged drug parties at his Mumbai residence.

Be the hustler

Renil said that to be successful in the industry, one has to become a hustler and opportunist. There is no way one can stop with a single hit. If someone wants to be successful, he or she has to think fast and make calculative decisions. It is about being a good businessman, along with good at what you do in the industry. It goes for everyone, including actors, directors, producers, and other artists. Connections are very important in the industry, and parties are the best way to connect with people.

People who have faced emotional and mental trauma

Renil and Ranveer talked about emotional trauma and mental problems in the industry. Bollywood is not forgiving, and it is hard on almost everyone. While some manage to fight with trauma, many leave the industry as it gets impossible for them to continue.

Renil’s interview with Richa Chaddha and Mallika Dua

Renil recalled an interview he did with Richa and Mallika that blew up as they talked about Kangana Ranaut and her sister. He said while Dua’s PR team requested him to remove what Mallika talked about Ranaut from the PR material, Chaddha’s team okayed it. No one saw that it would blow up in wrong proportions against Richa.

Rangoli, Kangana’s sister, did some tweets against Richa that went viral that led to a one-on-one meltdown. Richa started calling and messaging Renil the next morning, accusing him of using her friendship for professional gains. She claimed that Renil does this with all his friends, and she will talk to other celebrities he is friends with about it. He said celebrities like Richa want to sound opinionated, but when the hell breaks loose because of their statements, they get really nervous.

Entitled celebrities and the powerful people in the industry

Towards the end of the interview, Renil and Ranveer talked about the entitlement that comes with “new money.” The celebrities who get famous and rich suddenly because of the industry often become the entitled individuals and cause problems for others. Simultaneously, there are entitled star-kids who believe that the industry revolves around them, which does not. Renil talked about an actor-son who wants to sleep with everyone because he belongs to one particular family. He said that high-headed people like him give the wrong name to the industry.

Renil said that it is not the production houses like Dharma Productions or Yash Raj Films that control the industry. It is the people who work in these companies rule the industry. If someday Karan Johar picks up the phone and asks someone to do something, that person has to follow Johar’s instructions.

India beats China to become a member of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) under the United Nations

OpIndia Staff
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India beats China to become a member of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) under the United Nations

On Tuesday, China faced setback at the United Nations after India got elected as the member of the United Nations’ Commission on Status of Women (CSW), a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). 

According to the reports, India, Afghanistan and China had contested the elections to the Commission on Status of Women. India and Afghanistan won the elections, while China failed to cross the half-way mark. Reportedly,  India got 38 votes and Afghanistan secured 39 votes in 54 ballots cast for seats in the Asia Pacific category for the membership of ECOSOC.

TS Tirumurti, the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, said, “India wins seat in prestigious ECOSOC body! India elected member of Commission on Status of Women (CSW). It’s a ringing endorsement of our commitment to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in all our endeavours. We thank member states for their support.”

India will be the member of United Nation’s Commission on Status of Women for four years from 2021 to 2025. This year is the 25th anniversary of the famous Beijing World Conference on Women, which started in the year 1995.

The Commission on the Status of Women is a UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Earlier on June 18, 2020, India was elected as one of the non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after getting an overwhelming majority of 184 votes out of 192.

The UN ECOSOC, established in 1945, is one of the six main organs of the United Nations. It is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the implementation of internationally agreed development goals. The Body has 54 member nations, 11 of which are from the Asia-Pacific region.

‘No criminal offence’: Delhi Police submit in court in case against journalist who had asked people to use Teej Vrat book as toilet paper

OpIndia Staff
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‘No criminal offence’: Delhi Police submit in court in case against journalist who had asked people to use Teej Vrat book as toilet paper

In its Action Taken Report (ATR) filed at the Saket Court, Delhi Police stated that it found no criminal offence committed by journalist Sushmita Sinha after an FIR was filed against her, accusing her of trying to instigate violence by making defamatory remarks against Hindu Gods and Goddesses in one of her YouTube videos.

