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J&K Block Development Council polls: Voting percentage crosses 98%, Srinagar records highest with 100% voting

OpIndia Staff
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J&K Block Development Council polls: Voting percentage crosses 98%, Srinagar records highest with 100% voting

In a significant departure from previous elections in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370, more than 98% voting was recorded in the Block Development Council polls in the state with Srinagar registering a record turnout of 100%.

The Block Development Council elections were the first elections to be held after Jammu and Kashmir were stripped of its special status by the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcated into Union Territories. The elections were held on Thursday.

Shailender Kumar, the CEO of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Election Commissioner said the elections were held in 280 blocks out of a total of 316 in the state. The candidates in at least 27 blocks won unopposed, Kumar said in a press conference.

“As per the reports, the total voting percentage was 98.3%. Highest voting was done in Srinagar dist – 100%, the lowest was in Pulwama & Shopian – 86% and 85% respectively,” said Shailendra Singh.

Also Read- Missing elements from defunct J&K constitution: Secular govt, equality of status and opportunity, assuring integrity of nation

Reportedly, the elections were boycotted by the Congress, the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party. Out of the 128 winning candidates in the Kashmir region, 109 were independents, 18 belonged to the BJP and one from the Congress. In Ladakh, the BJP won 11 seats, while independent candidates securing victory in 20. In Jannu region, BJP won 81 seats.

Block development councils form the second-tier of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati raj system. The council chairman are elected by an electoral college formed by panchs and sarpanchs in their respective blocks. These councils were never formed before as the Jammu and Kashmir historically had a weak Panchayati raj system.

Kamlesh Tiwari murder: Ashfaq and Moinuddin wanted to record the murder and make it viral to instil fear in anyone who insults Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Kamlesh Tiwari murder: Ashfaq and Moinuddin wanted to record the murder and make it viral to instil fear in anyone who insults Islam

The two prime accused in Kamlesh Tiwari murder case, Ashfaq and Moinuddin, was sent to police custody for two days on Thursday evening by Chief Judicial Magistrate Sudesh Kumar in Lucknow.

During the interrogation which lasted over six hours, the two radical Islamists have given away their malicious intention and gory details of the gruesome murder of the former Hindu Mahasabha leader who was assassinated at his Lucknow office on October 18, 2019.

Ashfaq divulged that the two had left for Khurshed Bagh in Lucknow around 10:30 in the morning of October 18. They read Namaz in a Dargah on the way. On reaching Tiwari’s office, they went up and executed the crime in less than two minutes, revealed the killers.

There was no guard present in the office building and Kamlesh’ employee, one Saurashtra, did not stop them as Kamlesh had informed him earlier that he was expecting some people over. The accused revealed that they did not carry their weapons in a sweet box as it was earlier reported, instead hid it in their pants. The sweet box, however, had their names written on it as they did not intend to hide their identities, said the killers. They also confessed that they wanted to record the entire incident but could not since they were in a hurry to flee, fearing arrest.

The two brazenly said that they purposely left behind traces of evidence, their names and in fact also wanted to record the act to instill fear in anyone who insulted Islam.

The horrific details of Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder have revealed that the Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari was stabbed 15 times and was also shot once. The Islamists had stabbed him in the upper part of the body from jaws to the chest. The wounds were inflicted within 10 cm of each another. The post-mortem report suggested that there were two deep cut marks on the neck which points to attempt to slit his throat.

Also Read: Let Kamlesh Tiwari’s death not go waste, can we do one of these two things?

Reportedly, the attackers had also shot him once to make sure that he does not survive the attack. The bullet was fired in his face. The doctors conducting a post-mortem on Kamlesh Tiwari’s body found a point 32 bullet on the backside of the skull.

On 18th October 2019, Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari was brutally murdered for his comments in 2015 where he had allegedly called Prophet Muhammad gay. The Uttar Pradesh police and Gujarat ATS sprung into action to blow the lid off a Surat-based Jihadi group that was indoctrinated by one of the accused who planned the murder, Maulana Mohsin Sheikh.

