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Functionary of NGO linked to Maoists among activists and politicians who penned letter in defence of Italian Secret Service linked Harsh Mander

OpIndia Staff
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Functionary of NGO linked to Maoists among activists and politicians who penned letter in defence of Italian Secret Service linked Harsh Mander

The ‘Civil Society’ always protects one of their own. And so it has come to pass that over 200 academicians and ‘activists’ have come forward in defence of Harsh Mander after a charge sheet filed in the Delhi Riots case documented the role he played in the entire scheme of affairs. The charge sheet mentioned that the controversial activist had instigated protesters in a speech he made in the Jamia Milia Islamia University.

The ‘civil society’ actors claimed that it was an “attempt to target him” and have him implicated in “false cases”. According to them, the speech where Harsh Mander urged the protesters to take the battle to the roads and undermined the authority of the Indian Judiciary was not an incitement to violence. They want people to believe it is “utterly deplorable” to do so.

The letter which was penned “in solidarity with Harsh Mander” states, “We, the undersigned, condemn the manner in which the Delhi Police has mentioned the name of Harsh Mander and other activists, to concoct a ‘chronology’ and create a false narrative about the Delhi riots, in the chargesheet filed by them on FIR No.- 65/2020 of 26/02/2020.”

“This is an attempt to target him, perhaps pull him into the police dragnet of false cases, and silence powerful and effective citizen’s voices against hate, divisiveness and for unity and compassion,” it added. It said, “We strongly condemn the motivated, compromised investigation and vilification of a person with commitment to a just society, and demand that this is stopped forthwith.”

The letter was signed by a host of usual suspects. The most prominent among them being Indira Jaising and Anand Grover, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, Communist leaders Annie Raja and Brinda Karat, apologist for Christian evangelism John Dayal, disgraced civil servant Kannan Gopinathan and numerous others.

However, the name that stands out the most is Kavita Srivastava, who is a functionary of PUCL, Jaipur. PUCL is the same organisation that has extensive links to Maoists, something we have reported extensively on. ‘Urban Naxals’ who were arrested in the Elgar Parishad case and in connection with an alleged assassination plot against the Prime Minister are intimately linked with the PUCL.

The PUCL and the organisations that it is associated with has a history of ties to Naxals and separatists in Kashmir as well as Manipur. Over the years, numerous members of the organisations PUCL is associated with have been arrested for their links to Maoists. Thus, it is not surprising that one of its functionaries has come out in defence of Harsh Mander.

Harsh Mander is himself a member of an Italian organisation that works in close coordination with the Italian Secret Service. The Ara Pacis Initiative which counts Harsh Mander as one of its senior members is known to work with the Italian Government in achieving the latter’s foreign policy objectives.

In addition to it, Mander is also associated with George Soros, the American Billionaire who declared a war against nationalism and nationalists recently. He is the Chairman of George Soros’s Open Society Foundation’s Human Rights Initiative Advisory Board. During the CAA-NRC debate, he indulged in a host of antics and he was also spotted giving a speech at Shaheen Bagh.

Thus, it is not surprising that Indian politicians and activists and ‘civil society’ has come out in the defence of Harsh Mander. A lot of them are known to harbour great animosity towards Narendra Modi and his government. Some of it is due to personal reasons as the govrnment has cracked down on foreign funded NGOs.

Harsh Mander has also received funds from Christian Missionary organisations for his NGOs. He was a member of Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council as well. In the controversial speech that he made at Jamia Milia Islamia, he had said, “From now on, the decision will not come from the Supreme Court or Parliament. We saw what the Supreme Court did in Ayodhya, NRC and Kashmir matters. The SC has failed to honour secularism, equality and humanity. We will try fighting there too, but, the decision will not happen in neither Supreme court nor Parliament, it has to be made at the streets.”

AgustaWestland scam: ED accuses middleman Rajiv Saxena of hiding information, says he is acting on Ratul Puri’s orders

OpIndia Staff
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AgustaWestland scam: ED accuses middleman Rajiv Saxena of hiding information, says he is acting on Ratul Puri’s orders

A dossier received from Mauritius, along with the forensic data analysis and scrutiny of WhatsApp chats has led the Enforcement Directorate to suspect the authenticity of disclosures made by Rajiv Saxena, one of the main accused in the 3600 crore AgustaWestland scam. As per a report in the Economic Times, the investigating agency has now pointed out that Saxena has concealed and withheld information at the instance of co-accused, especially Ratul Puri.

