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Pakistani infiltrators continue their ‘sit-in’ near the LoC, determined to cross the border and march toward Srinagar

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Pakistani infiltrators continue their ‘sit-in’ near the LoC, determined to cross the border and march toward Srinagar

Pakistani infiltrators who have gathered at Jiskool in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) have demanded that the barricade be removed and they be allowed to infiltrate across the LoC and march towards Srinagar. As reported by Pakistani media, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Mohammad Rafiq Dar has threatened that unless the barricades are removed and infiltrators are allowed to cross the border, the ‘peaceful protestors’ will continue a sit-in dharna indefinitely. JKLF is the separatist group headed by separatist leader Yasin Malik.

Dar also insisted that UN Peacekeeping Force be deployed in Kashmir until a plebiscite was held to decide on the fate of Kashmir.

On Sunday, the infiltrators had reached Jiskool near the LoC in Chakothi village shouting Azaadi slogans threatening to march towards Srinagar. The women have also participated in the ‘peaceful march’ where protestors are waiting to infiltrate into India.


Pakistani ministers also were present at the rally trying to talk to the infiltrators reportedly asking them to back off.


We had reported yesterday that hundreds of  ‘peaceful protestors’ who had gathered in Chakothi village near Jiskool at the Line of Control (LoC) to cross the border and march toward Srinagar, wee reportedly been blocked by the administration and police. As per Pakistani media, containers, barbed wires and electricity poles have been used to keep the infiltrators at bay.

Thousands of Pakistanis had announced that they will infiltrate India by crossing the LoC en masse to ‘liberate Kashmir’. However, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had warned them not to do so lest it upset the narrative Pakistan is building against India.

Hundreds of Pakistanis have gathered near the LoC, in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) ready to infiltrate India for a ‘Freedom March’, two months after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 which gave separate status to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Separatist group Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yasin Malik’s supporters have organised this ‘rally’ which is to start from PoK and cross the LoC.

Telangana: KCR govt dismisses 48,000 employees of Road Transport Corporation

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: KCR govt dismisses 48,000 employees of Road Transport Corporation

In a surprising move, the Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao has announced the dismissal of over 48,000 employees of the state RTC as they had announced an indefinite strike. As per reports, CM Rao announced it after a meeting with state RTC officials late on Sunday evening.

After a high-level meeting with state RTC officials on Sunday evening, CM Rao announced that the Telangana State RTC now has only 1200 employees, including those who had not joined the strike and who had resumed their duties before 6 pm on Saturday. The TRS government had fixed the Saturday 6 pm deadline for employees to end their strike and resume their duties.

The Joint Action Committee,(JAC) comprising of all RTC employees unions had given a call for a state-wide strike for an indefinite period until their demands are met. From the early hours of Saturday, about 49,340 employees and workers had been on strike.

The JAC had a number of demands from the state government. It included a merger of the RTC with the state government, ensuring state government salaries and perks for RTC employees. Andhra Pradesh had done it earlier. This would have also enhanced the retirement age of the RTC staffers to 60 years.

The JAC had also demanded a salary revision of the staffers that has been pending since April 2017. They had also asked for fresh recruitments to reduce workload.

The state government, however, is not ready to heed to the demands. CM Rao has affirmed that the state government will not be blackmailed by the RTC unions. “There is no question of holding any negotiations with the removed employees and taking them back into the duties. They have committed a major crime by resorting to strike at a time when the RTC was incurring a loss of Rs 1200 crore and facing a debt burden of Rs 5,000 crore, besides suffering from ever-increasing diesel prices. Moreover, striking the work during the festive season is an unpardonable crime,” he has said.

KCR has also denied any merger of the RTC and has categorically stated that the government will now start fresh recruitments and will soon introduce private company partnership. Half the state RTC buses will be privately owned vehicles and they will be given permission to run as state carriers, he stated.

However, CM Rao has ruled out complete privatisation. On Monday, he stated that the state RTC will continue to have its identity holding the majority shareholder in public transport. Speaking to media, KCR also asserted that the 48,000 employees were not sacked, but they opted out of their own jobs when they did not obey the deadline.

The RTC employees have called the government’s decision ‘undemocratic’. The opposition parties too, have criticised the move. The BJP has said that It’s the government’s incompetence & escapist attitude, which led to the RTC employees strike. Congress has stated that the employees were only demanding what was promised to them.

