Dr Ranjit Mankeshwar, dean of JJ hospital in Mumbai, has confirmed that ‘activist’ Varavara Rao, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, has tested positive for the coronavirus. According to reports, Rao, who is also accused of planning the assassination of PM Modi and in a 2005 Maoist attack case, was shifted to the hospital after he complained of giddiness on Monday. He has been keeping unwell for a while. After testing positive, the 81-year-old was shifted to the JJ Hospital in the city.
Varavara Rao Monday approached Bombay HC for bail, but was denied relief
Rao on Monday had approached the Bombay High Court seeking temporary bail owing to his deteriorating medical condition and the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic but was denied relief by the court.
The family members of Rao, who has been in jail for the last 22 months, had expressed concern about his worsening health condition.
Cases against ‘activist’ Rao
In July 2019, Karnataka police took Bhima Koregaon case accused Varavara Rao into custody in connection with a 2005 Maoist attack case registered at Tirumani and sent him to the Mumbai prison. He was already in judicial custody at Yerwada jail in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case.
In November 2018, Rao, and nine others were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, which was initially probed by the Pune police and later transferred to the National Investigation Agency in January. The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial located on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.
The police have also claimed the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoist links.
The Aligarh police have lodged an FIR against Rahbar Danish of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), after a female student of the varsity filed a complaint on July 13, with the senior superintendent of police, Aligarh, against him, for harassing and threatening her for calling out sexualization of girls in the college.
OpIndia reached out to the AMU student who was attacked by Danish and other fellow students after, in one of her social media posts, she had opined how the girls in the Aligarh Muslim University are forced to cover themselves up in AMU hostels and how women are objectified on the basis of their clothes.
The AMU student confirmed that the FIR has been lodged and Aligarh police have started investigating the matter on the basis of her complaint. The girl confirmed that soon after the FIR was registered, the boy reached out to her and apologised. “I am not sure exactly but he sounded like he was depressed”, said the female student confirming that she has demanded a written apology from Rahbar Danish.
The girl, though unsure of the sudden change in Danish’s behaviour said that Danish called her up and said that he was receiving threats calls against him and his family. Someone also apparently gave rape threats for his mother and sister, said Danish to the girl.
However, the important question here is, how and why, Rahbar Danish, who was until now threatening and hounding the girl, suddenly have a transformation of the heart and realised his mistake. The boy, who had all along, brazenly threatened her that she would be forced to wear a “hijab made of brass” when the university opened, post lockdown, was now eager to apologise. “But who knows kab kya ho jayega” (but who knows what might happen anytime), said the girl confirming to OpIndia that her family was standing strong with her and supporting her very well.
AMU girl complains about being threatened and hounded since CAA was passed, told she will be made to wear “brass hijab”
On July 13, OpIndia had reported how a female student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has filed a complaint with the senior superintendent of police, Aligarh, against a fellow male student, who had threatened her of physical harm for calling out sexualization of girls in the varsity.
“In her complaint dated July 13, 2020, the female student said that on July 9, a fellow male student named Rahbar Danish, of Aligarh Muslim University had used “uncivilized language” against her on social media. The female student, who in her complaint said that she still has to complete two years of her education at the varsity, said that she was scared that Danish would harass her after the university reopened.
The girl had shared screenshots of the messages she received from Rahbar Danish and other fellow students to substatiate her claims.
Speaking to OpIndia then, the girl said that she was also hounded at the time when she had spoken in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (now an Act) and the NRC, but she had not considered filing a complaint then, but now that she has again been targeted, she decided to approach the police in the matter.
The Delhi Anti-Hindu Riots on the 24th and 25th February have been etched in the memory of the nation with over 53 dead and hundreds injured as Islamist mobs ran amuck. During the Delhi riots, the main Wazirabad road that separates Hindu dominated Yamuna Vihar and Muslim dominated Chand Bagh became of the hotspots for the riots. It is here that policeman Ratan Lal was brutally murdered by the Islamist mob and it is here that another curious incident took place – the retaliation from Mohan Nursing Home, which was in the Hindu dominated Yamuna Vihar and the violence from Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy Pvt Ltd building. This altercation between Hindus and Muslims left one Muslim man called Shahid dead, with a gunshot wound to his stomach.
The media, at the time, had capitalised on this one case, because to them, it was an opportunity to demonstrate how innocent Muslims were being slaughtered by Hindus during the riots that the media was terming as a pogrom against Muslims by Hindus. Shahid’s body, that was being descended from the Saptarishi building in a bid to get medical attention was flashed on television. While those images were being flashed, the anchors were slyly talking about how the Hindu chants of “Goli maaaro saalo ko” were finally being realised with Hindus shooting Shahid from the rooftop of Mohan Nursing Home.
However, with the chargesheets in the cases related to the riots now out and accessed exclusively by OpIndia, it is evident that the truth is far from what the media wished to project. To understand what really happened from the rooftop of Mohan Nursing Home and the Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy building, one must understand how the main Wazirabad road was turned into a war zone by Muslim mobs. One must also read, in-depth, what the chargesheet says about the fatal gunshot wound sustained by Shahid, that ultimately claimed his life.
