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Gujarat: Congress leader Hardik Patel arrested for failing to appear before trial court in sedition case, sent to judicial custody

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Gujarat: Congress leader Hardik Patel arrested for failing to appear before trial court in sedition case, sent to judicial custody

Controversial Congress leader Hardik Patel was arrested on Saturday night in Ahmedabad for failing to appear before a trial court in connection with a sedition case. He has been sent to judicial custody till January 24.

According to the reports, Hardik Patel was arrested near Viramgam in Ahmedabad on Saturday after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in the case.


Earlier, Ahmedabad sessions court had issued an arrest warrant after Patel repeatedly missed the trial of the case registered against him in 2015 during the violent agitation for quota for the Patidar community.

Read: Man who slapped Hardik Patel at a rally in Gujarat explains why he did it

Hardik Patel was booked by the Crime Branch in 2015 under sedition charges over his provocative remarks where he had allegedly asked his supporters to kill policemen rather than commit suicide for the cause of reservation.

However, Patel had asserted that there was no evidence against him in the charge-sheet filed by the Crime Branch with regard to criminal conspiracy and inciting people to dislodge the government during the violent agitation that followed August 25, 2015 gathering by Patidar community.

Read: Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar agitation has been found guilty for causing a riot, sentenced for two years in jail

In a big setback, Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar agitation in Gujarat, was barred from contesting the 2019 elections as he was convicted and sentenced to 2 years in prison by the High Court in a case of rioting and arson in Visnagar town in 2015. The high court in August 2018 suspended the sentence of 2 years in prison but not the conviction.

“Even after your 10 generations you will not be able to match the courage of Savarkar”: Smriti Irani tears into Rahul Gandhi for his remark

OpIndia Staff
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“Even after your 10 generations you will not be able to match the courage of Savarkar”: Smriti Irani tears into Rahul Gandhi for his remark

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday launched a scathing attack on senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his last month’s ‘Rahul Savarkar’ remark. Addressing a public gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, Smriti Irani took a shot at the Wayanad MP saying that even after ten generations, Rahul Gandhi will not be able to match the courage of Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar.


Defiant to apologise for his sexist and insensitive ‘Rape in India’ comment, mocking the violent crimes against women by twisting the ‘make in India’ slogan originally intended to promote growth and economic development in the country, the Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi last month during the ‘Bharat Bachao’ rally in Delhi had said, “My name is not Rahul Savarkar, won’t apologise for the truth”, alluding to Savarkar’s alleged apology to the British seeking an early release from Andaman jail.

The Congress leader had opened a whole new can of worms for himself when he shamelessly invoked Savarkar alongside his ridiculous ‘Rape in India’ comment.

Furious at Rahul Gandhi over his outrageous remark, Ranjit Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s grandson had then tore into the senior Congress leader saying that he should be beaten in public by the Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for his offensive comment.

Today, Shiv Sena’s (Congress’ new alliance partner) leader Sanjay Raut also launched an attack on the Congress party, especially Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi for ridiculing nationalist hero Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Speaking to the media, Shiv Sena RS member Sanjay Raut today said: “Those who oppose Veer Savarkar, they may be from any ideology or party, let them stay for just two days at the cell in Andaman cellular jail where Savarkar was lodged. Only then will they realize his sacrifice and his contribution to the nation.”

Congress has on several occasions attempted to malign Veer Savarkar’s contributions to India’s freedom by branding him as a “loyal colonialist”.

Earlier this month, a group affiliated to the Congress had distributed booklets titled Veer Savarkar, Kitne Veer?’ in one of its workshops. The booklet had claimed that co-founder of Hindu Mahasabha Veer Savarkar had a physical relationship with Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin. Both Shiva Sena and NCP both urged the Congress to withdraw the booklet.

The BJP, which is the opposition party in the state had slammed the ruling coalition in the state for vilifying Veer Savarkar. Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had slammed Shiv Sena for its silence over the anti-Savarkar tirade by Congress and had said that the “Tiger has turned into a cat”.

Maharashtra: Ayurvedic doctor Sayyed Abdul Rehman Khan detained for sending threating letter in Urdu with ‘poisonous chemical’ to Sadhvi Pragya

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Ayurvedic doctor Sayyed Abdul Rehman Khan detained for sending threating letter in Urdu with ‘poisonous chemical’ to Sadhvi Pragya

The Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) detained an ayurvedic doctor from Nanded district of Maharashtra on Thursday after BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur alleged that she received an envelope containing poisonous chemicals in it. The police have reportedly confiscated the envelope from her residence that carried a letter written in Urdu.

