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After PM Modi, Superstar Rajinikanth to appear in Bear Grylls’ Man vs Wild, both arrive in Bandipur forest for shooting

OpIndia Staff
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After PM Modi, Superstar Rajinikanth to appear in Bear Grylls’ Man vs Wild, both arrive in Bandipur forest for shooting

Popular adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls will shoot a special episode of his show, Man vs Wild, with Superstar Rajinikanth. The episode will be shot in Karnataka’s Bandipur National Park, established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger.

As per reports, both Grylls and Rajnikanth have arrived at the Bandipur forest in Karnataka to begin the shoot.

As per reports, the shoot will go for three-four days on varied locations. The makers have taken permission from the Bandipur forest department to carry on for the shoot. The show is the first collaboration of Rajnikanth with Bear Grylls.

Last year, the famous TV show presenter and adventurer had shot a special episode of Man Vs Wild with PM Narendra Modi, exploring the Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. In one of the previous seasons, Barack Obama was also a part of the popular wildlife show.

Read: Spending time with PM Modi in nature showed me how beautiful and vibrant India really is: Man Vs Wild host Bear Grylls

The special episode featuring PM Modi, which had aired for the first time on 12 August 2019 had become the most-watched episode of the show. With over 3.6 billion impressions globally, it had also surpassed the Super Bowl 53 in social impressions.


“As global citizens, we have a responsibility to protect the environment, which is essential for economic growth and sustainable development. Young people are an essential part of that effort,” he writes. He added that he hopes to return to work on a more ambitious plan which could encourage scouting to the youth who could then help shape the future of the country.

He added that if the Man Vs Wild episode starring PM Modi is indeed the world’s most-watched show, then it only reinforces his belief that it is the youth in India that holds the key to India’s future.

Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam arrested for calling for cutting off the North East from rest of India

OpIndia Staff
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Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam arrested for calling for cutting off the North East from rest of India

Sharjeel Imam, the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh protests, has been arrested by the Police from Bihar’s Jehanabad. Sedition charges had been filed against him in multiple states for his remarks urging Muslims to cut off North East India from the rest of the country by blocking the Chicken’s neck. The arrest was made by the Delhi Police Crime Branch after he was absconding for four days.


A manhunt was launched after the video of his seditious speech went viral on social media. Earlier in the day, it was reported that Sharjeel Imam’s brother had been detained for questioning. Yesterday, his ancestral home in Bihar’s Kako was raided and three of his relatives were detained for questioning.

Delhi Police had filed an FIR on Sunday against Imam, who is also a columnist with leftist propaganda website The Wire, under IPC section 153 for giving provocative statements with intent to cause riots. Earlier, Assam Police had registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Sharjeel Imam.

The UP police were also hunting for Imam for a speech made in Aligarh Muslim Univerisity. Currently, two teams of the Aligarh police are hunting for Imam. Manipur police had also filed an FIR against Imam under sections 121/121-A/124-A/ 120-B /153 IPC. Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu had also informed that Imam has been booked under 124(A), 153 (A) and 153 (B) of the IPC.

‘When Indian Army captured 90,000 Pakistani soldiers, Kartarpur Sahib could have been taken back’: PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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‘When Indian Army captured 90,000 Pakistani soldiers, Kartarpur Sahib could have been taken back’: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address at the NCC rally in Delhi, reminded the country that India swore an oath to protect the religious minorities of the Islamic State of Pakistan (which included Bangladesh) when the country was partitioned in 1947. He said that it is India’s responsibility to protect such people who have been persecuted for their religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.


Prime Minister Modi said that it was the wish of Mahatma Gandhi and the same sentiment was reflected in the Nehru-Liaquat Pact. He said that some time ago, an advertisement for the recruitment of cleaning workers was released by the Pakistani Army. He said that the ad mentioned specifically that only non-Muslims could apply for the job. In other words, only Dalits and people of minority religions could apply for the job of cleaning workers. PM Modi mentioned it as an illustration of the kind of discrimination non-Muslims face in these countries.