How the riots at Main Wazirabad road proceeded: A Chronology
While anti-CAA protests and riots by Islamist mobs started way back in December, the main Wazirabad road became one of the starting points of the riots on the 24th of February. It was here that the mob became violent and attacked the police party that was patrolling the area, and the attack resulted in the death of policeman Ratan Lal.
On the 23rd of February, Bhim Army had called to march from Chand Bagh to Rajghat. That was an illegal march which was then stopped by the police. The statement by a Muslim witness (name withheld) says that several Muslims, Dalits and students had congregated for the march by Bhim Army which was stopped by the police. Thereafter, the police had sealed the Wazirabad road after stopping the march. A rumour was then spread that violence had erupted on another protest site in Jaffrabad.
This was the place where Muslim women along with JCC members and others, especially Pinjra Tod members had blocked the metro road and violence had erupted on the 23rd. It is pertinent to note that in the chargesheet, it categorically mentioned that it was the anti-CAA Muslims who had started pelting stones and indulging in violence at those who were demanding re-opening of the roads blocked by the anti-CAA protestors. This was reported extensively by OpIndia.
Post that, a secret meeting was held during the intervening night of 23rd and 24th where the rioters were instructed to carry sticks, stones, bricks, iron rods and whatever other weapons they could find for the next day (24th of February). Interestingly, a secret meeting was also held 15 days prior to the riots of 24th. In that meeting, it was categorically mentioned that since USA President Donald Trump would be in India, riots should be coordinated around the same time to ensure that it gets maximum publicity.
It was on the 24th then, that according to the chargesheet filed in the murder of Ratan Lal, the mob became violent and surrounded the police party. First, it was the women who started pelting stones and attacking the police. Then, the men from the mob joined in. This incident claimed the life of Ratan Lal and severely injured almost 40 other police personnel.
According to the chargesheet, the incident took place at 1:00 PM on the 24th of February 2020 and the riot that day was a part of a larger, deeper conspiracy hatched by elements like DS Bindra (who was hailed by the media as a messiah for organising langars for the protestors), Safoora Zargar, members of the JCC, Pinjra Tod members etc and local Muslim rioters.
While the chargesheet filed in the Ratan Lal murder speaks about the incidents that took place till about 1 PM on the 24th of February, another chargesheet numbered 68 talks about what happened after Ratan Lal was murdered.
Chargesheet Number 68: What is it about
Chargesheet number 68 pertains to the death of one Shahid who died of a gunshot wound to his stomach. On the 24th of February, 25-year-old Shahid, son of Allah Meher sustained a gunshot wound on his stomach while he was at the rooftop of Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy Pvt Ltd building. The building is located on a service road near 25 foota Chand Bagh, Main Wazirabad Road, right next to Chand Bagh Mazar.
This incident took place at about 3 PM after Ratan Lal was murdered by an Islamist mob at 1 PM. The chargesheet also covers how Hindus were pelting stones from Mohan Nursing Home, which is in Yamuna Vihar (Hindu dominated) and Muslims were pelting stones from Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy Pvt Ltd building, which is in Muslim dominated Chand Bagh. The two areas are divided by the Main Wazirabad Road.
Google map of the area
In Google Map, one can see Mohan Nursing Home. Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy Pvt Ltd building doesn’t feature on Google Maps but since we know it is in the service road of 25 foota road, we can estimate the location to the other side of the Wazirabad Road.
According to the Chargesheet, what happened right after Ratan Lal was killed
On the 23rd of February, according to the chargesheet, the protestors suddenly shifted from the service road near 25 Foota road to the main Wazirabad Road. This led to traffic jams and the entire road being blocked by the protestors. On the 24th of February, provocative and communal slogans were being raised by the Islamist mobs since morning and additional forces were also deployed in the area as a precautionary measure.
Excerpt of Chargesheet Number 68
On this day, an unusual number of protestors started gathering on Wazirabad Road. It is to be remembered here that the chargesheet filed in the Ratan Lal murder cited specifically that on 23rd night, a secret meeting was held and rioters were asked to bring along as many people as possible on the 24th and were also instructed to carry weapons.
At 1 PM, the crowd started pelting stones, shooting etc. This resulted in the death of HC Ratan Lal and several officers including the DCP and ACP were severely injured.
It was then, at 3 PM that the Hindus too entered the ‘arena’ and started stone pelting in retaliation, pushing the Muslims back.
Excerpt of Chargesheet Number 68
Thus, at the very outset, it is established that the Hindus started stone-pelting as a retaliation to the Muslim mobs pelting stones, shooting, using iron rods and sticks against the police officials killing Ratan Lal and injuring several other police officers.
The chargesheet further says that the Muslim rioters were concentrated in the Chand Bagh area while the Hindus were confined towards Yamuna Vihar. Post 3 PM, the Hindus and Muslims occupied the roof of buildings that overlooks the main Wazirabad Hospital and started pelting stones at each other and even shooting at each other. It is pertinent to note here that even the current chargesheet categorically states that this riot was elaborately planned by anti-CAA mobs. There were rioters, intermediaries and conspirators. Further, this chargesheet also says that while while they furled the Indian flag, behind those flags, India was being maligned and communal slogans were being raised.