The letter was sent in October, but as Sadhvi Pragya was not present in Bhopal at that time, the envelope was not opened, as letters personally addressed to the MP are opened only on her presence. The envelope was opened on January 13, and it contained a letter in Urdu, a plastic pouch with some chemical adhesive which caused a burning sensation, and some other papers.

According to Nanded police inspector Pradeep Kakade, one Dr Sayyed Abdul Rehman Khan (35), who operated a clinic in Dhanegaon village in Nanded was arrested by the MP ATS for allegedly sending a suspicious envelope to the Bhopal MP.

Kakade mentioned that the police had kept him under surveillance by tracking his mobile phone location for the last few months, as he had sent similar letters to other politicians and government officials too in the past. However, he would not take his phone with him while travelling to different cities such as Nanded, Nagpur, Pune and Aurangabad to post the letters to Sadhvi. In addition, Kakade claimed that Khan had been in dispute with his brother and was arrested for being involved in violent fights.

The letter written in Urdu mentioned a group called Ansarul Musalmeen, whose men had been assigned the task to eliminate Thakur and later carry out 26/11 and Pulwama style terror attacks. In the same letter, the doctor had written that his brother was a member of this terror group and he was among those assigned the task.

The letter also alleged that his brother and mother wanted to harm Pragya Thakur, and they had got him arrested in an attempt to murder case.

A police case was lodged under charges of criminal intimidation and deliberately causing grievous hurt after Sadhvi Pragya filed a complaint at Kamla Nagar police station, Bhopal.

Read- Congress MLA threatens to burn Sadhvi Pragya alive if she sets foot in Madhya Pradesh

According to police sources, doctor Sayyed Abdul Rahman Khan did all these to frame his brother and mother in a false terror case. That’s why he had sent the letters from Pune, where his brother lives, and mentioned his brother and mother in the letter. He had also included copies of his brother’s documents and his mother’s identity card, so that the police investigation is directed at them. According to police, the earlier letters sent by Dr Sayyed to others also tried to frame his brother and mother in false terror cases.

Initial reports had claimed that the envelope also had crossed out photos of Thakur, PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, with a message stating that the MP had “insulted Mahatma Gandhi and the former Mumbai’s Anti Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare”.

However, Thakur had then said that the letters may have been sent by terrorists and that she is not intimidated by such tactics.

Sadhvi Pragya had often attracted criticism and ire from a section of people for her tendentious remarks. Recently, BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya was seen in her constituency, Bhopal, interacting with the people for spreading awareness about the Citizenship Amendment Act. Sadhvi participated in BJP’s door-to-door campaign where she distributed pamphlets in support of the Citizenship Law. She had then asserted that Madhya Pradesh will have to implement the law.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju directs SAI to dispose all pending sexual harassment cases in 4 weeks

OpIndia Staff
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Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju directs SAI to dispose all pending sexual harassment cases in 4 weeks

On January 16, the Indian Express published a report and alleged that 45 complaints of sexual harassment have been registered around 28 Sports Authority of India (SAI) institutes.

The report found that most people found guilty of charges of sexual offence were “let off leniently.” Cases range from molestation to physical abuse across various sports events. Many accused kept on training their victims for years, even after numerous complaints. The report claimed that many predators go away with a pay reduction for a month or an absent increment for a year.

It prompted Union Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju, to direct SAI to speed up pending inquiries and address all complaints of sexual harassment within four weeks. He highlighted the Government policy of zero tolerance on sexual harassment in SAI institutes.

“There is zero tolerance for sexual harassment on SAI campuses. The inquiries that are underway will be speeded up. I have directed that all pending cases will be disposed within the next four weeks,” Kiren Rijiju said in a statement.

Rijiju conceded that the responsibility of providing a safe environment to both male and female athletes lies with the SAI. He vowed to make the existing system more robust with respect to dealing with sexual harassment complaints.

Reacting to the Indian Express Report, SAI has claimed that “substantive deterrents” are already in place and that sexual harassment on campus is not rampant. Having said that, the administration acknowledged the need to make punishments harsher for those found guilty of sexual offences.

35 complaints have been received between 2011 and 2019, suggests official SAI records. 15 cases still have pending inquiries whereas punishment has been handed out to the accused in 13 cases, while inquiry is in progress in 15 cases.

2 accused were acquitted by a court while one complaint was withdrawn. One accused committed suicide whereas three cases turned out to be fake. A total of 27 cases were filed by athletes against their coaches.

