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Madhya Pradesh CM orders removal of Guna SP and Collector, high-level inquiry ordered after Dalit couple consumed pesticide

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Madhya Pradesh CM orders removal of Guna SP and Collector, high-level inquiry ordered after Dalit couple consumed pesticide

A couple drank pesticide in front of police after an encroachment removal squad bulldozed their crops in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday, 14th June. The couple was farming on an encroached government land. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered the removal of the Superintendent of Police Tarun Nayak and Collector S Vishwanathan of Guna after learning about the case. 

According to the reports, a major chunk of 45-bighas of government land was encroached by Rajkumar Ahirwar and his wife. They claimed that they were using the land for farming for years. This particular piece of land was allotted for the construction of a college in the Jaganpur Chak area, Guna. The administration tried to clear the said land in November last year as well. At that time, they were blocked by the family of one Gappu Pardhi, who said he owns the land.

The encroachment removal squad damaged the crops sown by a farmer couple using a JCB. The couple pleaded them to stop, but the police refused to listen to them. Following this, the couple drank pesticide in front of the government officials and police. The police tried to force both of them into a jeep. They were beaten up by the police in front of their children. During the said incident, a female cop allegedly ripped off the wife’s sari when she refused to step away from her husband.

Tehsildar N Singh said, “Land has been allotted for college. So people, who had encroached it, were being removed. Both husband and wife consumed pesticide, after which they were admitted to a hospital. Both are in stable condition.”

State Home Minister Dr. Narottam Mishra said in a tweet that he is distressed after watching the video. Such unfortunate incidents should be avoided. The guilty will face strict action.

Criticism from the opposition parties

Mayawati, National President, BSP condemned the police action against the couple and demanded strict action against the officers involved in the incident. 

Former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath said that this incident is a clear example of “Jungle Raj” under Chouhan’s government. In a searies of tweets, he said, “Where is this Shivraj government taking the state? What kind of jungle raj is this? A large number of policemen on a Dalit peasant couple in Cantt police station area in Guna.”

A photograph of the children crying next to the unconscious mother and videos of police beating the couple went viral on the social media platforms. A high-level inquiry has been ordered from the CM’s office on Wednesday night.

Complaints of fake and bad quality seeds: MNS workers vandalise agriculture department office in Latur, Maharashtra

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Complaints of fake and bad quality seeds: MNS workers vandalise agriculture department office in Latur, Maharashtra

Some Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers have reportedly vandalized the office of co-director of the Agriculture department in Latur district of Maharashtra on Tuesday.

As per reports, on Tuesday, 14th June, some MNS workers came to the co-director’s office to submit a request regarding non-germinating seeds. During the conversation with the officers available, MNS workers started raising slogans and vandalised the office. Assistant Inspector of Police, Sanjay Pawar, said that they had registered a case against the MNS workers and legal action will be initiated against them. Santosh Nagroje, state president Maharashtra Navnirman Kisan Sena, was also reportedly involved in the vandalizing of the office.

MNS alleges that bad quality seeds are being given to farmers

MNS workers alleged that the seeds they have made available in the market are not germinating. No one from the ruling government is giving heed to the plea of the farmers. Farmers are losing money and their hard work is being wasted because of such seeds. They asked for compensation for the farmers and demanded action should be taken against the companies that produced such low-quality seeds.

There have been several complaints regarding low-quality seeds in many areas of Maharashtra. These seeds are either not germinating or not giving supposed yield. The MNS workers alleged that the government had not taken any action against these companies despite complaints. Police have registered FIR against 46 seed companies, including some big names. More than 50 companies have received show-cause notice for the same. As per the reports, Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has taken Suo Moto cognizance in the case and sought action on such companies and their vendors.

Soyabean crop failure in Maharashtra after seeds failed to germinate

There have been complaints of huge crop failure of soybean after farmers found that seeds distributed under the ‘Mahabeej’ scheme and sold by some private companies had failed to germinate even after good rains. Already FIRs against 23 private companies have been filed.