At this time, the Muslim rioters forcibly entered the Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy Pvt Ltd building.
Excerpt of Chargesheet Number 68
The chargesheet says that the Muslim rioters threatened and forced the labourers and their families living there to flee the building and occupied it by force. The rioters then put a wooden ladder to reach the top of the building overlooking Wazirabad main road and from there, started hurling stones and shooting at not only the Police but even the Hindus. It was in this building’s rooftop that 25-year-old Shahid died. From this excerpt, it is safe to assume that Shahid was one of the rioters from the Muslim side who had occupied the building to pelt stones and shoot at the police and the Hindus there.
The Witness statements of the labourers living in the Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy Pvt Ltd building also corroborate the same.
Witness statement in the chargesheet
The labourers who were threatened to flee the building with their families had similar stories to tell. At 3 PM, about 30 Muslim rioters forcibly entered the building and threatened the labourers to leave. A wooden ladder was used to reach the rooftop of the building. When the labourers were fleeing, they saw others carrying sacks of stones and bricks to the roof. The rioters were also carrying firearms. This entire sequence was also corroborated by the statements of 5 policemen who were at the scene. They narrated how the Muslim mob was attacking the police and it was only after the Hindus started their retaliation, did the Muslim mobs’ retreat.
In fact, the Muslim rioters were also ensuring the the tear gas shells fired by the police were thwarted by wet Jute bags. One accused, Raees, admits in the chargesheet that he had during the riots gone to his shop nearby to arrange for wet jute bags to counter the tear gas shells fired by the police.
While the Muslim rioters forcibly reached the rooftop of the Saptarishi Ispat & Alloy Pvt Ltd building, the Hindus, in retaliation, reached the rooftop of Mohan Nursing Home.
The subsequent death of Shahid Alam during Delhi riots
The chargesheet mentions the circumstances that led to the death of Shahid Alam rather clearly. It states that he was at the rooftop of the Saptarishi Ispat & Alloys Pvt Ltd building on the 24th of February at around 3:00 PM. Due to the riots, along with Shahid, several others were present on the rooftop of the building, pelting stones and shooting at the police and the Hindus. The police at this time had lost control of the situation.
Excerpt of Chargesheet Number 68
It is worthy to mention that at this time, Hindus had also reached the rooftop of Mohan Nursing Home and were retaliating. At about 3:30 PM, Shahid sustained a gunshot wound to his stomach. That he was present at the rooftop of the building is corroborated not just by eye witness accounts but also by the NDTV footage that was aired on their Prime Time Show (hosted by Ravish Kumar).
The role of NDTV, other media houses and how they played up this death will be discussed in a subsequent article.
NDTV aired a couple of videos. One was of Shahid Alam being dragged down a wooden ladder after his gunshot injury and one was of Hindus pelting stones and firing from the roof of Mohan Nursing Home. The chargesheet says that the video of Shahid being dragged down is authentic and was corroborated by not just the postmortem video but also by the kin of Shahid. However, the chargesheet says that in the video, the Muslim rioters on the Saptarishi building were wearing masks and thus, they could not be identified.
Further in the chargesheet, a startling revelation is made.
Excerpt of Chargesheet Number 68
The chargesheet categorically mentions that even the footage of Hindus firing from Mohan Nursing Home was examined. The distance between Mohan Nursing Home and Saptarishi building is about 78 meters. The bullet fragments retrieved from the body of Shahid Alam seems to be of a bullet fired from a small arm and hence, the police thinks that it is “highly unlikely” that it could have been fired from Mohan Nursing Home.
Who were the ones who took Shahid to the hospital innocent? The conspiracy
NDTV did show how Shahid was dragged down, using a ladder, however, they did not really track how the body was taken to the hospital or what happened thereafter. This aspect has been detailed in the chargesheet. This aspect is detailed though the statement of one Dr Mansoor Khan of the Madina Hospital.
What did Dr Mansoor Khan of Madina Hospital
Mansoor Khan had made a PCR call when he got the body of Shahid Alam. In the call, Dr Mansoor had said that some people came to hospital and discarded the body of a man who had suffered a gunshot injury. The call was made on the 24th of February and the caller was identified by the police as one Dr Mansoor Khan of Madina Hospital.
Shahid, who was dragged using a ladder from the rooftop of the Saptrashi building was simply left at the Madina Hospital. The ones who transported him there fled the scene without identifying him or even informing the hospital that Shahid needed medical attention.
According to the chargesheet, this pointed to the fact the rioters had tried everything in their power to ensure that their identify was hidden and the truth was not revealed.
From the videos posted by NDTV, it is clear that it was the Muslims who had dragged Shahid down from the rooftop of the Saptarishi building. It is thus obvious that it was the Muslims who had taken Shahid to the Madina Hospital after he had sustained gunshot injuries. It was only later that his family members returned to claim the body of Shahid Alam, long after he was dead and dumped in the hospital.
The questions and conclusions that arise from the revelations in the chargesheet filed in Delhi riots case
From all the previous chargesheets as well as chargesheet number 68, it is evident that the riots were initiated by the Muslim mobs and the death of Shahid could not have been caused by Hindus.