In the immediate aftermath, the government has ordered that 2500 buses be taken on lease and 4114 buses to be given permission to operate as public transport. Authorities have been directed to restore normalcy within 15 days. CM Rao has stated that he hopes the RTC will become a profit-making entity within two to three years.

Assam Congress supporter wants to kill TMC MP Nusrat Jahan ‘quickly’ for being a bad Muslim

OpIndia Staff
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Assam Congress supporter wants to kill TMC MP Nusrat Jahan ‘quickly’ for being a bad Muslim

Assam Congress supporter, who identifies himself as Congress’ ‘social media convener,’ Hassan Laksar wants Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Nusrat Jahan ‘killed quickly’. Taking to Twitter, in a now withheld tweet, Laskar said that Nusrat Jahan should be killed ‘quickly’ or the entire Muslim society will be destroyed.

Hassan Laskar’s tweet on Nusrat Jahan

Laskar was responding to a tweet where Nusrat Jahan was pictured in the Parliament wearing sindoor and mangalsutra, right after her wedding to Nikhil Jain earlier this year. The other picture had a lady in burqa and the caption of the tweet was that Jahan chose the first picture (sindoor and mangalsutra) over second picture (burqa) because of the freedom it gives.

To this, Laskar responded with how she should be killed ‘quickly’ otherwise the entire Muslim community will be destroyed. As per his Facebook page, link of which is mentioned on his Twitter bio, Laskar is a national convener of AICC social media department.

Hassan Laskar Facebook page

His Facebook page, which he maintains, shows that he is an active Congress supporter. His phone number as per his Facebook page currently appears as invalid. And while he does come across as an active Congress supporter though his social media posts, his Facebook timeline doesn’t really have any such extremist views. On her personal, as well as public page, Laskar regularly shares Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s posts and memes mocking the BJP and Narendra Modi.

However, on his Twitter profile, he has shown bigoted and hateful views.


Nusrat Jahan has been on the receiving end of a lot of flak after she appeared wearing sindoor and mangalsutra right after her wedding to businessman Nikhil Jain. She has also been targeted by radical Islamists for participating in Hindu festivals. Muslim cleric had recently attacked Nusrat for participating in Durga Pujo and said such participation in Pujo is ‘haraam’ in Islam. He had even asked her to change her religion if she wants to continue offering such prayers.

In 2017, too, when she had not forayed into politics, she was called a ‘devil’ for participating in Durga Pujo.

Earlier too bigoted radical Islamists had resorted to insulting her with bigoted comments online for apparently marrying outside her community. Even then a fatwa was issued against her where a Deoband cleric had said that a ‘Muslim can only marry a Muslim’.

OpIndia tried to get in touch with Assam Pradesh Congress Committee as well as Hassan Laskar to know if he indeed holds an official post in APCC and if he still stands by his comments on Nusrat Jahan. However, we have not received any response yet. We shall update the report when we hear back from them.

India receives the first list of details of its Swiss Bank account holders under Automatic Exchange Information Agreement

OpIndia Staff
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India receives the first list of details of its Swiss Bank account holders under Automatic Exchange Information Agreement

The government of India has achieved a significant milestone in its fight to bring black money stashed at Swiss Bank accounts, India has received first chunk of the list of Swiss bank account holders under the Automatic Exchange of Information Agreement.


According to the reports, India is among the 75 countries with which Switzerland’s Federal Tax Administration (FTA) has exchanged information on bank accounts under the framework of global standards on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI). The FTA had collected data from around 7,500 institutions including banks, trusts and insurers.

In June this year, it was reported that the Swiss Bank is in the process of sharing details of at least 50 Indian nationals having accounts in Switzerland-based banks. Prior to that, the Swiss authorities had shot notices to 11 Indians holding Swiss bank accounts notifying them that they have been given one last chance to appeal against sharing of their details with India.

This is the first time that Swiss officials have shared details with India under the AEOI framework, which provides for exchange of information on financial accounts, currently active as well as those accounts that were closed during 2018, the year in which the framework agreement became effective.

The information exchange, however, is regulated by stringent confidentiality clauses, and the FTA officials refused to reveal explicit details about the quantum of bank accounts or magnitude of financial assets associated with the Indian clients of Swiss banks. According to the framework, the AEOI allow information exchange if only those accounts that are officially in the name of Indians and they might include those used for business and other genuine purposes.