Delhi Police had filed its ATR on Monday this week before Metropolitan Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh by SI Rajendra Kumar from Govindpuri police station. The court admitted the ATR report and set the next date of hearing on October 23, when the lawyer of the complainant, Mukesh Sharma will present his argument.

A complaint against journalist Sushmita Sinha was filed by a Hindu IT Cell member Ashutosh R Gupta for making disparaging remarks in her YouTube video against Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The complaint also included the name of SHO(Govindpuri), accusing him of not registering an FIR against the aforesaid journalist for hurting the religious sentiments of people.

Hindu IT Cell members reject Delhi Police’s ATR report

Delhi Police’s clean chit to the journalist elicited sharp disapproval from the members of the Hindu IT Cell, who claimed that they would pursue the case in the High Court which in turn would instruct the Delhi Police to carry out its job seriously.

Reacting to the Delhi Police’s ATR report submitted to the court, Vikas Pandey raised questions of the Delhi Police, asking them if they would have done the same thing if the desecrated book had been Qu’ran and not a Hindu Book. He also added they wouldn’t give up and continue to fight legally until they secure a favourable result.

Journalist Sushmita Sinha posted a video disparaging Hindu festivals and practices

Last month, journalist Sushmita Sinha uploaded a controversial video on YouTube that stirred a furore on the Internet. In her video on YouTube, she was heard exhorting her followers to use a Hindu religious book as toilet paper.

An FIR was filed against journalist Sushmita Sinha for posting a derogatory video mocking Hindu belief and practices on her YouTube channel. In her video, Sinha was seen saying, “I have spent Rs.15 of this piece of garbage (referring to a book on the story of Teej Vrat).  Now you tell me how I should use it? As a tissue paper or toilet paper?”

According to a tweet posted by Hindu IT Cell, she posted an Instagram story in which she showed the book hanging in her toilet in place of the toilet paper. 

It is notable here that Haritalika Teej is a Hindu festival widely celebrated in North Indian states and Nepal where women observe a day’s fast and pray to God for the wellbeing of their family.

Uttar Pradesh: Vikas Dubey’s ‘ghost’ spooks villagers, claim they still see the gangster who was recently killed in an encounter

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Vikas Dubey’s ‘ghost’ spooks villagers, claim they still see the gangster who was recently killed in an encounter

The ‘ghost’ of gangster Vikas Dubey, who was recently killed ain an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police, seems to be haunting the villagers in Kanpur’s Bikru village. The villagers claim that they have seen his ‘ghost’ and sometimes hear sounds coming from his now demolished house. Out of fear, the villagers lock themselves up in their homes as soon as the sun sets.

It has been almost 3 months since the encounter in which as many as 8 Uttar Pradesh cops were killed by Vikas Dubey’s aides in Bikru village near Kanpur. The villagers claim that even now they hear the sounds of gunshots in middle of the night.

As per reports, one of the residents of Bikru village claimed that everyone knows it is Vikas Dubey’s ghost but they are afraid of saying it aloud. A family resides near now broken down house of Dubey. The family claims they often hear sounds coming from the house. “More than once we have heard sounds of people ‘discussing’ things coming from the broken down house of Dubey. However, it is not clear what they are talking. Sometimes they also joke and laugh. This is how it was when the house was standing tall and Dubey lived there,” a woman claimed.

Some villagers have also claim to have seen Dubey sitting inside the ruins of what was once his house. A few days after the Bikru village encounter, Uttar Pradesh government had demolished Dubey’s house in Bikru village. One old resident of the village has claimed that Dubey could still be spotted sitting amid the ruins and smiling. “It appears like he is trying to tell us something. Looks like he will avenge his death,” he claims.

The police, however, refutes the claims. After the counter, four police officers are deployed in the village who have gone on record to say that they have not heard any such ‘gunshots’ sounds. A local Pujari, however, does not want to dismiss the claims of villagers. He says that at times when someone has died unnaturally, such paranormal things happen.