In a major breakthrough, the Gujarat ATS had nabbed Ashfaq, a medical representative in a pharma company and Moinuddin, who worked as a food delivery boy, on October 22 from Gujarat-Rajasthan border. Ashfaq had forged his colleague’s Aadhaar to pose as Rohit Solanki, a Hindu rights activist, to gain the trust of Tiwari. The duo was caught after they approached their family members after they ran out of the money they had.

The radical Islamists, Ashfaq and Moinuddin had checked into a Lucknow hotel from where the Police had recovered Bhagwa clothes that were worn by them. While one CCTV footage of Ashfaq and Moinuddin checking into the Lucknow hotel had emerged, another CCTV footage also emerged, in which one could see that Moinuddin and Ashfaq have changed into their Bhagwa clothes and are leaving the hotel to commit the brutal murder of Kamlesh Tiwari.

Two other conspirators, Rashid Pathan and Faizan Sheikh have been arrested on late Tuesday evening from Surat in Gujarat in connection with the murder. Today, Gujarat ATS arrested one maulana named Sayyed Kaifi Ali of Bareilly on charges of helping the killers of Tiwari which took the total number of arrests to six.

Tripura PWD scam: After CPI(M) veteran Badal Choudhury’s arrest, non-bailable warrant against former chief secretary Yashpal Singh

OpIndia Staff
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Tripura PWD scam: After CPI(M) veteran Badal Choudhury’s arrest, non-bailable warrant against former chief secretary Yashpal Singh

A special court in West Tripura has yesterday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Yashpal Singh, former State Chief Secretary on Thursday in the multi-crore rupees PWD scam. Furthermore, Judge Gobinda Das gave permission to the Police to conduct searches at Singh’s residence at Gurugram, Haryana.

Public prosecutor Ratan Dutta had moved an application seeking a non-bailable arrest warrant against Singh and permission for a search operation at his home, both of which was granted by the district and session court. As per reports, the DSP of the crime branch of Tripura Police is proceeding to Delhi to conduct the search operation with the help of the Delhi Police.

On Monday night, CPI(M) central committee member Badal Choudhury was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Rs 630 crore scam that allegedly occurred during his tenure as PWD Minister. Choudhury was admitted to a hospital where he was said to be in critical condition. The Police said that he would be taken into custody after he recovers.

Earlier, Yashpal Singh and former engineer-in-chief of PWD Sunil Bhowmik were charged with corruption, cheating, criminal breach of trust, causing the disappearance of evidence and others under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Sunil Bowmik too has been arrested.

Law and Education Minister in the state, Ratan Lal Nath, has claimed that the PWD under the previous Left Front government in 2008-09 clubbed 13 projects, five bridges, five buildings and three road projects, and implemented them at a cost of Rs 638 crore on a cost-plus basis (limited up to a maximum of 10 per cent of the esteemed cost). Nath asserted that a total of Rs 228 crore had been siphoned off and called it the “biggest scam in the history of Tripura”.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said in the Assembly, “Nearly Rs. 225 crores were spent in addition to the amount approved by the state cabinet on different infrastructure development schemes in the 2008-09 financial year. The then cabinet note on the said subject and note of the then Principal Secretary don’t match. We have started a vigilance investigation after these irregularities came to our notice”.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, lawyers representing Badal Choudhury sought an ‘urgent hearing’ for bail considering his ‘fragile health’ but the Court declined their request and fixed October 30 as the next date of the hearing.

Kamlesh Tiwari Murder: Bareilly cleric arrested for helping the accused, ATS reveals killers visited maulana after killing Tiwari

OpIndia Staff
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Kamlesh Tiwari Murder: Bareilly cleric arrested for helping the accused, ATS reveals killers visited maulana after killing Tiwari

A maulana named Sayyed Kaifi Ali of Bareilly, who was detained for questioning in the Kamlesh Tiwari murder case by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) earlier this week has now been arrested by the police on charges of helping the killers of Hindu Samaj Party leader, Kamlesh Tiwari.

According to a report by Zee News, the maulana was arrested after a long interrogation under Section 216 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It is being said that the killers, namely Ashfaq and Moinuddin, had visited the cleric in Bareilly after they killed Tiwari in Lucknow on October 18.