According to the Economic Times report, the Enforcement Directorate has submitted before a court that the accused Rajiv Saxena, who had turned approver in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland scam case, has been misleading them by “playing one agency against the other”.

The Enforcement Directorate will also now appeal before the court to discredit Saxena’s statements during the trial as ED alleged that Saxena has been selectively stating the facts on the insistence of co-accused, especially Ratul Puri, the nephew of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath.

Last week, the Delhi High Court had turned down a petition filed by ED to revoke Saxena’s approver status, which was granted on March 25 last year.

Rajeev Saxena playing one agency against other: Enforcement Directorate

According to the ET report, the ED informed the court that Saxena was “playing one agency against the other” and mentioned about dossier from Mauritius and other reports that revealed how Saxena was misleading the investigative agencies through selective information.

The documents received from Mauritius contained one titled “Consent to act as Director” of M/s Interstellar Technologies Ltd, dated June 20, 2000, bearing Saxena’s signatures.

However, when ED had questioned about the same in February last year, Saxena had withheld information regarding the same and had lied to the investigation team that these signed documents were misused by his lawyer and co-accused Gautam Khaitan. The new information submitted to ED by the CBI revealed that the signatures belonged to Saxena.

The accused Saxena had allegedly operated a firm named Interstellar, which received a kickback worth 12.4 million euros which were then re-routed as “payment of bribes” to influential people, including politicians and bureaucrats in India to influence the VVIP chopper deal in favour of AgustaWestland. The middleman Christian Michel James allegedly routed bribe money to a company through Interstellar, according to ED investigation.

The ED, while asking to revoke the ‘approver’ status of Rajiv Saxena, alleged that Saxena supplied selective information and documents to earn the trust of the ED and the counsels.

ED alleges Saxena hid his connection with Ratul Puri

After receiving a ‘pardon’ from the court in March last year, the ED alleged that Saxena was in contact with co-accused, including Puri, and has been protecting them to prevent a ‘successful prosecution’. The ED also alleged that Puri asked Saxena to provide only selective information during the investigation. The ED also said Saxena had admitted that he was being pressurized by Puri.

Further, the Enforcement Directorate said that Saxena submitted a folder titled “Ratul Puri summary of transactions USD account”, which when analysed with another set of backup emails provided by him on July 23, 2019, revealed that most emails crucial to the investigation were not submitted by him earlier.

As ED questioned Saxena about the information, Saxena told ED that Puri had pressurised him against disclosing that the payments he had received from Global Services FZE were on Puri’s instructions.

As per the ET report, Saxena told that Puri had also asked him not to provide any information, documents or statement that linked his father or uncle in any matter. He also added that it was his lawyer who shared the details with Puri, the ED claimed. The ED added that not only was Saxena in direct touch, but his lawyers were also in touch with Puri, in an attempt to ‘mislead’ the agency.

Laptop data was deleted

The ED had carried out forensic analysis of data present in two laptops provided by Saxena, which revealed the presence of data that the ED had repeatedly sought. However, the same data was deleted before the laptops were handed over to the agency. The ED recovered some of the data and other files could not be opened or were password-protected.

Meanwhile, Saxena has denied allegations of withholding information, while Puri has categorically denied his involvement in the VVIP chopper scandal.

Within days of moving for cancellation of his bail on July 15, 2019, Saxena had submitted documents that he had earlier denied any knowledge of. He had also submitted an email id “[email protected]” which contained emails connecting him to Puri. Saxena also shared documents pertaining to the incorporation of shell companies and emails used for hawala transfers.

The ED said that Saxena started giving information immediately after his brother-in-law was summoned for questioning. The investigating agency also said that in July last year, Saxena visited Mumbai without informing them.

However, Saxena had said it was for an emergency. But, the ED has cited medical records saying Saxena’s condition was not serious. The ED claimed that it scrutinised Saxena’s WhatsApp chats, which said that he had lied about visiting Mumbai for a medical check-up.

Saxena was extradited to India last year

Rajiv Saxena, described by the ED as one of the “key money launderers” was picked up by UAE government security agencies in Dubai and later extradited to India on January 30, 2019.

It was reported that Rajiv Saxena has several accounts in Switzerland. OpIndia had acquired the list of accounts that Rajiv Saxena allegedly used for kickbacks received in the AgustaWestland scam.