Gangster Vikas Dubey killed eight policemen

In a shocking incident, eight police personnel were killed and six cops were injured in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur during a police raid to nab the hardened criminal and murderer Vikas Dubey on July 2 late night.

A team of 15-16 Uttar Pradesh police had carried out raids in search of criminal Vikas Dubey in Chaubepur in Kanpur. The raid was carried out at 1 am on the intervening night of July 2-3 in Bithoor area in Chaubepur.

The police personnel were ambushed by Dubey’s men who were prepared with arms on the roof of a building and continuously shot at them. The criminals had already blocked the road with a JCB machine to prevent the policemen from escaping.

According to the police, Vikas Dubey and his men were already aware of the police raid and were on high alert. The criminals managed to flee from the spot after killing the police personnel.

Vikas Dubey arrested in Ujjain, killed in police encounter when he tried to escape

Dubey was later arrested from Ujjain. However, when the police was taking him by road from Ujjain to Uttar Pradesh, he tried to escape police custody and was killed in an encounter that ensued.

Twitter suspends Chinese scientist’s account days after she had asserted that Wuhan coronavirus was made in a lab

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter suspends Chinese scientist’s account days after she had asserted that Wuhan coronavirus was made in a lab

A day after Chinese virologist Dr Li-Meng Yan had revealed that the coronavirus was a man-made virus at a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan, the micro-blogging site Twitter has suspended her account.

Zerohedge, the website which first broke the story, has reported that less than two days after Dr Yan had revealed about human-imprints on the Chinese pandemic COVID-19, her Twitter was suspended by the social media giant.

Dr Yan’s Twitter account

Reportedly, the suspension of Dr Yan’s account took place after she had gained over 60,000 followers in less than 48 hours. The snapshot taken by Zerohedge shows the active Twitter profile of Dr Yan.

Image Source: Zerohedge

The Chinese whistleblower had posted just four tweets till Tuesday, and none of them appeared to have violated any Twitter rules. The Twitter has not yet provided any justification for suspending Dr Yan’s account.

Interestingly, one of her four tweets was a link to her scientific paper co-written with three other Chinese scientists titled “Unusual Features of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of Its Probable Synthetic Route” which alleged that the Wuhan Institute of Virology had created the COVID-19 virus.

Dr Yan asserts COVID-19 was a human-made-virus

The suspension of Dr Yan came just after she had published her groundbreaking secret investigation into the lab origins of coronavirus. In a sensational disclosure, the Chinese virologist had stated that the coronavirus was created in a government-controlled laboratory in Wuhan, the original epicentre of the outbreak.

Chinese virologist Dr Li-Meng Yan had stated that the coronavirus was made in a government-controlled laboratory in Wuhan and had asserted that she has scientific proof to back the claim.

Speaking at a British talk show, scientist Dr Li-Meng Yan said she was assigned to investigate “new pneumonia” in Wuhan when she discovered a cover-up operation by the Chinese government’s to publicly deny about the virus pandemic despite being aware of its presence.

Dr Li-Meng, who is a scientist at the Hong Kong School of Public Health, said she had carried out two investigations on new pneumonia in China before fleeing to the US from Hong Kong.

“I decided to report this development to my supervisor, who is also a World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant. There was no response from the WHO and my supervisor. Everyone warned me that do not cross the line and keep silence or else I would be made to disappear,” she said.

The virologist said she had expected her supervisor to “do the right thing on behalf of the Chinese government and WHO”. The scientist had also stressed that China’s claim that coronavirus originated from a wet market in Wuhan is simply “a smokescreen”.

“This virus is not from nature,” she stressed said that the genome sequence had a human fingerprint.

Making a serious allegation, Dr Yan had alleged that Chinese officials had attempted to silence her as she tried to warn the world about the dangers of this pandemic.