In a major breakthrough in the gruesome murder case, Gujurat ATS had nabbed the two prime accused, Sheikh Ashfaq Hussain and Pathan Moinudddin Ahmed from Gujarat-Rajasthan border on October 22. Sources in the police said that Ashfaq and Moinudddin had spoken to the maulana immediately after the murder of Tiwari.

According to the agencies, the last location of the two suspected killers was traced to Bareilly. The ATS picked up another youth from Pilibhit along with the maulana after agencies found that he had spoken with Syed Asim Ali, who was arrested from Nagpur for his alleged role in the murder conspiracy. On Tuesday, Asim Ali was brought to Lucknow from Nagpur by Lucknow police.

Until now, the Gujarat police as nabbed six people in connection with the case.

Also Read- After brutally murdering Kamlesh Tiwari, Ashfaq spoke to his wife and father: Listen to the call

Moinuddin, along with Ashfaq, was arrested by Gujarat ATS on October 22 from Gujarat-Rajasthan border after being on the run for four days. While Moinuddin worked as Zomato delivery boy, Ashfaq, second man arrested for the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, worked as a medical representative in a pharma company. He had forged his colleague’s Aadhaar to pose as Rohit Solanki, a Hindu rights activist, to gain the trust of Tiwari.

Tiwari, a former Hindu Mahasabha leader, was assassinated at his Lucknow office by Ashfaq and Moinuddin from Surat. The Uttar Pradesh police and Gujarat ATS sprung into action to blow the lid off a Surat-based Jihadi group that was indoctrinated by one of the accused who planned the murder, Maulana Mohsin Sheikh. Two other conspirators, Rashid Pathan and Faizan Sheikh have been arrested on late Tuesday evening from Surat in Gujarat in connection with the murder.

While Ashfaq and Moinuddin will be handed over to the UP Police for further investigation, the other three accused have already been sent to UP on transit remand.

After brutally murdering Kamlesh Tiwari, Ashfaq spoke to his wife and father: Listen to the call

OpIndia Staff
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After brutally murdering Kamlesh Tiwari, Ashfaq spoke to his wife and father: Listen to the call

In an audio recording obtained, one of the prime accused in Kamlesh Tiwari murder case, Ashfaq, who is now in police custody, is heard speaking to his wife and father, soon after he killed Tiwari on October 18.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FJf-4UBomg]

The wife, who sounded perturbed on the phone, inquires about Ashfaq’ well being and urges him to come back home. She is heard asking him where he is at that moment, to which Ashfaq replies that he is en route Lucknow and he was earlier in Shahjahanpur.

His wife asks as to why is he going to Lucknow and not returning home. She then hands over the phone to Ashfaq’s father who informs him that Gujarat ATS had interrogated his family. The father again assures Ashfaq that he has his family’s backing and asks him to come back home. At this point, Ashfaq is heard telling his family that he is using someone else’s phone and that he will call them back.

During the conversation, it seems apparent that Ashfaq’s family is aware of the crime he has committed. But what remains a mystery here is why Ashfaq tells his family that he is going to Lucknow. Whether he is trying to mislead his family by giving them his wrong whereabouts as he fears that his phone was being tapped or whether he wanted to surrender in Lucknow after committing the crime remains a mystery.

Read: Moinuddin and Ashfaq went to a nearby Lucknow hotel after murder, discarded Bhagwa clothes recovered

On October 22, Gujarat ATS has nabbed Ashfaq and Moinuddin, the two prime accused in the case from Gujarat-Rajasthan border. According to a press note released by the Gujarat Police, a team led by DIG ATS Himanshu Shukla had apprehended Ashfaqhussain Jakirhussain Shaikh, who worked as a medical representative in a pharma company and Moinuddin Khurshid Pathan, who worked as a food delivery boy with Zomato. Ashfaq had forged his colleague’s Aadhaar to pose as Rohit Solanki, a Hindu rights activist, to gain the trust of Tiwari.

The duo was caught after they approached their family members after they ran out of the money they had.