Sports Authority of India has a standard procedure to deal with complaints alleging sexual harassment. The first step, as per norm, is the setup of an Internal Complaint Committee with a senior lady as chairperson. Women should constitute the majority in the committee.

The panel should also include members of NGOs. Second, the accused official or coached is transferred to another place so that the complainant is not threatened or intimidated. Third, various workshops are conducted in several local languages to sensitise trainees about sexual harassment. Call centres are in operation wherein sportspersons can directly reach for help over the phone. Lastly, SAI has 12 regional committees to deal with complaints.

Watch: One of the convicts in the 2013 Gudiya rape case in Delhi attacks female journalist in courtroom

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: One of the convicts in the 2013 Gudiya rape case in Delhi attacks female journalist in courtroom

In a video which is being shared widely on Twitter, a convict in the 2013 Gudiya gang-rape case in Delhi was seen attacking an India Today journalist and another outside the Karkardooma court in New Delhi today.

The visuals of the incident show the convict, in a blue jacket, first attacking a female journalist who was video recording the proceedings on her mobile, thereafter attacking another journalist, while coming out of the courtroom after hearing. The convict also tries to snatch the mobile phones of journalists on the way out of the court.


A Delhi court found two accused Manoj Kumar and Pradeep guilty of gang-raping a 5-year-old girl (named by media as Gudiya) in the year 2013 in Gandhi Nagar area of New Delhi. Additional Sessions Judge Naresh Kumar Malhotra today convicted them saying that the case had shaken the society’s “collective conscience”. The court will announce the quantum of punishment on January 30.

“Collective conscience of the society shaken. In our society, minor girls are worshipped as goddesses,” the court set up under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) said, furthering: “The child, who was just five years old, experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality.”

On April 15, 2013, convicts Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar had abducted and brutally raped the child in a locality in east Delhi. They had fled after committing the crime, leaving the victim at Manoj’s room believing her to be dead. The minor was rescued after nearly 40 hours on April 17, 2013.

Shah was arrested in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur city, while Kumar was arrested from Darbhanga in the same year. The chargesheet in the case was filed on May 24, 2013, and the court framed charges against them on July 11, 2013.

In 2014, one of the accused, Pradeep, had moved the court claiming he was a juvenile at the time of his arrest. The high court had in 2018 declared that Pradeep was not a juvenile and sent him to trial before the sessions court.

This incident had occurred merely four months after the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case and fuelled widespread outrage.

Gujarat ranks top in water efficiency survey under National Hydrology Project, Delhi ranked among the worst performers

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat ranks top in water efficiency survey under National Hydrology Project, Delhi ranked among the worst performers

While Gujarat has been ranked the top on efficiency targets in the review of state and Central government water departments by the ministry of Jal Shakti, Delhi remains in the worst-performing state category according to the ranking for 2019 circulated to different state governments recently, according to a ranking done by the government.

In November 2019, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had also claimed that water quality in Delhi is worst as it failed in all the 19 parameters set by them. The AAP led Delhi Government had, however, refuted the reports claiming of “bias” in sample testing.

Among the seven Central departments reviewed, the Survey of India has got the top rank followed by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and Central Water Commission. The Central Pollution Control Board, the country’s pollution watchdog, has got the lowest rank, in the ranking for the year 2019.

According to the previous years ranking, Telangana had topped the state’s water efficiency while Gujarat was ranked seventh. Merely in a year’s time, Gujarat climbed the ladder and has become the number one state, according to the survey. Among the states that significantly improved its ranking was Tamil Nadu, which stood at 13th position as compared to 33 in 2018.

The departments are reviewed on parameters for procurement, finance, real-time data acquisition system, data digitization, analytical work, pieces of training. The agencies have been given a score out of 100. Those scoring 48-100 are termed satisfactory, the ones scoring between 40- 48 are moderately satisfactory; a score between 34-40 falls under moderately unsatisfactory category and a score below 34 is in the unsatisfactory category.

Read- Delhi Jal Board supervisor admitted water contaminated due sewer pipes damage but no funds allocated for repair, claims Delhi resident

Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat SW, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra Rajasthan, Telangana, and West Bengal SW have done satisfactory work under the project. Here, SW stands for the surface water department and GW for the groundwater department.

Gujarat surface water department scored 80.51, followed by Damodar Valley Corporation with 68.24 scores and Rajasthan with a score of 66.73. The other states have scored less than 50, indicating that there is a vast scope of improvement in these states to achieve the national water targets.