In all, the FTA has shared exchange information on around 3.1 million financial accounts to the member states and received information on around 2.4 million from them.

The exchange information include identification, account and financial information. These have details in form of name, address, state of residence and tax identification number, account balance and capital income of the account holder.

Besides, the Swiss government released a press statement stating that out of the 75 countries with which the AEOI has taken place, there has been reciprocity with 63 countries.

2141 of 2185 trees cut in Aarey Colony for car shed, no more trees to be cut and construction will start: Mumbai Metro Corporation

OpIndia Staff
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2141 of 2185 trees cut in Aarey Colony for car shed, no more trees to be cut and construction will start: Mumbai Metro Corporation

After the Supreme Court of India ordered to maintain status quo in terms of cutting of trees in Aarey Milk Colony for the car depot of the Mumbai Metro, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation has issued a statement saying that it resects the court order.

The Supreme Court had converted a letter written by some law students to the CJI against cutting the trees to a PIL, and heard it in the morning. During the hearing, the advocate of the Maharashtra Government had informed the court no more trees are required to be cut, as all trees that needed to be cut were cut by the MMRC. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had said that once the Court reopens after the Dusshera break, the case can be taken up by the Environment Bench on the legality or illegality of the trees cut.

The court then ordered to stop cutting of any more trees and to maintain status quo in this regard, while saying that the matter will be heard on 21st October. The SC also asked the government to submit a report on compulsory afforestation in lieu of the trees felled.

In response to the judgement, MMRC said that after the Bombay High Court dismissed petitions against the Tree Authority order permitting cutting of 2185 trees, MMRC had cut 2141 trees by 5th October, which means only 44 trees are remained to be cut. It said that no more trees will be cut at the car shed site as per Supreme Court order. But MMRC added that all other works, including clearing the logs of already cut trees, will continue at the site.


The Metro Rail Corporation also added that construction activities for the car shed will start after clearing the already cut trees. It may be noted that while the apex court has ordered to stop cutting of trees, no stay on construction of the Metro Train Depot has been ordered.

The MMRC also informed that it has already planted 23,846 trees and additionally distributed 25,000 saplings as per the green initiatives of the metro project. The Tree Authority has also ordered to plant 13,110 trees in the Aarey Milk Colony area within 30 days in exchange for permitting cutting of 2185 trees and transplantation of additional 461 trees in the car shed site.

MMRC informed that work on the project has already been delayed by over six months due to legal hurdles created by activists, but they expect to meet the deadline.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves for France to receive first Rafale jet on the occasion of Dussehra and Vijaya Dashami

OpIndia Staff
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves for France to receive first Rafale jet on the occasion of Dussehra and Vijaya Dashami

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left New Delhi for a three-day visit to France on Monday, where he will meet French President Emmanuel Macron and receive the first Rafale aircraft on October 8 (Tuesday), which is the foundation day of the Indian Air Force and also Dussehra and Vijaya Dashami.

The ceremony to hand over the Rafale jet will take place at a facility of Dassault Aviation, the makers of the aircraft, in Merignac of Bordeaux, which is at a distance of around 590 km from Paris.

While a press release by the Government of India’s Ministry of Defence, dated October 7 (Monday), confirmed the news, Rajnath Singh also took to Twitter to let know of his Paris tour.

“Leaving New Delhi for Paris on a three-day visit to France. Shall attend the Annual Defence Dialogue and the Induction Ceremony of Rafale. India-France bilateral relations have made tremendous progress in recent years. Looking forward to further and deepen these ties,” Singh wrote on Twitter.


According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, the Raksha Mantri will participate in the Rafale fighter aircraft handing over ceremony at Merignac along with French Minister of Armed Forces Ms Florence Parly on October 8. He will also perform the Shastra Puja (worship of weapons) on the auspicious occasion of Vijaya Dashami and fly a sortie in the Rafale fighter aircraft, officials confirmed.

Earlier an IAF official was quoted as saying that a French pilot will fly in the front cockpit, while Rajnath Singh will sit in the rear cockpit. The first Indian Rafale aircraft with tail no RB-01 will be used for the sortie, which is one of the 8 twin-seater Rafale jets India has ordered. The remaining 28 planes are of the single-seater variant.

Shastra Puja, meanwhile, is an old Hindu tradition where warriors perform puja of their arms and weapons. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his days as chief minister also used to perform Shastra Puja on every Dussehra of both ancient and modern arms.