Read: By speaking against Rasulullah, you have invited your own doom: When Asaduddin Owaisi had threatened Kamlesh Tiwari

The radical Islamists, Ashfaq and Moinuddin had checked into a Lucknow hotel from where the Police had recovered Bhagwa clothes that were worn by them. While one CCTV footage of Ashfaq and Moinuddin checking into the Lucknow hotel had emerged, another CCTV footage also emerged, in which one could see that Moinuddin and Ashfaq have changed into their Bhagwa clothes and are leaving the hotel to commit the brutal murder of Kamlesh Tiwari.

On 18th October 2019, Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari was brutally murdered for his 2015 comments where he had called Prophet Muhammad gay. The Uttar Pradesh police and Gujarat ATS sprung into action to blow the lid off a Surat-based Jihadi group that was indoctrinated by one of the accused who planned the murder, Maulana Mohsin Sheikh. Two other conspirators, Rashid Pathan and Faizan Sheikh have been arrested on late Tuesday evening from Surat in Gujarat in connection with the murder.

While Ashfaq and Moinuddin will be handed over to the UP Police for further investigation, the other three accused have already been sent to UP on transit remand.

Today, Gujarat ATS arrested one maulana named Sayyed Kaifi Ali of Bareilly on charges of helping the killers of Tiwari which took the total number of arrests to six.

Rules of Congress Mukht Bharat: BJP and Congress are no longer in the same league, far from it

Abhishek Banerjee
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Rules of Congress Mukht Bharat: BJP and Congress are no longer in the same league, far from it

For those who might not remember, here are the results of the 2009 State Assembly Elections in Haryana.

Congress: 40 seats

INLD: 31 seats

No typo there. In a funny coincidence, the numbers are exactly the same as what came out yesterday.

BJP: 40 seats

Congress: 31 seats

Add to that the fact that in 2009, the Congress tally actually crashed from 67 seats (and 43% vote share) in 2005 to 40 seats (and 35% vote share). In contrast, the BJP which was nowhere in Haryana just five years ago is down 7 seats and has actually increased its vote share by 3% compared to the last Assembly elections.

Of course, political parties will say whatever is convenient to them at any given point of time. The same Bhoopinder Hooda who saw the Congress tally crash from 67 to 42 in 2009 had gladly claimed the mandate for himself. Now he thinks that 40:31 means that the BJP has lost its mandate to rule.

The difference, however, is in the general reaction of media, both left and right-wing, to the results of yesterday. And even in the hearts of BJP supporters.

Isn’t that unfair? BJP supporters may ask others and even themselves? Well, yes, but not as much as you might think.

Because the rules of the game have indeed changed a lot over the last ten years. BJP and Congress are no longer even in the same political league. Because we are now playing by the new rules of Congress Mukt Bharat. PM Modi promised it himself in a particularly inspiring speech from 2013. We all yearned for it. He delivered it. We have to now learn to play by the new rules of this new India. It is a great honour and a great responsibility for BJP, its leaders, its workers and all its supporters.

Yesterday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a statement that was beyond pathetic.

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Really happy, she says. With Haryana and Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. In Haryana, Congress lost for the second time in a row. They slipped to 4th position in Maharashtra for the first time since independence. In Uttar Pradesh, there were 11 bypolls and the Congress didn’t even manage to open its account.

Really happy, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says. And we are all really happy for her.

This is what Congress has been reduced to. We have heard of passing candidates being graded as “First class”, “Second class” or Distinction. I’ve never heard of similar things among failing candidates. But Congress now takes failing as a given. I suppose they are coming up with “grades of failing” to feel better about themselves.

In this vein, I suppose Uttar Pradesh is a “Second Class FAIL”. They lost all 11 seats but managed to increase vote share. Maharashtra would be slightly better, a “First Class FAIL,” because here they missed 3rd position among 4 parties by only 10 seats. And Haryana would be the best, a “FAIL with Distinction,” because here the Congress “won” the post of Leader of Opposition.

Really happy, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says.

Ultimately, it is the mindset which separates the winners from the losers. Congress is happy with their failing grades. NCP is happy because they have not been wiped out. The liberal ecosystem yesterday showered all manner of praise on Sharad Pawar for some kind of iconic photo of his addressing a rally amid heavy downpour. Their top leadership takes off for Bangkok at every opportunity. When someone actually stays back to fight the election, it seems like a huge deal of commitment.