Reports say that so far, over 49,000 complaints have been registered against fake or bad quality seeds in the state.

He had problem with ringing bells in temple: Locals allege Nadeem Mewati of unleashing terror against Hindus and masterminding priest murder

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He had problem with ringing bells in temple: Locals allege Nadeem Mewati of unleashing terror against Hindus and masterminding priest murder

In the Meerut Priest murder case, local residents have alleged involvement of former councillor Nadeem Mewati. As reported by Jagran, it was Mewati who got the accused Anas Qureshi arrested. As per the report, the locals allege that on Mewati’s instructions, the Muslims would even oppose ringing of bell at temple in Abdullapur. They also allege that Mewati roams around in the police’s car. They have also demanded he be arrested. However, despite the complains, the police has not mentioned Mewati as an accused, locals allege. Another Jagran report states that the murder and everything else happened on directions of Mewati. Live Hindustan report states that people are angry that the police is trying to save the accused on Mewati’s instructions.

He is a history sheeter

Former councillor Nadeem Mewati is a history sheeter and has a series of crimes registered against him. A 2017 report of Patrika states that a video of Nadeem Mewati firing with his goons had gone viral. The report states that Mewati, along with half a dozen of his armed goons entered a shop and beat up 3 people. Mewati also allegedly ransacked the shop and left after firing a few rounds. The entire incident was caught on cctv camera.

Nadeem Mewati terrorises Hindus

In October 2018, Amar Ujala reported that a BJP leader attacked when he came out of temple after offering prayer. This led to communal tension. The report suggested that while initially police tried to suppress the matter, later a case was registered against Nadeem Mewati and four others. As per the report, the police delayed filing case against Mewati and insisted on getting the two parties to compromise. BJP leader Sandeep Biwania had alleged that Mewati and his goons attacked him with sticks and even used casteist slurs against him. Locals had alleged that in connivance with the police, Mewati continues his unabated run with the crime. Sandeep had alleged that along with being a history sheeter, Mewati is also a land mafia.

Few days later, it was alleged that Mewati threatened Sandeep’s family to leave the village. Locals, along with the victims, protested at the office of the SSP demanding action against Mewati.

In 2017, a case was registered against Mewati, who was contesting as an independent candidate for municipal elections of Ward 17 in Abdullapur, over breaching the election code. As per his 2013 bail judgement, he was also jailed over an incident of violence that took place during Muharram in 2012 wherein he was also sent to prison.

Shiv Mandir priest Kanti Prasad murder

A shocking incident has been reported from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, where a priest of a Shiv Temple was brutally beaten to death by one Anas Qureshi after he protested against the latter’s comment on his saffron attire. The incident took place on Monday when Qureshi mocked Prasad’s saffron robes and passed hateful comments. When Kanti Prasad objected to his vile comments, Qureshi started beating up the priest in the middle of the road. Kanti Prasad somehow escaped from there. After reaching his village Prasad went to Qureshi’s house to apprise his family about the incident. However, Qureshi allegedly returned and started mercilessly beating up Kanti Prasad at his house.

Murder of a temple priest in Meerut: Locals allege ex-councillor Nadeem Mewati’s involvement, say Hindus are regularly harassed in area

OpIndia Staff
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Murder of a temple priest in Meerut: Locals allege ex-councillor Nadeem Mewati’s involvement, say Hindus are regularly harassed in area

A day after the brutal murder of a temple priest named Kanti Prasad by a man named Anas Qureshi in Meerut’s Abdullapur, a new angle in the case has come to the fore.

In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, locals have alleged involvement of local history-sheeter and ex-councilor Nadeem Mewati in the murder of the Shiv Temple priest Kanti Prasad. Hindi daily Jagran reported that locals say that it is usually Mewati who controls criminal activities in the Bhawanpur area it is probably Mewati who had asked Anas Qureshi to surrender while there were other accused involved in the case too.