Stolen Vijayanagara era bronze idols of Sri Ram, Maa Sita and Laxman handed over to India by UK authorities

OpIndia Staff
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Stolen Vijayanagara era bronze idols of Sri Ram, Maa Sita and Laxman handed over to India by UK authorities

3 priceless idols of Lord Ram, Maa Sita and Laxman from the Vijayanagara period, stolen from a Vishnu temple in Tamil Nadu in 1978 have been handed over to the Indian consulate in London by the British police.

A formal ceremony was held at the India House, the Indian High Commission building in London to commemorate the occasion. It was attended by the officials of the Metropolitan Police, the staff at the India House and remotely by Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel via video conferencing, said a report in Hindustan Times.

It is important to note that a traditional puja of the deities was also performed during the ceremony by a Hindu priest.

The return of these idols are a part of the growing efforts from the Indian government to bring back stolen and smuggled artefacts of India’s cultural heritage. Minister Prahlad Patel stated at the event that between 1947 to 2014, only 13 items were returned, but as a result of growing efforts by the government and increasing awareness and understanding, over 40 artefacts have been handed over to India by foreign nations after 2014.

Significance of the idols

As per a report in Swarajya, the idols are known as Anandamangalam Rama, Laxmana and Sita. They are exquisitely crafted bronze idols from the Vijayanagara period. S Vijay Kumar of the India Pride Project has written in the report that the presence of these idols was first confirmed last year when a volunteer sent a photograph. The photographs were matched with those of the stolen idols from the Sri Rajagopala Swamy temple, Anandamanglam, Mayuram Taluk, Thanjavur District.

With the help of officials fro Tamil Nadu government’s idol wing, Indian Embassy in London and ASI the identity and origin of the idols were confirmed. Rahul Nangare, the First Secretary, High Commission of India, London had reportedly reached out to the dealer who was reportedly unaware of their stolen status. The dealer, after understand the nature and the importance of the idols, reportedly agreed to hand them over.

The India Pride Project has stated that there is another Hanuman idol of the same group that is currently displayed at a museum in South East Asia.

The idols will now be brought back to their home temple to be worshiped.

In 2018, the London Police had handed over a 12th century Buddha statue that was stolen from the ASI museum in Nalanda in 1961.

Delhi Police chief responds to ex-IPS officer Julio Ribeiro, expresses disappointment at latter’s lack of efforts to know facts in Delhi riots case

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Police chief responds to ex-IPS officer Julio Ribeiro, expresses disappointment at latter’s lack of efforts to know facts in Delhi riots case

SN Shrivastava, Commissioner of Police, Delhi, has written a detailed reply to ex-IPS officer Julio Ribeiro clarifying his doubts about the North East Delhi Riots investigation. Shrivastava said in his response that there is no discrimination based on caste or religion, and the whole investigation is backed by documentary and scientific evidence.

Shrivastava acknowledged that he has received Ribeiro’s letter on 12th September, which later appeared in national dailies. He said, being commissioner of Police, Delhi, it is his duty to put things in the right perspective. The Delhi Police has not revealed many details of the investigation other than those that are in the charge sheets and status reports submitted in the court. Details of the cases that are still under investigation have not come to the public’s eyes yet.

While dismissing the allegation raised by Riberio, Shrivastava mentioned that when he talked to him on the phone, the ex-cop acknowledged that he does not have first-hand information about the cases. He further added that it was clear Ruberio did not contact any police officer from Delhi Police to understand the actual situation. Being an ex-police officer, he would agree that it is impossible to come to the right conclusion based on the limited information available in public.

More than 750 FIRs registered

Shrivastava said that Riberio has correctly mentioned there are 751 FIRs registered in the Delhi Riots. The large number of FIRs shows the intentions of fair dealing of Delhi Police are clear. He further said that though the investigations are not based on the caste or religion, to clear the doubts in everyone’s minds, the number of FIRs registered on complaints by minority communities [Muslims] are more than 410 while those of other community clocks to over 190. The remaining FIRs were based on Daily Diary entries.