Even one BJP ally is happy. Their strike rate is much lower than the BJP’s 70% (105 out of 152 seats contested) but they are “happy” in hopes of a better deal from the BJP.

The only people who seemed worried yesterday were the day’s biggest winners. The BJP. Concerned about lower seat tallies in Haryana and Maharashtra. They spent most of the day in closed-door meetings, discussing what went “wrong.” This might be the first time in decades that a sitting Chief Minister is coming back after five full years in power, but the BJP, right from the party President to the common supporter, has learned to take these things for granted. At one point, news channels reported that the BJP state chief in Haryana had resigned.

This when the party is sure to form its government in both states with the same Chief Minister for another five years each. Few would even remember that Khattar and Fadnavis are actually the first BJP Chief Ministers in their respective states.

It’s a symptom of a party that is alive, thriving and understands its position in history. A party that does not have to remind its supporters that they are still young.

Here’s some comic relief. Where is Rahul Gandhi? I suppose he is “really happy” too. And we are all really happy for him.

AIMIM’s Waris Pathan loses Byculla by nearly 20,000 votes, his supporters abuse Ajaz Khan who had got only 2173 votes

OpIndia Staff
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AIMIM’s Waris Pathan loses Byculla by nearly 20,000 votes, his supporters abuse Ajaz Khan who had got only 2173 votes

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Waris Parthan made a dramatic post on Facebook on Thursday after losing the Assembly Election in Maharashtra from the Byculla Constituency. The post claimed that it wasn’t only Waris Pathan who suffered a defeat, the whole Muslim community lost yesterday. The post also called him ‘true leader of Mumbai’.

Source: Facebook/Waris Pathan

Pathan had added an image where he was posing with a sword. The sword also had  “Sher of Maharashtra Janab Waris Pathan (MLA)” printed on it, along with the name of the presenters.

Some of his followers, consistent with the dramatic nature of the post, resorted to abusing actor Ajaz Khan for the defeat calling him ‘traitor’ and worse in the comments section. They claimed the controversial actor was the sole reason for Pathan’s defeat and insinuated that he was paid to contest the election from that very seat. The basis for this assumption was that Ajaz Khan divided the Muslim vote in the constituency, thus, resulting in Pathan’s defeat.

Some comments, although they didn’t name Ajaz Khan specifically, insinuated that the defeat could be attributed to a ‘traitor’. It was also claimed that Allah is watching those ‘traitors’ who caused Waris Pathan’s defeat.

Interestingly, not just actor Ajaz Khan, the Byculla constituency had several other Muslim candidates too. But Waris Pathan’s supporters chose only to blame the actor. Even NOTA had got more votes than Ajaz Khan.

Facts and figures

In reality, Waris Pathan’s defeat had nothing to do with Ajaz Khan. Shiv Sena candidate Yamini Yashwant Jadhav secured 41.03% of the votes while Pathan could manage only 24.98% of them. Ajaz Khan meanwhile secured 2174 votes which amounted to a vote share of 1.74%. Thus, as is obvious, the margin of victory for Jadhav was so great that the votes that went to Ajaz Khan were utterly insignificant in the larger scheme of things.

Source: ECI

The AIMIM won two seats in Maharashtra, Dhule City and Malegaon Central. However, the real surprise was the party’s victory in Bihar’s Kishanganj where the demography is heavily in its favour. It is the party’s first-ever win in the ‘Hindi Belt’. Qamrul Hoda beat his nearest rival, BJP’s Sweety Singh by a margin of 10,204 votes in the Kishanganj bypoll.

BJP in Haryana elections: Low voter turnout, split in non-Jat votes and ticket distribution woes

Sandeep Singh
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BJP in Haryana elections: Low voter turnout, split in non-Jat votes and ticket distribution woes

BJP was widely expected to coast to a comfortable win in Haryana after the party won 10/10 seats in Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, and all the Exit polls (except Axis) hinted at the same. However, the actual results proved all those exit polls wrong as BJP fell short of majority mark and had to take support from 7 independents (including 5 BJP rebels) and tainted Gopal Kanda to form the government.