What led to the violence that got Shahid killed?
On the 23rd of February, two separate incidents took place. One was the illegal march on the Wazirabad Road that was stopped by the police. The other, was violence that took place where Muslims started pelting stones at Hindus in Jaffrabad. After this, a secret meeting was held between the rioters and conspirators who were organising the illegal march. The local rioters who have been arrested attest that elements like Safoora Zargar, AIMIM’s DS Bindra and others were involved in the conspiracy to commit riots. In the secret meeting, according to the chargesheet, rioters were asked to get weapons the next day (24th) and also bring along as many people as possible. In the statements by the accused and the witnesses, the rioters were also told that they will encounter the police during the riots and they will have to be dealt with.
On the 24th, at around 1 PM, an unusually large crowd gathered at Main Wazirabad Road and a riot started. The Islamist mobs started pelting stones and beating up the police with iron rods, acid bottles, sticks, stones, bricks etc. In the process, over 40 police officers were injured and Ratan Lal was killed by the mob.
At 3 PM, Hindus decided to retaliate. They congregated in Yamuna Vihar (Hindu dominated) and the Muslims were congregated at Chand Bagh. The Wazirabad Road divides the two areas. Hindus started pelting stones and firing from atop Mohan Nursing Home while the Muslims were at Saptarishi building which they had forcefully occupied after threatening the labourers in the building to flee. In the process, Shahid sustained a gun injury that claimed his life. He was brought down from the roof of the building using a wooden ladder. This scene was played up by the media claiming that an innocent Muslim youth had been killed by the Hindus.
How was Shahid killed during the Delhi riots?
The chargesheet in question categorically mentions that the distance between Mohan Nursing Home and Saptarishi building is about 78 meters. Further, the chargesheet says that the bullet fragments found from Shahid’s body indicate that the bullet was fired from a small arm and hence, due to the distance, could not have come from Mohan Nursing Home.
The question thus remains – Who killed Shahid?
During a riot, the shots being fired and stones being pelted don’t really hit only the ‘other side’. It has been proven that Shahid was himself a rioter who was pelting stones at the police and Hindus from atop the roof of Saptarishi building. If the bullet that killed him could not have come from the Hindu side (Mohan Nursing Home) then it could be tentatively concluded that bullets being fired by Muslims themselves could have killed Shahid.
The accused so far in the chargesheet are all Muslims namely Mohd Firoz, Chand Mohd, Rais Khan, Md Junaid, Irshad and Akil Ahmed.
Why was his body dumped anonymously in front of a hospital and what does it indicate?
The witness statement of one Dr Mansoor Khan of Madina Hospital says that the body of Shahid was dumped in front of the hospital anonymously. It was only later that his family came to claim the body of Shahid.
The police in the chargesheet concludes that this was done per a conspiracy to hide the identity of the rioters.
From the NDTV clip it is evident that it was the Muslim side itself that dragged the body down and took it to the Hospital. Why did his own people then abandon the body of Shahid? If the Hindus had indeed killed Shahid, would it not make sense for his family (his brother was also on the rooftop with him) to call the police and lodge a complaint? Would it not make sense for his own people to ensure that Shahid was admitted to the hospital and his wounds tended to? Would it not make sense for his family and friends to stay with Shahid and ensure that they lodge their statement with the police about how Hindus had killed Shahid?
None of this happened. Muslims simply discarded Shahid’s body in front of Madina Hospital and disappeared only to claim the body later.
This behaviour would only make sense had they known that Shahid did indeed die of bullet wounds inflicted by their own side. This is not explicitly mentioned in the chargesheet, however, all the evidence that is mentioned points towards this fact.
If it was indeed so, why did the Media run a fake story? If the media was present when Shahid was being dragged down from the roof, did they not find out where his body went? That it was abandoned? Why did they not question the Muslims abandoning his body? Was the media complicit?
These are questions that still remain to be answered.
What were the Hindus doing on the rooftop of Mohan Nursing Home?
From the chargesheet, there is no denying that the Hindus were indeed on the rooftop of Mohan Nursing Home and were pelting stones at the Muslims. However, it is also clear that the Hindus were retaliating to the Muslim mobs running amuck in the area. In fact, the chargesheet explicitly mentions that the Hindus started retaliating only at 3:00 PM, hours after Ratan Lal was murdered at 1 PM. Further, after Hindus started retaliating, the Muslim mobs were pushed back to a large extent. It is also pertinent to note that the mob that was pushed back was also attacking the police. Had Hindus not retaliated, the mob would have continued to attack not only Hindus but also the police officials.
To tout this as a riot that was initiated by the Hindus is a gross travesty of justice and a compromise with the truth that is only done when journalists saying so are consciously trying to further an anti-Hindu agenda and shield the Islamists who held Delhi and its Hindus to ransom for days. The blood-shed that followed the meticulous planning by the Islamist mobs has been detailed in ground reports as well as chargesheets which have been exclusively accessed by OpIndia. Any suggestion that the anti-Hindu Delhi riots were initiated by the Hindus is a blatant lie. The media was taken for a ride at best or was an accomplice in the riots at worst.