Rajasthan was ranked 16th in the April-May 2018 rankings. In the rankings issued in December 2019, the state has made the best performance occupying the third rank.

The ranking has been done under the National Hydrology Project that aims to improve drought and flood management, creating a state-specific database on availability, plugging leakages in canals and dams and meteorological forecast on water resources information system.

The aim of the ranking is to review the Central and the state government departments dealing with water to achieve the target to provide piped drinking water connection to every household in the next five years. And, to have a water resources information system (WRIS) for all states to create a real-time integrated National Water Information Center (NWIC).

After wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, five members of Bangladesh cricket coaching staff opt out of Pakistan tour

OpIndia Staff
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After wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, five members of Bangladesh cricket coaching staff opt out of Pakistan tour

In yet another humiliation for terror-state of Pakistan, five members of the coaching staff of the Bangladesh cricket team has decided not to travel with the team for the first leg of the Pakistan tour later this month.

According to the reports, Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) cricket operations chairman Akram Khan said that Neil McKenzie, the white-ball batting coach, is among those who have withdrawn alongside fielding coach Ryan Cook due to security reasons.

Earlier, Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who is their batting mainstay had also decided to not to travel to Pakistan.

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who is contracted to BCB as spin consultant, has also not been called up for such a short series. Team analyst Shrinivas Chandrasekaran was not considered on account of being an Indian citizen.

“Strength and conditioning coach Mario Villavarayan broke his hand recently while team analyst Chandrasekaran will be working with the team over Skype. McKenzie and fielding coach Cook will also not be going, while we haven’t yet confirmed on our new bowling coach,” Akram said.

Head coach Russell Domingo will now only have services of physio Julian Calefato in addition to the regular staff while Sohel Islam who is the fielding coach and Tushar Kanti Howlader, who is the strength and conditioning coach.

Bangladesh is set to play three T20Is, two Tests and an ODI in Pakistan between January and April. The T20I series will be played from January 24-27, followed by the first Test from February 7 to 11. Bangladesh will then return to Pakistan in April for the one-off ODI which will be played on April 3 and the second Test from April 5-9.

Karnataka: Six members of radical Islamic organisation SDPI held for plotting to kill Hindutva ideologue Chakravarthy Sulibele and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

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Karnataka: Six members of radical Islamic organisation SDPI held for plotting to kill Hindutva ideologue Chakravarthy Sulibele and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

The Bengaluru police on Thursday arrested six members of radical Islamic organisation Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in connection with the attempted murder of an RSS worker Varun Bhoopalam. They also unearthed a plot to kill influential Right-wing ideologue Chakravarthy Sulibele and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya.

According to the reports, 31-year-old BJP cadre Varun Bhoopalam was attacked with machetes and knives while he was returning from a pro-Citizenship Amendment Act gathering at Town Hall on December 22.

The Bengaluru police soon began to nab the culprits and arrested six SDPI members in connection with an attempt to kill BJP worker Varun Bhoopalam. During the investigation, the six accused revealed to the investigating officials that they were hired as hitmen to stab social worker Chakravarthy Sulibele and Tejasvi Surya, who had also taken part at the gathering on December 22.

The arrested include Mohammed Ishan (33), Syed Akbar (46), Syed Siddique Akbar (30), Akbar Basha (27), Sanaullah Pasha (28) and Sadiq-ul-Ameen (39).

Initially, the gang pelted seven stones at the crowd to create chaos near the rally site and to create a distraction so that they could attack either one of the influential leaders. However, the stone-pelting did not create any ruckus at the gathering. As their plan failed, the gang wanted to kill any of the Hindu workers who attended the rally.

Later, they followed Varun Bhoopalam who was on his way home on a rented bike. They attacked him near Kalasipalya and fled towards Bidadi. In fact, two of them returned to see if the man had indeed died. But by then Varun was shifted to Victoria Hospital and later survived.

Reportedly, a case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Bengaluru Police is constituting a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to handle this case.

Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru Commissioner of Police said that these SDPI workers were there in Bengaluru to carry out attacks on leaders supporting CAA. He added that they were being paid Rs 10,000 from their handlers to create ruckus. The case has now been handed over to anti-terror unit.

He added that these six people do not have any contact with the Muslim community leaders. They were told to create panic in Bengaluru. The six accused were produced in court on Friday and have been remanded to police custody till January 20.