Prior to the extradition of the two main accused Rajiv Saxena and Deepak Talwar, several startling revelations had come to light in the VVIP chopper scam soon after the case gained momentum post middleman Christian Micheal’s extradition to India. From the names of “Italian Lady”, to “Italian Lady’s son R“ to how Christian Michel was lobbying for the Eurofighter and against the Rafale deal and how he had unbridled access to the PMO under Congress regime, the CCS and even the investigative agencies.

Maharashtra: Dawood aide and underworld gangster Chhota Shakeel’s sister Hamida dies of coronavirus in Mumbra

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Dawood aide and underworld gangster Chhota Shakeel’s sister Hamida dies of coronavirus in Mumbra

As per the reports, Mumbai bomb blast accused underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim’s aide Chota Shakeel’s elder sister Hamida has passed away due to novel coronavirus infection in Mumbra. It is believed that Chhota Shakeel is currently holding up in Karachi with his family. Recently some media reports suggested that Dawood Ibrahim had died due to Covid-19 infection but no intelligence report can confirm his death.

Last month his other sister Fahmida died due to pneumonia after developing breathing problems. Some media reports suggested that she died of pneumonia while getting treatment for a brain hemorrhage, but her Covid-19 tests came negative. However, at that time, her driver Altaf was tested positive. Fahmida’s husband Arif Aboobakar Sheikh alias Arif Bhaijaan’s Bungalow was sealed off at that time by Thane municipal commissioner.

Maharashtra has seen the maximum cases of novel coronavirus in India. There are more than 50,000 active cases in the state and 4128 people have lost their lives due to complications associated with Covid-19.

India-China border stand-off: Chinese troops suffer casualties too in the stand-off at Galwan valley, says Indian Army

OpIndia Staff
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India-China border stand-off: Chinese troops suffer casualties too in the stand-off at Galwan valley, says Indian Army

The latest stand-off between India and China along the Line of Actual Control at Galwan, Ladakh on Monday night has now resulted in casualties from both sides. According to reports, the Chinese troops have also suffered casualties in last night’s violent face-off in Galwan Valley.

The Indian Army has released a statement stating that casualties have been suffered by both sides in “violent face-off” during the de-escalation process with China in Galwan Valley, Ladakh. However, it is not clear regarding the nature and number of casualties on the Chinese side yet.

Shiv Aroor, the Defence journalist at India Today, said that no bullets have been fired but Chinese troops pelted stones and clubs. Several soldiers from both sides have been injured.

The Indian Army had earlier released a statement saying that the Chinese troops have killed three Indian soldiers, including the Commanding Officer of a battalion at Galwan valley in a violent faceoff on Monday night. The official statement said that it took place during the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan valley.

The deaths of Indian soldiers come at a time when thousands of soldiers are facing each other at several locations on the Line of Actual Control.

“During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation,” an Indian Army statement read.

India-China standoff at Ladakh: China blames Indian troops

Meanwhile, Beijing has accused Indian troops of crossing border and ‘attacking Chinese personnel’.

The Chinese Foreign Minister has blamed Indian troops for the clashes. “The Indian Army on Monday seriously violated consensus of the two sides by illegally crossing the border twice and carrying out provocative attacks on Chinese soldiers, resulting in serious physical clashes,” said Chinese Foreign Minister according to Global Times.

“China has lodged solemn representations with the Indian side and urged it to strictly restrain its frontline troops from crossing the border or taking any unilateral action that may complicate the border situation,” said Foreign Minister.

Kerala CM heaped praise on a convicted murderer – nobody noticed

Abhishek Banerjee
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Kerala CM heaped praise on a convicted murderer – nobody noticed

Let me sketch a hypothetical scenario for you. Suppose a senior BJP leader commits a terrible crime: a murder of a political opponent. The BJP leader is arrested, found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, suppose the state government is run by the BJP and the convicted murderer hardly spends any actual time in jail – because he keeps getting parole.

Then, one day, the murderer dies (of natural causes). The sitting BJP CM, his top Cabinet Ministers, the state party chief, pay rich tributes to him. They call him a martyr and a hero and an example to follow.

Imagine if something so shocking ever happened. At each step of that, imagine the howls from so called civil society. From the murder to the conviction to the parole to the praise, at every step the BJP and its supporters would be crucified in media criticism. They would be called terrorists, Nazis, ISIS and what not. Every newspaper, Indian and foreign, would report obsessively on it. Historians would record the incident so that it could be referenced even decades later.