Earlier today, media reports claimed that a portion of the Sattarghat Bridge on Gandak River in Bihar’s Gopalganj collapsed on Wednesday as heavy rains in the region led to increase water flow. The reports, shared by ABP News, claimed that the bridge, which was constructed at a cost of Rs 263 crore was inaugurated by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar 29 days ago.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar Congress and the usual suspects on social media started lashing out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after the so-called collapse of the bridge.
Taking a dig at the Bihar CM, Tejashwi Yadav in a sarcastic Tweet wrote that though a hefty amount of Rs 263.47 crore was spent over a span of 8 years to build the bridge which CM Nitish Ji inaugurated 29 days earlier, people should not dare to call this Nitish Ji’s corruption. Even their rats consume alcohol worth this amount, Tejashwi Yadav wrote in Hindi: “8 वर्ष में 263.47 करोड़ की लागत से निर्मित गोपालगंज के सत्तर घाट पुल का 16 जून को नीतीश जी ने उद्घाटन किया था आज 29 दिन बाद यह पुल ध्वस्त हो गया। ख़बरदार! अगर किसी ने इसे नीतीश जी का भ्रष्टाचार कहा तो?263 करोड़ तो सुशासनी मुँह दिखाई है।इतने की तो इनके चूहे शराब पी जाते है”
In another tweet, Tejashwi Yadav called Nitish the Bhishma Pitamah of organized corruption adding that he won’t utter a word on the bridge collapse.
Bihar Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha was also steadfast in slamming the Nitish Kumar government. He tweeted: “The inauguration of the bridge constructed at cost of Rs 263.47 crore was on June 16 and its destruction by July 15. Now, don’t blame the poor rats for this.”
The barbs were not limited to the opposition parties. Many usual suspects on Social media also took a dig at the Bihar government slamming it for the bridge collapse. One of them was the self-proclaimed ‘fact-checking’ portal Alt News’ co-founder.
Serial fake news peddler @zoo_bear has yet again spread a fake news and rumours to target poltical parties.
It was not the new bridge, but an old approach road 2 km away that has been damaged
The public relations department of the Bihar government soon issued a clarification, calling out the misleading claims on social media and stated that the approach way to a small and old 18 meters-long bridge has been washed away due to heavy flow. The approach way is about 2 km away from the Sattar Ghat bridge. They also added that the 1.4 km long main bridge is completely safe.
Clarification given by IPRD Bihar
Speaking on the incident, which was drawn severe criticism from the RJD-led opposition, Bihar’s road construction Minister, Nand Kishore Yadav also said: “The main bridge is safe. Only the approach bridge is damaged due to the heavy flow of water. It’s 2 km away from the Sattar Ghat bridge. As we know these days there is heavy water flow in Gopalganj, hence this has happened.”
नेता प्रतिपक्ष #सत्तर_घाट_पुल के क्षतिग्रस्त होने की झूठी खबर फैला रहे हैं।
इस मामले में सही तथ्य निम्नवत है।
सत्तर घाट मुख्य पुल से लगभग दो किमी दूर गोपालगंज की ओर एक 18 मी लम्बाई के छोटे पुल का पहुँच पथ कट गया है। यह छोटा पुल गंडक नदी के बांध के अन्दर अवस्थित है। @ANIpic.twitter.com/GwUe5RS6iK
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Mithilesh Tiwari, hitting back at the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, said that Tejashwi Yadav is a liar and urged him to go and inspect the Sattar Ghat bridge himself. The BJP MLA from Baikunthpur in Gopalganj furthered that Tejashwi Yadav should not do cheap politics by propagating such lies.
A controversy has erupted across social media platforms after a LinkedIn user and marketing executive pointed out the ‘gender marker’ logo on the packaging of the cleaning product Scotch-Brite.
Karthik Srinivasan, who claims to be communications strategy consultant, recently took to LinkedIn to call out Scotch-Brite for their logo which stereotyped gender roles. Pointing out at the vector image of a woman with a bindi, Srinivasan pointed out that how some of their products did not carry the same logo, while other products like scrub pad/sponge, brush, brooms, bathroom wipes, stainless steel scrubs, toilet brushes carried it.
In his LinkedIn post Srinivasan said that Scotch-Brite’s logo features a ‘vector image of a woman with a bindi’ and added that he understood that back in 1990 the ‘period was different’, but in 2020 ‘such gender markers seem awkward and out of place’.
Image source: LinkedIn
While Srinivasan talks about gender stereotype in logo, he mentions how the woman in logo is ‘Indianised’ with a bindi on her forehead. “While searching for the logo’s history (there wasn’t any that I could find), I also found 2 other logos of Scotch-Brite on logo websites that may or may not be older, official versions of the brand’s logo. But what was interesting about them was that they had this vector addition without the bindi/dot, that differentiates it as ‘Indian’. The first one seems like a ‘Western’ woman, while the 2nd one is closer to what we currently see in the Indian version of the logo, but with the bindi,” he writes in his post.