‘Historian’ Ram Guha’s strident criticism of Rahul Gandhi triggers a meltdown for abusive troll Swati Chaturvedi

OpIndia Staff
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‘Historian’ Ram Guha’s strident criticism of Rahul Gandhi triggers a meltdown for abusive troll Swati Chaturvedi

Abusive troll masquerading as journalist Swati Chaturvedi today had an inconsolable meltdown following self-proclaimed “eminent” historian Ram Chandra Guha’s scathing remarks against former Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

In a sharp criticism of the Gandhi scion, Guha asserted that the Kerala state did a disastrous thing by electing the 5th generation dynast-Rahul Gandhi and that the Wayanad MP stands no chance against the “self-made” PM Modi. Extolling PM Modi, Guha said that Modi had 15 years of experience as a chief minister of state and is a hard-working and self-made politician.

Though Guha’s epiphany did not reveal anything that is not already known. His sharp criticism of Rahul Gandhi and mild approval of PM Modi’s credentials as an experienced leader was enough to trigger a meltdown for abusive troll Swati Chaturvedi for whom BJP’s meteoric rise in politics has been a cause of perpetual distress.

In a flurry of tweets, Swati vented out her frustration on Ram Guha’s stinging assessment of Rahul Gandhi by balancing out with her critical remarks for PM Modi. Displaying that she is still disconnected with the ground reality, Swati quoted Guha’s tweet to express utter disbelief over unswerving faith placed by people in PM Modi. “I still don’t understand how academics, policy makers and the media bought into the Modi myth,” a begrudging Swati tweeted.


Shortly thereafter, Swati issued another tweet accusing Ram Guha of being “disingenuous” for his castigatory statements for PM Modi.


However, Swati did not just stop there. Perhaps, sensing an urgency to restore the credibility of Rahul Gandhi, Swati dropped the semblance of subtlety and launched a frontal attack targeting Ram Guha. Quoting a tweet that mentioned Guha’s remark about Kerala doing a disastrous thing by electing Rahul, Swati opined that Guha was “sounding deranged” on the subject of Rahul Gandhi.


In a subsequent tweet, Swati, clearly ruffled by Guha’s deprecatory statements for Rahul Gandhi, went on to claim that Guha harbours hatred for the Gandhi scion and that he is acting at the behest of RSS as a “lightening rod” for the Sangh.


Meanwhile, after facing criticism from Congress-friendly media, Guha has been retweeting compliments he is getting for suggesting how Rahul Gandhi at the helm of affairs in Congress may actually be one of the main reasons PM Modi gets the popular vote.

Hyderabad: Osmania university professor Chintakindi Kasim held for alleged links with Maoists

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Osmania university professor Chintakindi Kasim held for alleged links with Maoists

Following a pre-dawn search at his residence at faculty quarters of the university, Telangana Police have arrested an associate professor of Telugu department at Osmania University in Hyderabad, Chintakindi Kasim, for his suspected link with the Maoists.

Chintakindi Kasim was allegedly involved in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act among other sections in Mulugu Police station in 2016.

The case against the professor has been registered under Section 10.18 of the UAPA along with IPC Sections 120 B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy), 121 A (Conspiracy to overawe, by means of criminal force) and 124 A (Sedition by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation). He is accused of having links with banned CPI (Maoist) and propagating Maoist ideology in urban areas.

According to police sources, the team of police officials which was led by Gajwel ACP of Siddipet Police commissionerate have conducted searches at the professor’s house on Saturday and seized several books and hard disks.

“We obtained a search warrant and conducted searches at his residence in the early morning. We seized certain documents and some electronic evidence,” the police official said.

He further said the police have the information that the OU faculty is in continuous touch with Maoists party leaders. Kasim is allegedly working as an organiser of “united front vertical” of Maoists for Telangana state. “He is the coordinator for funding and other things,” the official said adding Kasim will be produced in a local court in Gajwel on Saturday.

A police official on the condition of anonymity said that they have seized his mobile phones, pen drives, revolutionary literature and some incriminating material including the correspondence between Kasim and top Maoist leaders.

While the professor’s wife has said that the professor was being targeted as he is writing and talking about social inequalities, problems of caste and unemployment, a CPI senior leader Narayana alleged that the government was deliberately filing false cases to harass intellectuals under the pretext of having Maoist links.

Continuing its crackdown on people allegedly linked with the outlawed Community Party of India (Maoist), the Telangana Police had arrested another professor of Osmania University suspecting links with Maoists. In October 2019, an assistant professor K Jagan, also a member of Viplava Rachayitula Sangham (Virasam), a revolutionary writers’ association, was picked up from his residence in connection with a case registered against him under relevant sections of unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) over suspected Maoists links.

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