BJP’s vote share has gone up from 2014 assembly elections when it got 33% votes compared to 36% now, but it is a huge dip from the 58% votes it got during Lok Sabha elections earlier this year and it must have left party leadership with a lot of soul searching to do. 8 ministers in Manohar Lal Khattar government ended up losing in this election. The state president of the party lost with a whopping 52,000 votes. It is clear that the people were not very happy with the local leadership of the party. Arrogance is a word one always hears while talking to locals about the state BJP leaders and maybe this will make them a bit more humble going forward.

Read: Exit Polls: The biggest losers in Haryana and Maharashtra elections

While the party wasn’t expected to do well at all in Deswali belt, where Hoodas returned with a one-sided sweep, BJP’s performance fell below expectations in several other districts as well.

In North Haryana, they ended up with an even split with Congress across Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar. Even in CM’s home turf of Karnal, which they swept last time, they ended up losing in Assandh and Nilokheri.

BJP had cracked a winning formula in Haryana, Modi brand + Khattar’s clean image (in a state where people are not used to a CM with no corruption allegation) + consolidation of non-Jat voters. However, the non-Jat votes didn’t consolidate this time unlike Lok Sabha elections. On the other hand, Jat votes expectedly stayed away from BJP, rallying behind Hoodas and Dushyant Chautala. Such was Jat’s anger with BJP that even senior Jat leaders of BJP like Captain Abhimanyu and OP Dhankad were handed comprehensive defeats.

BJP highlighted Chief Minister ML Khattar’s clean image during the elections and while everyone agrees that he has reduced the practice of bribes from Government jobs, the fact is, there were just not enough jobs during his tenure. The state which has a very high preference for government jobs, is currently having one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and Article 370 or Khattar’s personal honesty doesn’t satisfy them as much as a Government job would.

Low voter turnout, particularly in urban segments affected BJP in particular. The voting percentage dipped from 76% last time to 63% this time. Could be lack of enthusiasm for the government or just complacency with everyone predicting an easy BJP win, but it seriously dented BJP.

Another big problem for BJP this election turned out to be the ticket distribution. Turncoats from INLD and parachute candidates were given preference over BJP workers and that severely affected them in around 10 seats. While 5 of the independents who won were formerly with BJP, rebels also decisively hurt their chances in seats like Sirsa and Rewari.
Despite Jat consolidation against them and the complacency that had set in among a section of the party, they still could have managed a majority on their own with a better selection of candidates.

Narendra Modi remains immensely popular in the state and a national election will still deliver the same result for BJP that we saw during Lok Sabha in Haryana but it has been a humbling experience for the local leadership. BJP will do well to realize that 370 and National security are important issues in Lok Sabha elections but in assembly elections, local unemployment matters more to people than those issues.

Baghpat: While one village remains tense after discovery of cow carcasses, Muslim family of cow-smugglers attacks police team in another

OpIndia Staff
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Baghpat: While one village remains tense after discovery of cow carcasses, Muslim family of cow-smugglers attacks police team in another

The Baghpat area of Uttar Pradesh has been gripped with crimes of cow slaughter, illegal meat business and mob violence by cow smugglers and their kin since Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, several cow carcasses were found dumped in the Luhari village under Bohle police station. The case had created tension in the area as locals had alleged police inaction over rampant cow slaughter cases.

As per reports, locals and Hindu groups have alleged police inaction in several such cases. Local villagers in Luhari had protested at the spot and demanded immediate action against police officials. SP Pratap Gopendra and DM Shakuntala Gautam reportedly reached the spot and taking action, had suspended the entire staff of Bohla station, including two inspectors, one head constable and three constables.

Reports had mentioned that 23 such incidents had happened in the Baghpat area in 2019 alone. There have been several cases of illegal slaughter, discarding of cow carcasses and cow smuggling.

In May, nine cow carcasses were found in the Singhavali and Naya Gaon area in Baghpat. They were discarded after slaughter. Many other villages have also reported dumped cow carcasses allegedly after slaughter by cow smugglers.

After protests at Luhari village, police have taken some action and investigated some local hotels of the area for alleged purchasing of cow meat. As per a report in Jansatta, three police teams have been formed. 13 people from various restaurants and meat supplying agencies have been apprehended so far. The police have stated that the detained individuals have so far been unable to tell where they buy meat from.