Following Karthik Srinivasan’s long post on the issue, Atul Mathur, who is the Head of Marketing – Consumer Business of 3M India responded to the controversy and thanked Srinivasan for his “insightful comment”.
“I head marketing in 3M India for our Consumer business. You have correctly surmised that this is a legacy vector, and that it is undoubtedly time to move on from regressive beliefs,” said Mathur. From his post, it is not yet clear whether he meant the gender stereotyping was regressive or the ‘Indianising the logo with a bindi’ was.
He concluded the post by saying, “I am pleased to inform you that you will see the logo change a few months down the line.”
Imate Source: Free Press Journal
The statements by the 3M India’s Head of Marketing Atul Mathur, however, created a storm on social media platforms after he called Hindu practise of adorning Bindi on forehead was a ‘regressive practise’. Netizens lashed out at the brand for ‘insulting Hindu women’.
Activist and Author Shefali Vaidya took to Twitter to slam the 3M India for insulting millions of Hindu women and said that she never bought your products ever.
Shefali Vaidya’s tweet
Smita Barooah also pointed how 3M India’s statement terming Hindu women ‘regressive’ was out of line and sync with Indian culture and norms.
So, according to @ScotchBriteIN, the bindi is regressive now?
Well,”regressive” bindi-wearing women like me,& millions of others, have bought your products in the past.Perhaps THAT’s what needs to change. Your statement is out of line, & out of sync with Indian culture & norms pic.twitter.com/Vh5lSQBnna
A social media attacked the company stating that hope the female employees of the 3M India did not wear Bindis to work at your manufacturing units or perhaps not employed by them at all.
Bindi is regressive @3MIndia ??? Hope your female employees don’t wear Bindis to work at your manufacturing Units or you dont employ any Indian women in your organisation ! pic.twitter.com/Bpwar84Il1
— SuperStar 16-Bihar Regiment ?? (@NagpurKaRajini) July 16, 2020
They also noted how 3M has women as part of their logo internationally but only found Hindu women wearing Bindi as a regressive practise.
The social media user and marketing executive Karthik Srinivasan who wrote the original LinkedIn post later took to Twitter to clarify that he did not mean the wearing the bindi as ‘regressive’.
2/2 The only reason why I even mentioned it is because it is different from their own earlier logos in other countries. It is possible that in the 90s when the brand was launched in India, they wanted to appeal to Indian women in particular and added this woman-with-bindi vector. pic.twitter.com/JDHoMt4mFs
He explained that he meant that gender stereotyping was regressive. Srinivasan claimed he pointed out the bindi in Indian logo as logo of other countries did not have that. Netizens pointed out that the gender stereotype could have been pointed out without specifying the bindi as it was quite evident the logo had a woman. He then claimed it was necessary to point out bindi-wearing logo for ‘gender disparity’ as woman logo in other countries didn’t don a bindi.
While Scotch-Brite may be stereotyping women as household cleaning experts through the logo, Indian women wearing a bindi is quite normal. Hence, when Srinivasan says he was shocked to see the ‘Indianised’ logo in a post on ‘gender stereotypes’ he contradicts himself as you’d hardly see foreigners wear bindis. It is not clear whether Srinivasan thought bindi-wearing woman on the logo is the wrong stereotype or just woman, because he has again highlighted the bindi part.
When you fight one stereotype by playing up another
During a press conference on 16th July, Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that India is in a very advanced stage of negotiations with at least three countries to start International flights via Air bubbles. He added, “Unless the international civil aviation space reclaims its pre-covid space, air bubbles are the only answer to international flights.” The three countries are France, the US and Germany.
The passengers will be able to travel to the selected destinations using these flights. The passengers have to go through several checks before leaving and after landing in India. The foreign countries are also imposing restrictions that the passengers have to follow. That means even if someone has a visa for a particular country, travel will not be permitted without additional permissions and paperwork.
What are air bubbles in terms of aviation?
Air bubbles or travel bubbles, also known as corona corridors, green corridors or travel corridors, are exclusive partnerships between two countries to allow air travel. These arrangements are only possible if both countries either have successfully contained the virus or have shown promising results while combating with the Covid-19 pandemic within their borders. India started considering these corridors in the month of June to resume air travel to other nations.
Multiple flights announced but with restrictions
The civil aviation minister said that the international flights could function with limited scope amid Covid-19 pandemic. The travel industry is at still since the pandemic started expanding its roots outside China. India suspended all international flights with the announcement of the first lockdown in March. Puri said that as a part of Unlock-2, India has decided to resume international flights. Air France is planning to operate 28 flights between Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Paris from 18th July to 1st August. The US will operate 18 flights between 17th July and 31st July. German carriers have sent a request to Indian Aviation Ministry which is still under process.
Under Vande Bharat Mission, more than 6,70,000 people have returned through various means and more than 85,000 have flown out since 6 May 2020, said Aviation Minister.
The Rajasthan High Court today granted time to Congress rebel leader Sachin Pilot and his loyalist MLAs to file a fresh petition tomorrow against their disqualification by the speaker. The hearing which has been adjourned by the HC will be taken up tomorrow by a division bench.