The Communists just pulled this off. With barely a mention anywhere, nor a whiff of criticism.

CPI(M) member PK Kunjananthan died earlier this week.

CPIM leader P K Kunjanathan had been convicted in 2014 for a political murder and was serving life imprisonment. He had already enjoyed 400 days of parole in the last five years or so. During that time, he freely took part in activities of the party and even became an office bearer.

Here is what sitting Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had to say about him:

“He had won the acceptance as a social worker, and affection of all sections of people in Panur.”

Here is what Kerala’s state CPIM chief had to say about him.

“….He was very dear to the people and a relentless worker who was instrumental in setting up the party in the area. He was dear and acceptable even among the political rivals, too….”

In case you forgot, he is describing a convicted murderer here. Popular even among political rivals? He was convicted for murdering a political opponent.

And here is (now celebrity) Health Minister K K Shailaja of Kerala.

“Comrade was the source of energy of the party. He was Kunajanthettan (ettan is an elder brother) to all, cutting across party lines, “

This should have been a media storm. It wasn’t. It didn’t even cause outrage on social media.

It’s not like Kerala gets no coverage. Search for “Kerala model” and Google will give you ten pages of results raving about Kerala’s supposedly amazing governance. In fact, propaganda about Kerala model is at its peak right now. In the last 3 months, Kerala has decisively defeated the Coronavirus at least 3-4 times. Yet, new cases keep propping up, possibly due to a CIA conspiracy.

It’s like the Communists wear some kind of magic armor. The Communist government slips in and out of global consciousness effortlessly. In the morning, K K Shailaja is the icon of good governance who saved the world. In the evening, she is praising a murderer. There is no attempt to hide, no dog whistle, no innuendo. Just straight talk praising a murderer. Her straight talk falls on our ears but we cannot hear it.

The Communist Party carries out murders in broad daylight and celebrates those murders in broad daylight. But we cannot see it. It’s hidden in plain sight.

This magic armor is called “ecosystem.” And it is a sad commentary on the right wing that they cannot extract a political price even when the left does something so outrageous and so openly.

In fact, it appears that Kerala CM makes no effort to exclude murder convicts from his personal social circle. Even as I write this, I discover that another convicted murderer is in the news surrounding the Kerala CM.

Mohamed Hashim was convicted in RSS karyakarta’s murder.

This time it is one Mohamad Hashim. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by the Supreme Court in 2017.

Well, if he was sentenced in 2017, why is he outside? Because he is on parole – of course he is! How could he not be on parole?

Do you get this now? In practice, the Indian legal system has long ceased to exist in Communist ruled Kerala. The Communists get to make the rules. The Communists have absolute power over life and death. They don’t even worry about getting convicted. They just laugh at the Supreme Court, get parole and walk out of jail in broad daylight.

There were barely 30 people at this wedding ceremony. I suppose that means they only invited close friends and family. And a murder convict still made it to the list.

But when you have BBC eating out of your hands and when everyone loves the Kerala model, who cares about a few murder convictions? Oh and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is also a fan of mass murderers like North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He said it publicly. And yes, he was CM at the time. And speaking at an official party event. And this is from 2018. That is just two years ago. And still nobody noticed. Let that sink in.

I am curious. Was Kim Jong Un also invited to the wedding? It would not surprise me. A visit from Uncle Kim would have made it so much more special. But there’s the Coronavirus and people can’t travel. Blame Modi.

‘Rats of Shah Dola’: How hundreds of children in the Islamic State of Pakistan are forcefully deformed and exploited as beggars

Dibakar Dutta
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‘Rats of Shah Dola’: How hundreds of children in the Islamic State of Pakistan are forcefully deformed and exploited as beggars

Religious orthodoxy, superstitious beliefs, coupled with mass illiteracy can pave the way for exploitation in society. One such startling case of child abuse, fuelled by religious dogmatism, comes from the Islamic State of Pakistan. Children suffering from microcephaly, a rare neurological disorder, are reduced to the status of animals in Pakistan. Often referred to as ‘chuhas’ or rats by people, these children are characterised by abnormally small heads, round jaws, and disfigured foreheads.

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the microcephalic children find refuge at the shrine of Shah Daula in Varedia, Gujarat. They are revered as divine creatures and simultaneously stripped of their human dignity. Reportedly, infertile from across the country flock to the shrine in the hopes of having a normal baby. Other pilgrims bring in their sick infants and hope of their bright health conditions in the future. The shrine of Shah Daula is considered as the abode of fertility for women.