On October 9, Rajnath Singh will address the CEOs of the French Defence industry during which he is likely to urge them to participate in the indigenous “Make in India” campaign and the defence expo ‘DefExpo’ to be held in Lucknow from February 5-8 in 2020.

Earlier it was reported that Defence Minister and Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa would lead a large contingent of the Indian government to receive Rafale jets on September 20. However, there had been a change of plan and it was reported on September 10 that an IAF team will be travelling to France to receive the first batch of the Rafale aircraft from France on October 8 on the occasion of Dussehra.

It’s been three years since India signed a deal with the French government for 36 Rafale jets. Rafael is manufactured by Dassault Aviation SA, French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional, and business jets, and is a subsidiary of Dassault Group.

India inked a 36-fighter jet deal with the French manufacturer for over Euro 7.8 billion in September 2016 to arrest the fall of combat squadrons and meet urgent requirements on eastern and western fronts.

According to reports, though the induction of Rafale into the IAF will officially take place on October 8, the jets will start arriving in India from May 2020. The jets will arrive after accommodating the modifications as per the Indian specifications, and training of IAF pilots and personnel in France.

Although small batches of Indian pilots have been trained on French Air Force Rafale planes already, IAF would train 24 more pilots in various batches to be able to fly the much-awaited Rafales from May next year.

Ambala in Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal will be the airbases where the IAF will deploy one squadron each of the Rafale.

Rajasthan: Two prisoners, Kesaram Naik and Ayub Khan, held under POCSO charges fled the Nagaur Jail

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Two prisoners, Kesaram Naik and Ayub Khan, held under POCSO charges fled the Nagaur Jail

Rajasthan police said that two undertrial prisoners who were charged under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act for raping minors escaped the Merta sub-jail in Nagaur district by making a rope of towels and climbing the 15-foot prison wall on Sunday evening.

The jail administration had no idea about the escape of the two prisoners until the evening head count of the prisoners on Sunday turned out 2 less than the expected count. The jail authorities then informed the police authorities about the missing 2 jail prisoners.

According to the City Station House Officer (SHO) Gangaram Vishnoi, the two prisoners who escaped the jail- Kesaram Naik and Ayub Khan, were incarcerated under the POCSO Act on charges of raping minors. It was almost 4 hours since the prisoners fled, did the jail authorities realised that the two inmates have broken out of the prison. Reportedly, the prisoners escaped at around 4 pm but the jail administration came to know about it only after 7:30 PM. They informed the police at 7.50 pm. According to the jail administration, the prisoners used five towels to make a rope and then used it to climb the prison wall. Later, the jail staff recovered the towels from the spot where they had scaled the wall.

The police immediately launched search operation to identify and locate the absconding prisoners. Major roads were barricaded but the prisoners are yet to be caught. The police has also started its investigation by questioning the families of two prisoners. Kesaram Naik hails from Mundasar village of Nagaur while the other prisoner Ayub Khan is from Nimbi Kalan village.

Muslim cleric attacks TMC MP Nusrat Jahan for attending Durga Puja festivities, says it haram in Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim cleric attacks TMC MP Nusrat Jahan for attending Durga Puja festivities, says it haram in Islam

The TMC MP Nusrat Jahan, who has been under fire from Islamists for embracing Hindu customs ever since she got married to Nikhil Jain in June this year, has yet again been targetted by a Muslim cleric for participating in Durga Puja festivities in West Bengal’s Kolkata.

A cleric from the Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, named Mufti Azad Wasmi, has slammed the Trinamool Congress leader saying that a Muslim should not offer prayers to any God other than Allah. “She has been participating in such prayers, there is nothing new in this. However, under Islam, a follower is not allowed to offer prayers to any God other than Allah, this is ‘haram’. She should change her name and religion,” the cleric says on camera.


The MP had on Sunday (October 6) offered Ashtami prayers and also played the traditional Dhaak at Kolkata’s prominent Suruchi Sangha Durga Puja in New Alipore, Kolkata.

Nusrat Jahan who is a Member of Parliament from Basirhat was seen offering prayers along with her husband Nikhil Jain draped in a Saree flaunting her Bindi and Sindoor.


She was also recorded playing the traditional Dhaak after offering prayers to Maa Durga.