Excerpt from the reply Delhi Police sent to ex-cop Julio Ribeiro

He emphasized on the fact that the arrestees are almost equally distributed among both communities. “It [police] has arrested 1,571 persons irrespective of their caste or religion. Almost all the accused persons arrested in heinous offenses have been remanded to judicial custody by courts of law and not admitted to bail. Charge sheets in many cases have been filed while the investigation is continuing in many others,” Shrivastava further added.

False narrative being pushed by several entities

Shrivastava pointed out in his letter that several entities, including IPS officers and people from civil society, are criticizing the riot probe and pushing a false narrative of biased investigation. He said, “Several entities who have their reasons to weave a web of deception and to push a false narrative of bias and insensitivity on the part of the police. It is best that the criminal justice system, with its inherent checks and balances, may be allowed work, lest lending one’s name inadvertently imparts a false aura of credibility and authenticity to these concocted and motivated stories. Also, anybody aggrieved with the investigation can always seek judicial remedies.”

Excerpt from the reply Delhi Police sent to ex-cop Julio Ribeiro

Ribeiro letter to Delhi Police

Without fully apprising himself about the actual status of the investigation of the North East Delhi Riots, ex-super cop Julio Ribeiro wrote to Delhi Police expressing his concerns calling the investigation miscarriage of justice in northeast Delhi. In an interview, he had claimed that he had not seen this kind of one-sided action by Police before.

He wrote, “I write to you with a heavy heart. As a true patriot and a former proud member of the Indian Police Service, I appeal to you to ensure a fair probe into the 753 FIRs registered against peaceful protesters who rightly apprehend injustices born from bias and hate against a minority community. The Delhi Police has taken action against peaceful protesters but deliberately failed to register cognizable offenses against those who made hate speeches which triggered the riots in Northeast Delhi. It troubles sane and apolitical persons, like me, why Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma have not been arraigned before the courts of law while deeply hurt Muslim women, peacefully protesting against discriminations based on religion, were lodged for months together in jail.”

Ribeiro is a Padma Bhushan awardee. He had served as Mumbai police commissioner and director-general of Punjab and Gujarat and the Central Reserve Police Force during his tenure as an IPS officer.

About anti-Hindu Delhi Riots

In February 2020, North East Delhi burnt due to anti-Hindu riots. During the investigation, Delhi Police have arrested ex-AAP MLA Tahir Hussain, who is allegedly the mastermind of the riots. The investigation in the cases registered in the pretext of the Delhi Riots is still on. You can check OpIndia’s report on how anti-Hindu Delhi Riots unfolded available in Kindle format here.

All is still not well in Rajasthan Congress? MLA demands removal of ‘most corrupt’ minister

OpIndia Staff
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All is still not well in Rajasthan Congress? MLA demands removal of ‘most corrupt’ minister

Rajasthan Congress just can’t catch a breath it seems. Just when the smoke had finally settled after the Sachin Pilot vs Ashok Gehlot fight, one Congress MLA Bharat Singh Kundanpur has written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot demanding removal of ‘most corrupt’ minister. However, in his letter he has not named this ‘most corrupt’ minister. The letter was shared by BJP Rajasthan chief Satish Poonia.

“This minister is a mafia of corruption. I don’t want to name the person,” he wrote in his letter. He however, did hint that earlier too Gehlot had removed this particular minister when Gehlot was the Chief Minister. Apparently, during his earlier tenure as Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot had removed Pramod Jain Bhaya after cabinet reshuffle in November 2011. In October 2019, he had also resigned demanding removal of the ‘corrupt’ minister. Even then he had not named anyone.

Kundanpur is quite fond of writing letters to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. In May 2020 he wrote to Gehlot claiming that alcohol will kill coronavirus in throat and urged him to open liquor stores amid nation-wide lockdown. Later, in June, he also sought withdrawal of COVID-19 awareness message during phone calls because it was ‘quite long’. In a letter to Union Ministry, Kundanpur had written that since a lot of time is spent listening to this message, ‘ears have become sick of listening to it’. Often seen as Gehlot critic, he had also questioned Gehlot government’s move to move the MLAs to a resort at the height of Gehlot vs Pilot battle.