While senior advocate Harish Salve and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi are representing Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan High Court, the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker is being represented by Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on July 16 (Thursday) approached Rajasthan High Court to challenge disqualification notice issued by Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, which rebel leader and the other MLAs termed as a move of “unholy haste”, which is “mala fide and contrary to Assembly rules”.
Based on a petition submitted by Dr Mahesh Joshi, the Chief Whip of the Congress in Rajasthan, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Joshi had issued notices on July 15 (Wednesday) to Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs for explaining their “anti-party activities”.
The notice was issued under Article 191 of Constitution and the 10th Schedule as per the provision of Disqualification Rules 1989.
Pilot and 18 other MLAs have been asked to attend the proceedings on July 17 at 1 PM in the chamber of Assembly Speaker CP Joshi. The notice has also been pasted on the official residences of all these MLAs and they have been asked to submit written reply to the notice by July 1.
Lashing out at Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Pilot had said that the disqualification notices issued to him and 18 other Congress MLAs have no legal basis and were issued by Speaker Joshi on the diktats of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.
Congress sacked Sachin Pilot as the state chief and removed him from the Deputy CM’s post
On July 14, the Congress party had sacked the young Turk as Rajasthan state Congress chief and removed him from the post of Deputy Chief Minister of the state. The decision came minutes after a total of 102 MLAs of the Rajasthan Assembly present at the Congress Legislative Party meeting at Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur passed a resolution to remove him from the party.
While Congress removed Sachin Pilot’s nameplate from its headquarter in Jaipur, Sachin Pilot had changed his Twitter bio shortly after being removed as Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
The resolution to remove him allegedly came after party president and Deputy CM Sachin Pilot did not show up at the CLP meet for the second time in as many days.
Announcing the party’s decision to sack the rebel leader, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Congress had approached Sachin Pilot a number of times to placate him, but “Pilot became part of BJP conspiracy to destabilise the Congress government in Rajasthan, Surjewala alleged. He added that Pilot and his supporters are fired from their posts.
Rajasthan political crisis brewing for over two years
The infighting within the Rajasthan Congress, which compelled the young Turk to bid adieu to the grand old party, began soon after the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections. A power tussle ensued between Congress’ old guard Ashok Gehlot and youth leader Sachin pilot for the coveted post of the Chief Minister. Then, the party supremos had chosen Gehlot over Pilot, which resulted in the latter being sidelined, making way for Gehlot to become Rajasthan’s CM. This created an internal rift within the party, only to increase today.
Rhea Chakraborty, the girlfriend of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has requested that the case of Sushant’s suicide should be handed over to CBI.
In a series of tweets addressed to union home minister Amit Shah, Rhea said that she has complete faith in the government, but in the interest of justice, she requested the home minister “with folded hands to initiate a CBI enquiry”.
Respected @AmitShah sir , I’m sushants Singh Rajputs girlfriend Rhea chakraborty,it is now over a month since his sudden demise I have complete faith in the government, however in the interest of justice , I request you with folded hands to initiate a CBI enquiry..part 1 ..
Rhea added that she only wants to know Sushant was going through what pressures that prompted him to take the extreme step.
She has also revealed that she is receiving abuses and threats on social media following the death of her boyfriend. Sharing a screenshot of threatening message calling for her rape and murder, and asking her to commit suicide, she wrote on Instagram, “I was called a gold digger ..I kept quiet I was called a murderer ….I kept quiet I was slut shamed ….I kept quiet But how does my silence give you the right to tell me that you will get me RAPED and MURDERED if I don’t commit suicide”.
She also asked the cybercrime department to take action against those who sent such messages to her.
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on 14th June in his Mumbai house. After his death, a section of people on both social media and media had blamed some people in the Hindi film industry for the same. It was alleged that Sushant was under stress and depression for various reasons related to his profession.
Rhea Chakraborty is being interrogated by Mumbai police in connection with the case. Apart from the suicide case, she is also being probed for matter of spending Sushant’s money.
The decision of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), one of the coalition partners of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, to seek mandatory donations from the aspirants to administrators’ post to the various gram panchayats in the state has now stoked a massive controversy, reports Indian Express.
According to the reports, the NCP leaders in Pune have asked all the aspirants of the post to pay Rs 11,000 donation to the party to be eligible for the post.
The state election commission, following the coronavirus restrictions, had postponed the elections to gram panchayats whose terms have ended and recommended the appointment of administrators. Following that, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government had decided to appoint administrators to nearly 14,000 Gram panchayats across the state in consultation with district guardian ministers.
The Rural Development Department headed by Minister Hasan Mushrif of the NCP had issued orders for the Government Resolution on the appointment of administrators.
Taking advantage of the, the NCP has now resorted to forcibly seek donations from the aspirants to make them eligible for the post. In Pune, NCP District president Pradip Garatkar has issued instructions to taluka heads of the party to collect donations from the aspirants.
In Pune district, 750 gram panchayats posts have become vacant, which require administrators and it is expected that at least two thousand aspirants could apply for the posts, as per the Indian Express report.
Image Source: Mumbai Mirror
The letter written by Pradip Garatkar also sought details including caste, educational qualifications, previous experience in governance / social work and any post held within the party. The bank details have also been included in the letter.