Child abuse under the garb of magical ‘fertility’

Prayers are supposedly answered only under one atrocious condition – the women must donate their first child to the shrine. It is believed that otherwise subsequent children will be born with deformities. Hence, the first child must serve as one of the ‘rats of Shah Daula’. As per reports, these children are not allowed to meet their parents. They are then subjected to ‘artificial microcephaly’ wherein an iron band is placed on their head to prevent the normal growth of the cranium.

These unfortunate children are draped in green cloaks and forced to beg around the shrine. Since pilgrims live under the notion that ignoring them may invite doom, they fill the begging bowls of children with cash and coins. The children, devoid of education and parental patronage, are left at the mercy of the administration of the shrine. Reportedly, criminals in Pakistan have also been creating ‘artificial rats’ with the sinister objective of minting money. The children are coerced into begging on the streets, with begging bowls in their hands.

The History of the Shrine

The historical background of the shrine sheds light on the practice of child abuse that continues to this day. As per reports, Shah Daula who was supposedly fond of animals would put helmets on the heads of children for decorative purposes. He had a penchant for abnormal children and believed that they were human beings of different abilities. Following the death of the Sufi saint, the deformed children were associated with him and fabricated tales were weaved to justify the practice.

Keeping aside the tradition of abuse, a scientific assessment of the abnormality leads us to the religious practices in Islam that dictates the way of life in the conservative society of Pakistan. The root cause, as understood, behind the problem is the rampant rate of inbreeding or cousin marriages. An alarming absence of medical care, institutions to serve differently-abled children and the associated ignorance have trapped the children of Shah Daula into a life of misery.

Pakistani and International Laws

As per Section 328 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), deserting a child below the age of 12 years by parents is a crime. At the shrine of Shah Daula, the first child of such devotees are abandoned on the first or the second day of their birth. Besides, Section 332 and 335 punishes disfiguring a functional organ of any individual but the business of ‘artificial microcephaly’ goes unabated under the pretext of making infertile women fertile. Moreover, forcing children into begging is punishable with a maximum of 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of PKR 1,00,000 under Section 36 of the Punjab Destitute and Neglected Children Act 2004.

Although Pakistan is a member nation of the United Nations and liable under Sections 23 and 37 of the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child 1990 (UNCRC) to prevent the child abuse going unabated under the garb of ‘tradition’, little or no efforts have been made in this regard. Lack of consciousness amongst the public regarding human rights abuse, the complicity of governmental bodies, and the Council of Islamic Ideology needs to be held accountable.

Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana likens alliance partner Congress to an old squeaking cot, advises Uddhav Thackeray to be prepared

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana likens alliance partner Congress to an old squeaking cot, advises Uddhav Thackeray to be prepared

The petty squabbling between the unholy alliance of NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena came out in open on Tuesday as the Shiv Sena mouthpiece–Saamana compared the Congress party to a perpetually squeaking old cot that keeps making noise now and then.

In its editorial piece, Saamana says, “The elected chief minister’s decision is final and binding. Even Sharad Pawar acts in accordance with this rule and meets the chief minister every now and then to proffer suggestions. Congress is doing good work but they have a knack of squeaking like an old cot every now and then.”

Cautioning Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray of the persistent rumbling from the Congress party, the Saamana piece said that the Shiv Sena supremo should be ready to tackle such behaviour of the Congress party.

“It is an old party with history but in this cot there are many party strongmen which is the reason why the old cot is making sound. CM should be ready to face this from Congress,” the Saamana article said.

The snide remarks for the alliance partner came after Congress leaders expressed their displeasure over the bureaucracy creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the Maharashtra government. Congress state chief Balasaheb Thorat and Congress heavyweight Ashok Chavan are reportedly going to meet the chief minister to convey their annoyance with the bureaucracy.

BJP attacks coalition after Sena’s jibe at the Congress party

Hours after Shiv Sena mouthpiece took a swipe at the Congress party, the principal opposition party which had once been in an alliance with the Shiv Sena slammed the unholy nexus between ideologically disparate parties of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena.

Attacking the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition in Maharashtra, the BJP asserted that the alliance partners are bickering even as the coronavirus pandemic is precipitously sweeping across the state.