It is alleged that Mewati instigates members of a particular community to even object to temple bells in Abdullapur. The locals sat on protest while demanding Mewati’s arrest. They also demanded that a case be filed against Nisam Qureshi, Babar, Abbas Qureshi, Hamsib Qureshi, father of the accused Anas, for threatening the family of the deceased caretaker.

The protestors alleged that Nadeem Mewati has very good terms with the local police and he is often seen talking and roaming with the police inspector.

Police used lathi-charge to disperse the crowd

As per the Jagran report, the protesters alleged that on the orders of Inspector Vipin, police used lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. The protestors raised slogans against the police, after which SP rural Avinash Pandey tried to pacify the situation. However, it led to heated arguments between Cantt MLA and SP. Later, Cantt MLA contacted SSP to raise a complaint against the police officers. SSP promised that Inspector and SP from the Bhavanpur station would be transferred.

The SP rural has informed that the police has registered a case against the family members of Anas Qureshi for threatening the family of the deceased Kanti Prasad, but the locals claim that Nadeem’s involvement in the case should be investigated too.

Kanti Prasad’s murder

Kanti Prasad, the caretaker and priest of a Shiv Temple in Abdullapur area of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, was brutally murdered after an altercation with one Anas Qureshi. According to the reports, Anas made fun of Prasad’s saffron attire to which he objected. After Kanti Prasad warned Anas from passing hateful remarks against his religion and saffron attire, Anas started beating him mercilessly. Prasad succumbed to his injuries later at the hospital. It is alleged that under the influence of Mewati, youth from the particular community used to harras Kanti Prasad daily.

Maharashtra CID rules out communal angle in Palghar lynching, chargesheet filed

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Maharashtra CID rules out communal angle in Palghar lynching, chargesheet filed

In a major twist to the Palghar lynching case, the Maharashtra Police’s CID on Wednesday filed two separate charge-sheets in connection with the mob lynching of two Hindu Sadhus and their driver and have ruled out any ‘communal angle’ to the heinous incident.

According to the reports, the CID filed two charge-sheets of around 11,000 pages, naming over 250-plus accused in the mob lynching case to claim that lynchings of Hindu Sadhus were fuelled by rumours of a gang of thieves and not a pre-planned attack. The charge-sheets categorically denied any religious angle behind the attack of the three Hindu men.

Special public prosecutor Satish Maneshinde said that 154 adults and 11 juveniles have been named as accused. He also added that the court had rejected the bail applications filed by some of them.

A group of 25 accused had reportedly sought bail on technical grounds, however, they were denied the bail after public prosecutor submitted to the court that there was evidence against them.

The state CID had questioned 808 suspects, recorded statements of 118 witnesses, gathered cellphone locations of the accused after they obtained videos and photographs of the lynching of Sadhus which was shot on cellphones and CCTV footage from a forest department chowki outside which the lynching occurred.

Palghar Mob Lynching incident

On 16th April 2020, two Sadhus associated with the Juna Akhara, 70-year-old Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj, and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj along with their driver 30-year-old Nilesh Telgadewere were on their way from Mumbai to Gujarat to give Samadhi to another Sadhu. At Gadakchinchale village, a wild and frenzied crowd of over more than 100 people attacked them. The villagers deemed them as thieves and started attacking them. The police claim that their team which had rushed to the spot to rescue the 70-year-old man also came under the attack of the violent mob.

But later videos emerged which completely debunked the claim of police, as it was seen that the sadhus were in the custody of the police, but the police personnel handed them over to the mob. The mob then proceeded to beat them to death in front of the policemen.

Later, it was also reported that the killing of the Sadhus may have been intentional and politically motivated. The involvement of Christian Missionary organisations and some local NCP leaders, and leftists was also suspected.