Read: From Nehru-Liaquat Pact to Rohingyas: Here are the most important takeaways from Amit Shah’s reply on CAB

PM Modi also remarked that India could have used the ninety thousand captured Pakistani soldiers during the 1971 war to negotiate a settlement to take back Kartarpur Gurudwara from Pakistan. He bemoaned the fact the borders of India could have been changed but they weren’t. He said, “We could have set any terms we wanted, we could have squeezed anything away from them if we wanted. When the ninety thousand soldiers were in our captivity, we could have taken back Kartarour Sahib. The lines could have been changed but even this wasn’t done.” Narendra Modi said that his government had taken steps to have the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor opened after Sikhs pilgrims had to wait to visit the shrine for decades.

Narendra Modi also spoke of several other long-standing disputes that had come to an end during his tenure. He spoke of the abrogation of Article 370, the signing of the Bodo Accord, the Bru-Reang settlement, the enhanced coordination between the Armed Forces, the up-gradation of their arsenal and various other issues.

The PM, towards the beginning of his speech, said, “If any disease continues for a long time, it becomes a part of the body. In our social life, this has happened. Several diseases had weakened our country in a way that most of its energy was being utilized to fight these problems.” And towards the end, he said that he was trying to solve these problems so that our future generations don’t have to face the same. He said that he is ready to face every criticism and slander that is thrown his way but he is not willing to keep the country mired in all these disputes.

PM Modi also said that the Year 2022 is a great moment in Indian history and so is this decade. He said that India’s biggest strength is its youth and it is this youth that will play a critical role in the country’s fortunes this decade.

Not our official position, India key partner to address global challenges: EU distances itself from anti-CAA draft resolution

OpIndia Staff
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Not our official position, India key partner to address global challenges: EU distances itself from anti-CAA draft resolution

The European Union (EU) has now distanced itself from the Anti- CAA resolution moved in the European Parliament, reported Indian Express. On Monday, the EU stated that the opinion of the members of the European Parliament does not represent the “official position of the European Union.”

France, an EU founding member had clarified earlier that the concerned legislations are India’s internal matter, making it clear that they do not support resolutions concerning a nation’s internal policies. After reports of the draft resolution by some EU parliamentarians, India used its diplomatic leverage over the European lawmakers through its Belgium ambassador, Gaitri Issar Kumar, to convey India’s stand.

Read: Pak-origin MEP moves anti-CAA resolution in EU Parliament, India slams the move calling it an internal matter

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had also written a strong-worded letter to the Chairperson of the European Parliament. He had highlighted the importance of respecting the sovereignty of a country’s legislature, cautioning that such a resolution would set an unhealthy precedent.


Virginie Battu-Henriksson, the EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy told Indian Express, “Let me also remind you that the opinions expressed by the European Parliament and its Members do not represent the official position of the European Union. The EU will host its 15th Summit with India on the 13th March 2020 in Brussels, with a view to strengthening its Strategic Partnership with India. India is a key partner for the EU to address global challenges and to jointly promote the rules-based multilateral order.”

Maharashtra: Teen raped after she fell unconscious, brutalised with iron rod in Nagpur

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Teen raped after she fell unconscious, brutalised with iron rod in Nagpur

Even as anger seethes about delayed justice in the horrific 2012 Nirbhaya rape case, one such incident has surfaced in Maharashtra’s Nagpur. In a horrific incident, a 19-year-old teenager in Maharashtra’s Nagpur was reportedly raped and brutalised with an iron rod by her roommate last week. The police now confirmed that the accused has been arrested on Monday.

According to the news agency PTI, in what transpired on January 21, the accused, Yogilal Rahangdale (52) tried to rape his roommate after he found her alone at home at night. When the victim tried to resist, the accused reportedly stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth, after which she fell unconscious. The accused thereafter allegedly raped her in that unconscious state and tortured her by inserting an iron rod in her private parts, said a police officer, quoting from the woman’s complaint.

The victim lived in a rented room with her brother, the accused man and another woman. According to inspector Sunil Chavan, the victim’s brother and the other woman roommate had gone to their village on January 21 for some work when she was attacked.

The victim confided in her brother about the assault three days later, on Friday, after which they went and lodged a complaint with the police.

In a similar incident, owing to a land dispute with her family in Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal, a tribal woman was brutally raped and reportedly later brutalised with an iron rod on October 22, 2018.