BJP spokesperson Ram Kadam said that the Maharashtra government is indifferent to the coronavirus patients dying “due to lack of beds”. He also alleged that even as “Maharashtra has become China”, the coalition partners were busy indulging in fratricidal conflicts.

“They are busy talking about a squeaking old bed but are not concerned about the patients dying in Maharashtra due to lack of beds,” Ram Kadam said while adding, “Is there some self-respect left in Congress and NCP?”

ICSE and ISC exams: Council gives option to students to opt-out of the remaining papers: Here are the full details

OpIndia Staff
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ICSE and ISC exams: Council gives option to students to opt-out of the remaining papers: Here are the full details

The Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) on Monday informed the Bombay high court that it has decided not to pressurise ICSE – Class X and ISC – Class XII students to appear for the remaining papers of the board exams.

The CISCE gives children the option of opting-out of the remaining papers

The council has informed the bench comprising of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice SS Shinde that it has given the children appearing for the exams an option to either appear for remaining papers scheduled to be held from July 2 or opt-out. In case the children choose the second option, their final results in pending subjects would be determined on the basis of their performance in internal assessment or pre-board examinations or results of board examinations papers in subjects already taken.

Results of other subjects will be declared on the basis of student’s performance in the examination held so far.

Press release by the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE)
Press release by the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE)

The council has said that the same would be communicated to all 2,605 schools affiliated to it and the option of each and every student will be ascertained. It said that the schools would be required to inform the same to its students, who will then choose their response and inform the school, which they would forward to the council latest by June 22.

CISCE responded to a PIL filed by advocate Arvind Tiwari in the Bombay High Court

The Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) had responded to public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Arvind Tiwari in the Bombay High Court, seeking a direction to the Board to cancel the examination of remaining papers.

Weighing the risks that the current coronavirus outbreak would put the children into, Advocate Tiwari, whose son is also appearing for ICSE examination, had said in his PIL that as a precaution, it would make sense for Indian educational boards to cancel the remaining papers of Class X and XII examinations.

Board examinations were postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic

ICSE and ISC 2020 examination started as scheduled on February 27. All the papers till March 18 were held according to the declared timetable. However, late on March 18, the board rescheduled the remaining examination due to restrictions imposed in view of Covid-19 pandemic.

On May 22, the board declared that examination of remaining papers of Class 10 will be held between July 2 and July 12 and examination of remaining papers of Class 12 will be held from July 1 to July 14.

Close to 2.8 lakh students are expected to sit for the ICSE exam in July.

Earlier, the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) was keen on holding examination for the remaining papers. In its reply to the PIL filed by Advocate Tiwari, the council had pointed out that on June 7, it held a video conferencing meeting with the principals of its affiliated schools in Maharashtra. This was attended by principals of 196 of the total 226 schools in the state and 84 of them were in favour of holding examination of remaining papers, said the council.

Tiwari said the bench has now sought to know if the Maharashtra government was willing to grant permission to CISCE for conducting ICSE and ISC examination in remaining papers. The petition has been posted for further hearing on June 17 (Wednesday).

India-China border stand-off: Three Indian soldiers, including a colonel martyred during a clash in Galwan, Ladakh

OpIndia Staff
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India-China border stand-off: Three Indian soldiers, including a colonel martyred during a clash in Galwan, Ladakh

In latest development from the Ladakh front, an Indian Army Colonel, who was the commanding officer of an infantry battalion and two Army jawans have been martyred during a clash with the Chinese troops at one of the standoff points in the Galwan Valley.

According to journalist Shiv Aroor, the three Indian Army soldiers were martyred during the ongoing clash between India and Chinese troops near Line of Actual Control at areas around Galwan valley at Ladakh.

Aroor shared an official statement by the Indian Army which mentioned that during the de-escalation process between the two sides in the Galwan valley, a violent face-off took place between two sides on Monday night at the spot leading to casualties.

During the clash-off, three Indian soldiers including an colonel-rank Army officer were martyred. The Indian Army and PLA officials are now present at the spot to defuse the tensions between two sides, said Indian Army.

Chinese troops deployment near Ladakh

The tension between India and China have escalated since reports emerged that China had deployed excessive troops and set up temporary tents across the Galwan river in Ladakh after a face-off near Pangong Tso on May 5-6.