Meerut IG Alok Singh has reportedly stated that incidents of cow slaughter will not be tolerated and police officials in the area will face action if such incidents happen in their area.

In another incident, a police team that had gone to arrest two absconding cow smugglers Salman and Farman from their village in Barnava was attacked, beaten up and held hostage by the family members and relatives of the cow smugglers on Wednesday evening.

Read: Uttar Pradesh: police arrested a man with 3 quintals cow meat from Pukhrayan town

As per reports, ASI Madan Singh, Sattar Ali, Head Constable Gajendra Singh and three constables had reached the Barnava village in search of the two absconding cow smugglers Salman and Farman.

The accused, their family members, including the women reportedly surrounded the policemen and started pelting stones. The police team was held hostage by the family members of Salman and Farman.

The police team could only be rescued after teams from other police stations reached the spot. The additional forces finally managed to rescue the officials and arrest the accused Salman, Farman and Firoze. The three brothers.

The injured policemen were sent to the district hospital for treatment.

Read: Ayodhya: Severed head of cows discarded after slaughter, police arrest 4

It is notable here that the Barnava village has been in news previously for crimes related to cow smuggling and slaughter. In June, 9 persons were arrested from the same village after repeated cases of cow smuggling and slaughter. The police had stated that the gang used to smuggle cows, or capture stray cows, take them to the riverside in the forest to slaughter and smuggle the meat in surrounding areas.

The Uttar Pradesh police had announced last year that gangster act and NSA will be applied on repeat offenders in cow smuggling and slaughter cases. Despite this, the criminals seem to be far from afraid.

Oxford University Student’s Union bans clapping to prevent triggering anxiety, to be replaced by ‘Jazz Hands’ to be more ‘inclusive’

OpIndia Staff
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Oxford University Student’s Union bans clapping to prevent triggering anxiety, to be replaced by ‘Jazz Hands’ to be more ‘inclusive’

In a bizarre decision, the Oxford University Student’s Union has passed a motion to ban clapping on campus, claiming that it would trigger the anxiety of students.

According to reports, the ‘snowflake’ students at Oxford University have demanded that clapping should be banned because applause noise can trigger anxiety and want “jazz hands” to be used instead.

The use of jazz hands, where students wave their hands in the air is the British Sign Language expression for applause and is deemed a more inclusive gesture.

The motion passed by the Oxford University SU mandates the encouragement of jazz hands to signify applause instead of clapping. It was passed by officers of the SU on Tuesday in an effort to be more “inclusive”.

Roisin McCallon, one of the officers at Oxford SU, defended the decision stating, “The policy was proposed in order to encourage the use of British Sign Language clapping during our democratic events, to make those events more accessible and inclusive for all, including people who suffer from anxiety. Inclusivity is one of the Students’ Union’s founding principles.”

Reportedly, the Student’s union argued that alternatives to traditional clapping have been in place to aid accessibility in some organisations since 2015. The ban on clapping will be followed at student union meetings and events where traditional clapping and cheering ‘presents an access issue’ to those with anxiety disorders.

Also Read: Student group of TISS demands scrapping of awards like Gold medal as it ‘upholds concept of merit’

However, some students have expressed their disagreement over banning of clapping on the university campus. “Oxford University Student Union is always seeking to be more accommodating. But this idea will not work and is completely ludicrous,” a former student fumed.

Critics say that such behaviour is typical of the “snowflake generation” of students, who are seen as over-sensitive.

The move by the Oxford Student’s Union comes after the University of Manchester Students Union passed a motion to do the same thing in September last year. Similarly, the delegates from the University of Durham at the National Union of Students conference proposed a motion in April 2017 to ban not only clapping but “whooping” at future NUS events.

Ironically, Oxford University decision to ban clapping to be more “accessible” is actually not inclusive as they claim as they have now excluded another minority on campus – blind students. The students with visual impairments have now lost a crucial audio cue. Even though deaf students can still see applause even if they don’t hear the sound of clapping, blind students cannot hear jazz hands as it does not make any sound.

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