Prior to this, a woman in Naubatpur, Patna met a similar fate after she resisted the advances made to her by the accused. The man had attempted rape on the woman, and when he could not rape her, inserted iron rod in her private parts, killing her.

Psephologist Pradeep Bhandari assaulted for calling people like Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam a traitor

OpIndia Staff
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Psephologist Pradeep Bhandari assaulted for calling people like Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam a traitor

Renowned psephologist and Jan Ki Baat CEO Pradeep Bhandari was on Monday attacked by one of the panellists while hosting ‘Lalkaar”- a news show on Republic TV over the ongoing controversy surrounding Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam’s seditious remarks against the territorial integrity of India.


While debating about the controversy, the panellist turned hostile when Pradeep called Sharjeel Imam a traitor and a threat to India. The increasingly angry panellist first heckled Pradeep and then started hurling expletives at him for asserting that Imam is a quisling. However, undeterred by the physical assault, Pradeep posted a tweet, stating that he wouldn’t be intimidated by these “silent supporters” Sharjeel Imam and that nobody can stop him from calling anti-India people as traitors.

Read: Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh protests calls fellow panelist ‘tawaif ka bachha’ on Arnab Goswami’s debate

Last week, a shocking video had emerged in which the mastermind of Shaheen Bagh protests and the Wire columnist, Sharjeel Imam, was seen inciting Muslims to block Chicken neck and cut-off Assam and the North East from the rest of India. Amidst chants of “Allahu Akbar” and “Naara-e-Taqbeer”, Imam made an anti-India call, urging Muslims to take a cue from Kanhaiya Kumar’s rally which reportedly saw participation from 5 lakh people and create riots across the country.

“If 5 lakhs Muslims are organised then we can cut the North-east from rest of India. If we cannot do permanently, at least we can cut North-east from India for months. Our responsibility is to cut the Assam from India then Govt will hear our voice. If we have to help the Assam then we will have to cut the Assam from rest of India,” Imam said.

Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh protests calls fellow panelist ‘tawaif ka bachha’ on Arnab Goswami’s debate

OpIndia Staff
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Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh protests calls fellow panelist ‘tawaif ka bachha’ on Arnab Goswami’s debate

Shoaib Jamei, president of the Indian Muslim Foundation and the media coordinator of the Shaheen Bagh ‘movement’, lashed out at a fellow panelist during Arnab Goswami’s debate on Republic TV and called him ‘tawaif ke bachche’ (son of a ‘wh*re’). However, it’s unclear who exactly he was referring to as there were six other people apart from Arnab Goswami on the debate. Although the word ‘tawaif’ technically refers to a courtesan, when used in a derogatory manner, it is another word for a prostitute.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO4HIgcKXF0]

As can be seen in the video (from 33:50), Shoaib Jamei appears agitated about something. The debate was being conducted over reports that the Radical Islamic organization PFI spent Rs. 120 crores to fund anti-CAA violence and protests. Jamei tells Arnab in an angry tone to ask the ‘son of a wh*re’ how he latter dared to speak ill of wives and children, presumably of the Shaheen Bagh protests, however, it can’t be said conclusively.

Arnab Goswami appeared angry with Jamei’s choice of words and said “Who is this? Take him out, take him out, take him out, take him out of the programme, take him out, take him out, take him out.” Goswami said ‘Thank you’ thrice after Jamei was removed from the show.

Read: Samajwadi Party MP who compared actresses to ‘tawaif’ says triple talaq ‘better’ than setting your cheating wife on fire

Shoaib Jamei’s twitter profile describes him as the media corrdinator of the Shaheen Bagh ‘movement’. He is a regular feature in media debates and is invited to many channels to provide his ‘valuable insight’ into the raging controversy or news of the day. He calls himself a ‘Prime time Media panelist’ and is apparently a scientist as well.

Screenshot of Shoaib Jamei’s profile on Twitter

In a video shared by Shoaib Jamei on Twitter, he can be whispering something in the ears of perennial protester Yogendra Yadav during the latter’s visit to Shaheen Bagh. Jamei claimed that Yadav’s visit will ‘boost our energy to prolong the movement’ and expressed his gratitude for the same.