It is also believed that Chinese troops have also taken up positions along the Pangong Tso Lake and are also carrying out aggressive patrols with motorboats to intimidate Indian forces in the region. Reportedly, the Chinese troops have damaged some temporary structures put up in the finger area near Pangong Tso Lake.

The face-offs, which started as a little skirmish initiated by the Chinese troops, later took a serious turn after the Chinese side brought in troops and heavy equipment from a military exercise.

Troops clashed in Eastern sector

The Galwan stand-off comes at the backdrop of a recent incident where troops of both India and China were involved in two face-offs in a span of a week in the Eastern Ladakh and near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector along the contentious border between the two countries.

In the first incident, the Chinese army personnel had clashed with Indian forces along the northern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh on May 5. The face-off ended the next morning following dialogue between the two sides. A number of soldiers on both sides had sustained minor injuries

Just days before, in another incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel had engaged in a face-off near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector of the Sino-India border in which at least 10 soldiers sustained injuries.

From ‘he was hearing voices’ to ‘don’t blame us’, Bollywood stars try to absolve themselves of the collective guilt over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death

Nirwa Mehta
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From ‘he was hearing voices’ to ‘don’t blame us’, Bollywood stars try to absolve themselves of the collective guilt over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death

A day after Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide, Bollywood critic Subhash K Jha wrote an article in Congress mouthpiece wherein he had said how Mahesh Bhatt thought the deceased actor had mental illness like his former lover, Parveen Babi. Babi was rumoured to have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a claim she categorically denied by stating that it was a rumour spread by the Hindi film industry to malign her image.

Jha claims that these revelations were made by one writer, Suhrita Sengupta, a close associate of Bhatt. Sengupta had said that Bhatt told Rhea, Rajput’s then girlfriend, that his mental condition is just like that of Babi. Bhatt had suggested Rhea to break up her relationship with Rajput. Apparently, when Bhatt met Rajput for a possibility of a role in Sadak 2, Bhatt ‘identified melancholy under Sushant’s constant exuberance’. Jha claims that Suhrita said that Rhea stuck by Rajput despite his ‘rapid descent into depression’ and even when he ‘stopped taking medication’.

Quoting Suhrita, Jha says that Sushant started ‘hearing voices’. “There came a time when Sushant began hearing voices. He began to feel people were trying to kill him. One day an Anurag Kashyap film was playing in Sushant’s home and he told Rhea, ‘I  said no to an offer from Kashyap. Now he’s going to come to kill me.’ That’s when  Rhea was too frightened to stay with  Sushant any longer. She had no choice. Bhatt Saab told her there was nothing she could do. If she stayed on she would lose her sanity too. Rhea waited for Sushant’s sister to come to Mumbai and take charge. Sushant’s sisters tried their best to support and comfort him. But he was beyond listening to anyone. He wouldn’t take his medication,” Sengupta said.

Essentially, just a day after a person has died, Bollywood’s popular film critic pens down a piece claiming how the person who many believe was bullied and pushed over the edge, was well, ‘mentally unstable’. Sushant Singh Rajput is not around to defend himself on these claims. But by now, everyone has read these stories of him being ‘depressed’ and well, ‘hearing voices’.

In a country where mental illness is still a taboo, the who’s who of the Bollywood have already managed to paint him as a freak.

But this didn’t stop here. Bollywood starlets came together to what seems to be in a bid to absolve themselves of the collective guilt. On Monday many people pointed out the bullying Rajput had to face on hands of the ‘star kids’ or the pedigree who rule the roost. The star kids and their minions soon came out to support one of ‘their own’ (because Rajput was an ‘outsider’ as already established).

Similarly, Swara Bhaskar, Sonam’s colleague came out to defend Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt who were accused of bullying Sushant Singh Rajput on their show through mean comments and ridicule.

Times of India group’s entertainment arm, Zoom TV put put a post where they said how Rajput’s social media account was ‘infamous’ for ‘weird posts’.

Zoom TV’s tweet on Sushant Singh Rajput’s social media activity

Zoom has now deleted this tweet.

Essentially, because Rajput had Vincent Van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night as his Twitter cover image and had photos of celestial bodies. Because how can someone be intelligent in an industry where where being smart is mocked at.

And while we may never know what drove Sushant Singh Rajput over the edge, efforts already seem to be in motion to prove that he was crazy, mentally unstable and derail the conversation that the deep, dark world of Bollywood is full of toxic people who perhaps drove a young talented boy to suicide. Because why give dignity to the dead when you have your gang to save.

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