Nusrat Jahan has found herself at the receiving end of the Islamists’ fury ever since she got married to a Hindu Jain man. She was first targeted when Nusrat walked into the Parliament to take oath as an MP while wearing sindoor and bangles, traditionally worn by Hindu married women. Chauvinistic Muslims resorted to insulting her with bigoted comments online for apparently marrying outside her community. They also seemed unhappy about her embracing her husband’s culture in the Indian Parliament.

Soon after, the same Deoband cleric, Mufti Asad Wasmi, issued a fatwa against newly elected TMC MP Nusrat Jahan for marrying outside her religion and wearing the Hindu adornments of a married woman like Sindoor and Mangalsutra.

However, undeterred by the controversies, Nusrat had then stressed religious inclusivity while stating that all religions give the message of peace and unity. She is also on record to say that she believes in celebrating all festivals together. She had said that she still remains a Muslim and no one should be commenting on what she chooses to wear.

Azaan played in a ‘secular’ Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata sparks outrage, TMC leader Paresh Pal amongst key organisers

OpIndia Staff
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Azaan played in a ‘secular’ Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata sparks outrage, TMC leader Paresh Pal amongst key organisers

A video of azaan (the Muslim call to prayer) being played at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata’s Beliaghata 33 Pally area, sparked outrage on social media with the users lashing out at the organisers calling it “appeasement” and slamming their “desperation to show secularism”.


Following this, a local lawyer filed a complaint and named ten people, including the club secretary of the puja pandal and local TMC leader Paresh Paul. He is the primary organiser of this community Puja, who is also the local MLA.

On Friday evening, Santanu Singha, a Calcutta High Court lawyer, filed a police complaint at the local Phoolbagan police station alleging that “religious sentiments had been hurt”.

The community Durga Puja at Beleghata’s 33 Pally (in south-central Kolkata) had been playing a recording of azaan since the festivities commenced on Maha Panchami (Thursday).

The complaint alleges that 10 people, including local Trinamool Congress leader Paresh Paul, intentionally tried to “disturb the peace and tranquillity in the state” by playing a video of the azaan during the puja. “Playing azaan from the venue of the puja is ridiculous and is a deliberate and mischievous act to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus,” said Santanu Singha.

The entire pandal is decorated with religious symbols of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam — the Aum, crucifix and the star and crescent. Huge banners at the entrance of the pandal also display the three religious symbols with the declaration in Bengali: ‘we are one, not alone’.

The entire pandal is decorated with religious symbols of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam

But what has caused a lot of angst amongst Hindus is the playing of a recording of the azaan from the Puja pandal. Usually, Hindu religious songs in praise of Devi or recordings of the ‘Chandi Path’ are played from Durga Puja pandals.

However, the organisers defended their action saying that controversy is being created unnecessarily. “We all know that in Kolkata, Durga Puja pandals are created in a way as to give a social message. Our theme is amra ek, eka noye (we are together, not alone). To demonstrate the theme, we have used models of church, temple and mosque and have used their symbols. Our purpose is to show that humanity is above all religion,” said the club secretary of Beliaghata 33 pally, Parimal Dey.

Dev said to highlight the theme, a video with audio messages depicting three religions- Hinduism, Christianity and Islam- was played, as per the report.

Meanwhile, police have said the cyber cell is monitoring posts related to the Beliaghata pandal being shared on social media.

Asaduddin Owaisi takes a jibe at Congress, says not even the best calcium injection can strengthen the party

OpIndia Staff
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Asaduddin Owaisi takes a jibe at Congress, says not even the best calcium injection can strengthen the party

A day after several reports claimed that the former Congress President Rahul Gandhi went on a vacation to Bangkok just few weeks ahead of Maharashtra and Haryana elections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi took a swipe at the crippled Congress party saying that not even the best Calcium injection can strengthen the party.


While addressing a public meeting for the October 21 Maharashtra assembly elections on Sunday, Owaisi said, “The Congress party has been wiped out from the political landscape of the country and its revival is impossible even if it was administered with a calcium injection.”

Defying expectations, the AIMIM, which had been a city-based party with its influence limited to Old Hyderabad, had in 2014 managed to make inroads in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha by winning 2 seats. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) had fought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra in-coalition with Prakash Ambedkar’s Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) under the coalition of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). The VBA had won Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP alone is not the only threat Congress and its alliance partners are facing in Maharashtra. AIMIM too poses a considerable threat to the Congress as it was instrumental in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in splitting the votes of Dalits and Muslims, gravely affecting the prospects of Congress candidates in the elections on many seats.

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