Three-time MLA Pramod Jain Bhaya is Cabinet Minister Mining and GauPalan in the Rajasthan government.

Congress MLA who had threatened to burn BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur alive dies of Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MLA who had threatened to burn BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur alive dies of Coronavirus

The Congress MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Govardhan Dangi, who had openly threatened to burn Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Thakur alive if she sets foot on the state breathed his last today at a private hospital in Gurugram.

Congress party’s state unit tweeted that the Biaora MLA, Govardhan Dangi, succumbed to the coronavirus infection today.

MPCC spokesperson Saed Jafar said Dangi had tested Covid-19 positive a few days ago. “He was admitted to Bhopal’s Chirayu Medical College, a dedicated Covid-19 facility after he was found to have contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes the viral disease. He was shifted to a hospital in Gurugram after his health worsened. He passed away on Tuesday morning,” said Jafar.

Congress MLA threatened to burn Sadhvi Pragya alive if she sets foot in Madhya Pradesh

Last year in November, a day after former Congress President Rahul Gandhi called BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur a ‘terrorist’, the Biaora Congress MLA, Govardhan Dangi had issued shocking threats to the Bhopal MP stating that he will burn her alive is she enters the state.

“We will not just burn her effigy…if she sets foot here, we will burn her also,” said the Biaora MLA.

The shameful comment of the Congress MLA had come after Sadhvi Pragya allegedly called Nathuram Godse, the killer of MK Gandhi a ‘patriot’ during a debate in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Though Sadhvi Pragya Thakur’s response had come after DMK member A Raja had cited a statement of Godse on why he killed MK Gandhi during a discussion on the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, her comment had stirred up a hornet’s nest, with opposition members strongly protesting against her. And shockingly the Congress legislator had taken the protest to a whole new level by openly issuing threats against Pragya Thakur saying that she will be burnt alive if she ever sets her foot in Madhya Pradesh.

Following this, the BJP MP had also sat on a dharna outside a police station in Bhopal demanding to register an FIR against Congress Govardhan Dangi but later returned without success.

Actress Kangana Ranaut seeks Rs 2 crore from BMC as compensation, slaps notice at the civic body

OpIndia Staff
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Actress Kangana Ranaut seeks Rs 2 crore from BMC as compensation, slaps notice at the civic body

Actress Kangana Ranaut is in no mood to spare the Maharashtra Government who came down hard on her for speaking her mind. Alleging that the BMC’s unlawful decision to demolish her property was the result of the ongoing feud between her and the Maharashtra government, Kangana Ranaut has amended her petition before the Bombay High Court.

In the amended petition, the ‘Queen’ actress has sought a compensation of Rs 2 crores the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for “illegal” demolition at her bungalow.

Demolition of the bungalow of Kangana Ranaut part of Maharashtra govt’s vendetta politics

In her amended plea, Ranaut alleged that the BMC’s decision to demolish her property was a direct consequence of her comments against the Maharashtra government.

The actor had approached the court after BMC at the behest of the Uddhav Tackeray-led government in Maharashtra, on September 9, demolished her property in Bandra worth crores, within just 24 hours of a ‘stop work’ notice and at a time when such demolition activities have been prohibited by a High Court order.

A division bench led by Justice S J Kathawalla had stayed the demolition, saying that the civic body’s actions seemed “malafide” (having dubious intentions).

BMC’s action violated Bombay HC’s order

However, until then, the BMC had already demolished at least 40 per cent of the property on the ground that some illegal alterations were carried out at the property without permission. The demolition drive which was carried out by the BMC was in violation of the order of the Bombay High Court that directed the government, Municipal corporations and other authorities against carrying out any demolition, eviction and holding auctions of attached properties across the State of Maharashtra till September 30.

The BMC did not take prior permission from the court as required by the March 19 order. It is to be seen whether contempt charges will be slapped against the BMC for not complying with the order of the High Court.

The court is slated to hear the matter on September 22.

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