“All taluka presidents (of the party) have been given guidelines regarding appointing administrators based on lists of their gram panchayats that would have gone to polls. Following those guidelines strictly, application forms as attached must be filled out by all applicants and submitted along with a non-returnable party fund donation of Rs 11,000 that must be credited to the official bank account of the NCP Pune district,” the letter read which carried the signature of NCP leader Pradip Garatkar.
NCP says no such instructions have been directed
Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik refuted such claims and said that the party has not given any instructions regarding seeking applications for the post of administrators. “If they are preparing for the coming elections and preparing candidates, that is fine. If they are doing this for the posts of administrators, that is wrong,” he added.
Nearly half of Maharashtra’s 28,000-odd Gram Panchayats should have faced elections between March and November this year. With coronavirus restrictions, the elections are now postponed, giving an opportunity to the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress to appoint administrators of their choice.
Reportedly, all the three coalition partners have informally-agreed on a formula in which these appointments will be granted by the district guardian minister in consultation with local MLAs. In places where none of the Maha Vikas Aghadi parties has any MLAs, then the district minister will take a call on the choice of the candidate.
The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which has been caught up in a massive controversy over its financial links with China, is back on news again after a sensational disclosure that the Congress governments in the past had changed the rules of allotment of government land in Lutyens Delhi to benefit the Gandhis and the trusts controlled by the family.
A report by Times Now stated that an ongoing high-level probe on the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has exposed a convenient arrangement that saw Gandhi family virtually taking over government lands through various trusts including the RGF.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had set up an inter-ministerial committee to probe various violations by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust & Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
Video Source: Times Now
The Times Now report also stated that the rules for the land allotted by the then Indira Gandhi-led government in 1975 for the construction of the Congress party headquarters was eventually violated and altered for the benefit of the Gandhi family and the trusts managed by them. The Congress party, however, did not construct the headquarters at the two-acres land but changed the land allotment rules to lease government lands for free to Gandhis.
The nearly two-acre land, which was allocated for the construction of the AICC office to build ‘Gandhi Bhawan Trust’ was altered by various Congress governments for over four decades, which was later handed over to Sonia Gandhi-led Rajiv Gandhi Foundation for free.
According to Times Now, the first alleged violation of terms happened in December 1976 under Indira Gandhi. The Congress, after renaming the ‘Gandhi Bhawan Trust’ to ‘Jawahar Bhawan Trust’ leased more lands during the Indira Gandhi government. The land was given in 2 tranches, once 4736 square yards and then 4500 square yards were granted, as per the Times Now report. The land was initially meant for the Congress party, but ended up under the control of the Nehru Gandhi family, though some clever tweaks.
Different Congress governments, one beneficiary, the Nehru-Gandhi family
In September 1988, during the Rajiv Gandhi government, the terms of allocations of the land were changed again, from the Congress party to the Jawahar Bhawan Trust (JBT), to allow the perpetual lease of the land and also for the construction of an office of the JBT. The government land was now transferred to a trust managed by the party for free, violating the land allotment rules.
Again in 1995, during the Congress government led by PV Narasimha Rao, the land allocated to JBT was rented out to another entity called ‘Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’ for free.
The fourth violation of the land allotment rules by the Congress government to favour the Gandhis came in May 2014, when the UPA government, days before losing power, gave permission to Sonia Gandhi-led Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to sub-rent the two-acre plot to four organisations, which are mostly controlled by the Gandhi parivar.
Image Source: Times Now
Congress used government-owned RGF land to give platform for Anti-India propaganda
Further, the Times Now report also stated that the Congress party organisation Seva Dal was wound up from the land to make way for the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which then gave space to Anti-national elements such as Anti-Hindu riots accused Umar Khalid, far-left members of Anti-India brigade Kanhaiya Kumar, former SIMI terrorist SQR Ilyas etc.
The conspirators of the Anti-Hindu riots, members of various anti-Hindu front were time and again given space by the Sonia Gandhi-led foundation through the controversial Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
Sonia Gandhi-controlled Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received funds from China
Recently, shocking details had emerged wherein it was revealed how Sonia Gandhi-controlled Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had received funds from the Chinese government during the UPA era under the garb of charities.
Last month we had reported how the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had received funds from not just the Embassy of China but also the Government of China not once but at least thrice between 2005 and 2009. One donation amounted to Rs 10 lakhs and another one amounted to Rs 90 lakhs was given by the Chinese to the Sonia-Gandhi controlled Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
The Annual Statements of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had also revealed a far more sinister agenda as it turned out, the Chinese government had not only donated to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in the year 2006 but in the subsequent years as well.
It is important to note that Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Since the year 2005, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were the trustees.
The significant disclosure had come at a time when the Congress party was caught over its secret deals with the Communist Party of China (CPC) back in 2008. There have been serious allegations against the Congress party and its interim chief Sonia Gandhi over receiving funds from not only China but also for diverting public money for her private foundation. Documents had also revealed that Sonia’s loyalist Manmohan Singh had tried to allocate Rs 100 crores to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in the Union Bidget of 1991-92 when he was the finance minister.