Shoaib Jamei also calls himself the ‘official media coordinator’ of Shaheen Bagh during the Republic debate on the 20th of January. Ashoke Pandit then asked him whether he was running a Public Relations agency.


The uncouth behaviour of the media coordinator of the Shaheen Bagh protests appears consistent with what has been observed in these protests thus far. Slogans of ‘Jinnah Wali Azadi‘ were seen at the Shaheen Bagh protests and anti-Hindu bigotry has been rampant as well. More recently, the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh protests gave a call to cut off North East India from the rest of the country.

Lohardaga violence: Neeraj Prajapati, man injured in the Muslim mob attack on pro-CAA rally dies in hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Lohardaga violence: Neeraj Prajapati, man injured in the Muslim mob attack on pro-CAA rally dies in hospital

Neeraj Ram Prajapati, who was brutally injured when a Muslim mob had attacked a  pro-CAA rally in Lohardaga, Jharkhand last week, has died on Monday. Neeraj was initially treated at Orchid Hospital in Ranchi but was later transferred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).


As per reports, Prajapati had bleeding inside his brain and the resultant septic shock had caused a cardiac arrest.

In Jharkhand’s Lohardaga, When the pro-CAA march was passing through a Muslim locality near Amla Toli on 23 January, stones and petrol bombs were hurled at the participants by the local Muslims. Women became the specific targets of the ruthless mob. Shops and homes belonging to the Hindus were set on fire. This created a state of panic and resulted in a stampede. Roughly, 100 participants and 24 policemen had sustained injuries during the unprovoked attack by the violent mob.


The police were forced to fire several rounds in the air. In order to diffuse the situation, Police Captain Priyadarshi Alok and Deputy Commissioner Akansha Ranjan rushed to the scene with additional force. Curfew was imposed in the city. All roads entering the city were constantly monitored. Ground reports had stated that the violent Muslim mob had gone on a rampage suddenly, giving the police no time to react, and had specifically targeted Hindu homes.

The mob had also allegedly set fire to houses where families were present inside. Hundreds of vehicles were torched. As per reports, the curfew is still in force after six days. On Monday night, miscreants had again torched a truck parked outside a local councillor’s house. CRPF personnel have also been deployed now to take control of the situation.

Read: Here is how a Muslim mob went on a rampage, looting and burning Hindu houses after attacking a pro-CAA rally in Lohardaga, Jharkhand

Stones were allegedly pelted from a Mosque and even from a local Congress office, a VHP leader had stated.

Schools and colleges were also shut down following the violence. The police had also requested people to abstain from rumour-mongering on social media. 16 people have been nabbed by the police so far.

Watch: Dia Mirza cries uncontrollably during discussion on climate crisis, insists ‘it is not a performance’

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Dia Mirza cries uncontrollably during discussion on climate crisis, insists ‘it is not a performance’

The on-going Jaipur Literature Festival has organised a session on ‘Climate Emergency’ on Monday, 27 January, where Dia Mirza was invited for a discussion. While having a discussion with fellow panellists over the climate, Mirza suddenly started crying.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_M-G0gZWyY]

In the videos of the event, Mirza can be seeing going emotional suddenly, while speaking about the climate crisis. She stated, “We do not need to shout, we just need to keep doing our work”

Suddenly taking the discussion to her personal life, Mirza stated, “I have low blood pressure. I woke up at 4.30. This metal bottle that I have been carrying for years, has Electral (ORS solution) in it. Children start taking care of us from the moment they are born.”

Crying uncontrollably, the actress then stated that people should not hold back their tears, and they should not be afraid of being an ’empath’. “We should feel the full extent of everything, it is good. It gives us strength, it is us.” Sobbing, the actress then insisted, “It is not a performance”.

Dia then declined to use a tissue paper offered to her and also refused when a fellow panellist offered a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Dia Mirza had reportedly stated that her day on 26 January had gone ‘really well’ and she had got a message on her phone late at night, at around 3 am about a big NBA player’s tragic death in a helicopter crash in California.

Mirza stated that she has been following the Basketball star (Kobe Bryant) for a few years and was upset to hear about the helicopter crash which killed Bryant, his daughter and several others.