Never said I wanted to sell BMW car to fund my training, I do not have resources to maintain luxury cars: Dutee Chand clarifies

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Never said I wanted to sell BMW car to fund my training, I do not have resources to maintain luxury cars: Dutee Chand clarifies

In a social media post, Indian sprinter Dutee Chand on Wednesday clarified regarding selling her car BMW car to fund for her olympics preparations.

Dutee Chand had earlier posted on social media regarding selling her BMW car. However, some media networks reported that the decision by the Indian athlete to sell her car was lack of funds for her training. The post also created a controversy highlighting the lack of state-support to the Indian star athletes, who have been finding their own ways to fund their training.

However, she later deleted the post, after most media portals reported the car sale as a sign of state apathy for a star athlete.

Following the controversy, Dutee Chand on Wednesday again took to Twitter to clarify that she had never expressed that she was selling the car to fund her training but was looking to sell the car as she did not “have the resources to maintain luxury cars” and felt that it is a “spendthrift expense” on her part. Speaking to The Hindu, Dutee had stated that she doesn’t have a proper parking slot for the car and she has two more cars in her house.

Odisha government and KIIT University fund Dutee’s training

“I never expressed that I am selling it to fund my training. Odisha Government and my own KIIT University have always supported me. This does not deny the fact that my training is very expensive, especially for the 2021 Olympics. I wanted to make a point that this money could be diverted for my training,” her statement read.  

“Odisha government and my own KIIT University have always supported me. This does not deny the fact that my training is very expensive, especially for the 2021 Olympics,” Dutee said in a statement on her Twitter account, adding: “I just wanted to make a point that this money could be diverted for my training and a car can be bought post covid once I receive the money from the state government,” the post read.

Further, in her statement, Dutee Chand said, “My salary from OMC is Rs 60000, not 80000. I am not complaining. Buying a car can definitely wait. KIIT University, my alma mater, has stood with me in all my difficulties. I just did not want to be a burden on KIIT or Odisha Government. Not that I live in deprivation or lack of resources, but selling the car could give me breathing space on one hand and not burden the overwhelmed KIIT and Odisha Government who are all stretched to help in these testing times.

Sports Minister holds a discussion with Dutee Chand

Earlier, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju also said that he already had a discussion with the athlete and that she is ‘fine’. He also said that inaccurate reporting can create ‘wrong impressions’.

“I agree 100%. But in this case I already had discussion with Dutee Chand and she is fine. She’ll let me know if she needs additional help. Inaccurate reportings can create wrong impressions about our genuine efforts,” wrote Rijiju.

Parth Jindal says IIS had offered support to Dutee many times, and the offer is still open

The news item of Dutee selling her car was shared widely by many people who had criticised the lack of government funding for sportspersons. It was presented in a way that conveyed that Dutee is forced to sell her car because of poverty. Replying to Somdev Devburman’s tweet, JSW’s Parth Jindal, whose Indian Institute of Sports supports mant athletes, had clarified that the IIS had offered support to Dutee many times, clarifying that the ‘lack of funds for training’ part of the claim is untrue.

In September 2018, following her 2 silver medals in the Asian Games in Jakarta, the Odisha government had felicitated Dutee Chand with a cash award of Rs 3 crores.

Employees with high access were targeted to hack, Twitter says after multiple verified accounts get hacked

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Employees with high access were targeted to hack, Twitter says after multiple verified accounts get hacked

On the intervening night of 15th and 16th July, Twitter accounts of high profile celebrities like U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, former U.S. President Barack Obama and billionaire Elon Musk were hacked. The Twitter accounts appeared to have fallen prey to bitcoin related scam.

While such online frauds are quite common, what is worrying is that the hackers gained access to multiple high profile Twitter accounts. In a statement issued by Twitter, it has claimed that the microblogging site believes it was a coordinated social engineering attack by people who managed to gain access to employees who had access to internal systems and tools. Social engineering is manipulating individuals using deceptive means into divulging confidential or personal information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.

This further raises question on how the hackers knew which employees had access to the internal systems or whether it means that the employees were compromised themselves. This also raises questions on Twitter’s cyber security.

Maharashtra govt accepts Raza Academy’s demand to ban movie ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’, home minister asks union govt to ban it

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Maharashtra govt accepts Raza Academy’s demand to ban movie ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’, home minister asks union govt to ban it

Days after Raza Academy demanded a ban on Iranian movie ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’, Maharashtra home ministry has written to the central government with the same request.

I a letter to Union Electronics and Information Technology minister, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has said that the state government has received a complaint against the movie from Raza Academy. “The complainant has made serious allegations that the said movie will severely hurt the sentiments and will be considered blasphemous by a particular community. The movie can potentially disturb the religious sentiments of citizens in the country and may cause religious tensions creating law and order problems in the country,” the letter states.

The home minister states in his letter, “We hereby request you to block / suspend those digital platforms where the movie would be released on the probable date of 21″ of July 2020, under section 69A and the blocking rides of the Information Technology Act, 2000 & Information Technology Act (Amendment). 2008.” Anil Deshmukh also requested the union minister to issue instructions / Directions to all Digital Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat etc to ban the release of the movie.

He added that Maharashtra Cyber department, the nodal agency for the state of Maharashtra for cyber matters, has also requested The Senior Director (Scientist – G) Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology, to prevent the release of the said movie on OTT platforms.

The Maharashtra home minister also included the YouTube link for the movie’s trailer, terming it as ‘objectionable’. it may be noted that the movie is being released online on an streaming platform, and that’s why the Maharashtra govt has asked the union govt to ban it, as only the central govt can ban content on the Internet. If the movie was released in theaters, the state govt could have banned it themselves in their state.

The 2015 movie ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’ by Majid Majidi is based on the life of the Muslim prophet. The movie was released in Iran in 2015 and was selected as the Iranian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 88th Academy Awards. Raza Academy has said that the movie the film portrays the Holy Prophet as a child and even the Mother and Father of the Holy Prophet have been shown in person. The Holy Prophet of Islam can never be picturised and those who have done it have committed blasphemy which is intolerable at any cost.

“A Muslim will die in honour than to see or hear even the slightest insult on his Holy Prophet,” the Raza Academy had said threateningly in their statement. The Raza Academy had issued a fatwa against AR Rahman, the music composer of the movie, and Iranian director Majid Majidi in 2015 as well.

Reliance Jio launches ‘Jio Glass’ – a mixed reality headset for 3D interactions: Read details

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Reliance Jio launches ‘Jio Glass’ – a mixed reality headset for 3D interactions: Read details

On Wednesday, the Reliance Industries Limited announced the launch of Jio Glass – the mixed reality headset that allows three-dimensional interactions and to watch holographic content.

According to the reports, the new tech-gadget is aimed at enhancing the virtual space by making it more interactive using 3D views, holographic content and even normal video conferencing features.

Akash Ambani and Isha Ambani, the board directors of Reliance Jio, tried the holographic video call during the session on Wednesday where the 3D image of Akash Ambani chatted with her sister in 2D format.

Reportedly, the Jio Glass, which is designed by Jio Platforms’ Tesseract subsidiary, weighs just 75gms and comes with personalized audio. The company will provide a simple cable that can be attached to the smartphone in order to access different use case scenarios to access content on a particular device.

According to Reliance Industries, Jio Glass will get support from 25 apps for now. The Glass can be used for educational purposes using holographic content. Jio Glass can use 3D avatars to make interactions better in the virtual world. The company will also allow designed discussions by sharing 3D holograms.

The glasses reportedly come with support for spatial and directional XR sound system that runs all audio formats without any wired attachments. The headset also has a high-resolution display, and there are vents in the frame for heat dissipation.

With Jio Glass, the users can easily make calls through voice commands like “Hello Jio, please call XXX and YYYY.” 