Mirza stated that the news had really upset her. “There are different things that upset us on different days, but we take care of ourselves. I got upset because I had low blood pressure”.

It is not clear whether the actress cried because she had low blood pressure or because she had to get up early. The word ’empath’ is mostly used in science fiction for a person who has supernatural powers to feel the emotions felt by others. It is also not clear whether the actress was crying because she is an ’empath’ and was feeling the collective plight of the earth’s climate.

She later told Hindustan Times on the climate crisis, “It’s not just us, it’s the world. The way we have built our economy, the way we do business and the way have we built our industries. Human beings have made some seriously wrong choices. If we don’t change the way we live, we consume, we are only doing harm to ourselves”

Read: Randeep Hooda schools Dia Mirza for her disparaging remarks against the forest department

Dia’s sudden breakdown during a climate crisis discussion has caused social media users to speculate whether it was her ‘Greta Thunberg’ moment.


Some Twitter users also stated that unlike Bollywood stars and fake ‘activists’, there are real heroes who work on ground level without the limelight and make real change possible, like Saalumarada Thimakka.


Some in social media also called her crying as ‘acting’, stating that while claiming she doesn’t use ‘paper’, she uses free water without paying her dues to the authorities, referring to some reports over the former actress’ pending water bills worth lakhs with Hyderabad authorities and her luxurious lifestyle, including the use of fuel-guzzling SUVs.

The actress had earlier clarified that the bills had gone unpaid because she was ‘unaware’ of them. The HMWS&SB authorities had alleged that despite several notices and reminders, the actress has not paid water bills worth 2.26 lakhs, for almost 4 years.


Sudden and unexpected tears are no longer a novelty in the recent Indian scenario. Before the general elections, Samajwadi Party leader Firoze Khan was seen weeping near a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, mourning his death on his birth anniversary.

Former AAP leader and now Congress worker Alka Lamba had once shared artistically clicked pictures of herself crying and sobbing over the plight of children in Syria.

From ‘where is BJP’ to Kejriwal panicking – How Amit Shah changed Delhi assembly elections in a week

OpIndia Staff
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From ‘where is BJP’ to Kejriwal panicking – How Amit Shah changed Delhi assembly elections in a week

With Delhi elections round the corner, a visible panic has set in within Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), especially AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. On 25th January, he had ‘challenged’ Home Minister Amit Shah to visit any of the Delhi government school to show how his government has brought about a ‘positive change’.

Responding to his challenge, HM Shah today tweeted a video where 8 BJP MPs had visited Delhi schools to check up on the tall claims made by Delhi government.


In the video the BJP MPs visit different schools in Delhi to show the reality of dirty toilets, muddy gutter water near drinking water installation and broken roofs where students are studying out in the open. In one instance, a student could be heard saying that there are no classes conducted as some days the teacher comes to school some days he doesn’t. A school visited by BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi showed an extremely dirty water drinking space which had brooms lying next it and dirty muddy water flowing underneath. In her video she says that as many as 61% schools do not have a principle and 45% teachers are not there.

Read: Delhi schools woes: Despite tall promises by Delhi govt, school in Kalkaji does not have drinking water, clean toilets

With Shah taking on Kejriwal heads on it is clear that the BJP is fighting to win elections in Delhi as Congress continues to struggle to find its relevance. The entire narration has been changed in last one week when Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a rally in Delhi. That BJP is fighting this election on the name of central government achievements seems to have shaken up AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

Read: All Advertisement Party – How Delhi schools are ridden with problems but Delhi govt paints a rosy picture

Till few days back, many of hardcore BJP supporters had also kind of given up hopes that the BJP will come to power in Delhi. Most opinion polls had been showing clean sweep by the AAP with BJP managing to improve its 2015 tally. However, in last week, things changed after Amit Shah got into campaign mode in Delhi.

Till few days back while Kejriwal had not yet given any opinion on the anti-CAA riots that took place in Delhi in December or even the protests which have followed, he and his deputy have been monkey-balancing about their support to Shaheen Bagh. So much that after AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said he stands by Shaheen Bagh protestors, Kejriwal had to come out and blame the BJP for the road block created by the protestors.

The national capital goes to polls on 8th February and the results for the same will be declared on 11th February.

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