Google invests in Reliance Jio, to co-develop affordable smartphone techs

Earlier in the day, Reliance Industries had announced that Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc had invested Rs 33,737 crore to obtain a stake of 7.7% in Reliance Jio.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani confirming Google’s investment during the 43rd AGM had said that Google and Jio are partnering to launch a new Android-based operating system which will be used to build affordable smartphones. He also informed that Jio has developed 5G technology independently, and is ready for deployment after the spectrum for the same is allotted by the govt.

It is pertinent to note that Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries has raised over $20.6 billion in the past four months from 13 investors by selling about 33% stake in the firm.

Kerala: Christian Padre Robin Vadakkumchery, convicted with 20 years of imprisonment for rape of a minor girl, files petition to marry the victim

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Kerala: Christian Padre Robin Vadakkumchery, convicted with 20 years of imprisonment for rape of a minor girl, files petition to marry the victim

A petition has been filed in the Kerala High Court by Church Priest Robin Vadakkumchery, the Christian padre who was convicted this year in February under POCSO Act 2012 for raping a minor girl and is serving the sentence of 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in jail, seeking permission from the court to marry the girl raped by him, Samayam Malayalam reported.

The plea for marriage was jointly filed by both Robin and the rape victim. The court has sought a police report on the matter and the case is scheduled to be heard on Friday.

Priest Robin Vadakkumchery convicted of raping the minor girl

Earlier this year, Robin Vadakkumchery was convicted for raping and impregnating a minor girl by an additional district sessions court. Robin was held guilty of sexually exploiting and impregnating a 16-year-old girl in Kottiyoor in Kerala’s Kannur district. Subsequent to his conviction, Pope Francis dismissed him from the priesthood.

Besides slapping a fine of Rs 3 lakh against the priest, the court awarded the culprit of double life-imprisonment, meaning he had to serve 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The court had also ordered criminal proceedings against the victim’s parents. The girl’s custody has been given to the Legal Services Society. The other six accused have been acquitted.

The many twists and turns in the arrest of the accused in the minor rape case

The rape case came to light after the victim delivered a baby boy in December 2016 at Christuraja Hospital in Kuthuparamba in Kannur. After being informed by the Childline India officials, Peravoor police filed a case on February 27, 2017 and shifted the victim to an adoption centre in Vythiri, Wayanad.

On interrogation, the victim’s father admitted to raping of his daughter, and the girl also admitted the same. However, priest Robin was arrested based on the secret information received by the Childline NGO.

Robin had “donated” money to the hospital as a recompense for not reporting the incident to the police. The hospital administrator had reportedly agreed to admit the girl while gynaecologist Dr Tessy and Nellayani Thankamma assisted the delivery. Dr

Robin Vadakkancery, the vicar of St Sebastian Parish in Kottiyoor, which is under the Catholic diocese of Manathavady, was taken into custody on 28 February 2017 for raping the 16-year-old girl in May 2016. Robin also managed the church-run school at the time of the incident. According to the police, the victim was raped several times in the priest’s room.

While Father Robin was the prime accused in the case, seven other accused had also been booked under POCSO for allegedly helping him cover up the incident. The other accused are Dr Nelliyani Thankamma who assisted in the childbirth, a gynaecologist at Christu Raj hospital in Kannur Dr Tessy, paediatrician Dr Hyderali, hospital administrator Ancy Mathew, Dr Liz Maria and Sr. Anita from Christu Dasi convent in Wayanad. Sr. Ophilia, the Superintendent of the Holy infant Mary orphanage at Wayanad where the baby was taken.

The sordid case also brought to fore the rampant shenanigans that continued unabated within the institutions controlled by the church. The case had several ups and downs and at one point the victim’s father claimed that he had raped his own daughter. The police claimed that the accused were shielded by a network of Church institutions who helped in covering up the case to save their own face. The police realised this after facing practical difficulties in nabbing all the accused in the case.

Even the victim and her family at one point in time turned hostile. However, the prosecution relied on the testimony of the government doctor and established that the girl was a minor and even if the sexual relationship was based on mutual consent, it could only be considered as rape.

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