Home Blog Page 6335

Bats are the reason behind power cuts in Madhya Pradesh, say officials in Kamal Nath government

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bats are the reason behind power cuts in Madhya Pradesh, say officials in Kamal Nath government

According to the latest revelations by the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, bats are responsible for the rampant power cuts in the state. As per reports, officers in the Kamal Nath government have claimed that the tiny flying mammals are the reason the state is reeling under a power supply crisis.

Madhya Pradesh has been suffering from frequent and rampant power cuts since months. As the harsh summer keeps the mercury high, frequent power cuts in the state have made life unbearable for people in the state.

The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has only been indulging in blame game over the issue of power cuts. Initially, the Kamal Nath government had claimed that the previous BJP government had installed faulty generators. Then they had stated through official communications that human intervention by BJP’s people in power department is causing the power cuts.

Finally, they had now blamed the fruit-eating mammals for the power failures in the state. Recently, when power minister Priyavrat Singh visited the senior officials at the power department, they reportedly argued that bats hang upside down from electric wires, due to which the wires stick together and cause power failures.

The argument was even reportedly published in an official statement. However, Priyavrat Singh has reportedly clarified that he does not believe it.

Singh has reportedly asked for the formation of technical teams to examine transformers. He has also asked senior-level officials to frequently tour their respective areas and for the formation of WhatsApp groups for junior engineer level employees for better communication and problem-solving.

Priyavrat Singh was quoted by Aaj Tak saying that he has learned from officers in the department that there are a large number of bats living in old Bhopal area, causing frequent power failures.

Singh then stated that he has asked the officials to keep bats away from the wires and at the same time take care of the environment.

He also stated that he has asked the officers to install ultrasonic devices and work on insulating the wires and keeping the transformers from overloading.

Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has stated that the Kamal Nath government has lost its mental balance.

It is notable here that in 2003, power cuts were one of the main issues that had caused Congress’ catastrophic loss in the state elections. In the last 15 years of BJP rule, the power cuts were reportedly never a serious issue and the state saw mostly uninterrupted supply.

Madhya Pradesh’s power cuts have recently gained much attention on social media after Urdu poet Rahat Indori had taken to Twitter to complain about frequent power cuts.

Newspaper report suggests Rahul Gandhi may step down as Congress President, Ashok Gehlot to take over

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Newspaper report suggests Rahul Gandhi may step down as Congress President, Ashok Gehlot to take over

After the poll debacle in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Rahul Gandhi was reportedly set on resigning as the Congress President despite persuasion from senior leaders to continue. He had even tendered his resignation which was rejected by Congress Working Committee. Now a newspaper report suggests that Rahul Gandhi may step down as the President of Congress and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot may take over.

According to a report in Navbharat Times, Congress seems to have made up its mind to let Rahul Gandhi step down and hand over the reins of the working of the party to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

The report, however, says that it is not yet evident whether Ashok Gehlot will be the only President or there would be other Presidents of the Congress party who would share the workload.

According to the report in Navbharat Times, Congress has already asked Ashok Gehlot to stay prepared for the added responsibility in the coming days.

On Rahul Gandhi birthday, when Ashok Gehlot had gone to wish, according to this report he tried to persuade Rahul Gandhi to continue as the Congress President, however, Rahul Gandhi was adamant and said that unless a new leadership is chosen, the Congress party cannot revive itself and make a fresh start.

Rahul Gandhi has apparently also made clear that when he steps down, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s name also cannot be considered as the Party President. The report touted this as a result of PM Modi making ‘dynasty politics’ a poll plank.

Ashok Gehlot is reportedly being chosen because he has experience in running the party affairs considering Congress performed well under his guidance in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly Elections.

One of the other reasons that Gehlot is being considered, according to Navbharat Times, is because he is from a backward class, and if Congress hopes to revive itself, it needs the votes of the backward classes which are currently in support of PM Modi. Gehlot also has a better relationship with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as compared to several other senior leaders of the party.

The report also says that if Ashok Gehlot is made the Congress President, Sachin Pilot may become the Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

After Lok Sabha, ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Jai Ma Kali’ and ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ slogans echo in West Bengal Assembly

Shashank Bharadwaj
-
0
After Lok Sabha, ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Jai Ma Kali’ and ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ slogans echo in West Bengal Assembly

A day after chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ reverberated through the halls of Parliament, it has now reached West Bengal assembly as newly elected BJP MLAs chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the assembly after taking their oath.

Reportedly, on Wednesday, four BJP MLAs, three TMC MLAs and one Congress MLA took the oath after they were elected in the recently concluded by-polls. Joyel Murmu, the newly-elected BJP MLA from Habibpur Legislative Assembly chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ after taking the oath.

West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhaya had earlier issued a warning to the newly elected members against any sort of chanting or sloganeering during, before or after the oath. The speaker had asked the leaders to stick to the written text. However, the newly elected legislators went beyond the speaker’s request to raise various slogans.

Manoj Tigga, another BJP MLA from Madarihat, said, “We can say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ because as Christians have Jesus, Muslims have Allah, we have ‘Jai Shri Ram’. The entire assembly was so excited [during chanting], which means that there will more chantings of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the upcoming days.”

Reacting to ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans, TMC MLA from Uluberia East Idris Ali shouted “Jai Hind” after taking the oath. However, the speaker objected to both Jai Shri Ram and Jai Hind and asked legislators to stick to the written oath.

Apart from ‘Jai Sri Ram’, slogans like Jai Ma Kali, Allahu Akbar, Radhe Radhe were are also heard during the swearing-in ceremony in the West Bengal assembly.

Speaker Biman Bandopadhaya said that using any religious slogans in the proceedings of parliament or assembly is against the Constitution of India. The secretary would call upon the newly elected members of Bengal Assembly and would advise them not to chant anything other than Parliamentary issues during any proceedings.

Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee also directed that the chant be removed from the record of assembly proceedings.

Kolkata Muslims write to Mamata Banerjee: Don’t let culprits who attacked doctors and Ushoshie get away just because they are Muslims

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kolkata Muslims write to Mamata Banerjee: Don’t let culprits who attacked doctors and Ushoshie get away just because they are Muslims

West Bengal seems to be going through a massive upheaval and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seems to be smack in the middle of it. After BJP winning 18 seats in Lok Sabha, the Chief Minister seems to be fast losing control. After the protests by doctors and citizens chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ on several occasions as a mark of protest, now some notable Muslims of Kolkata have written a letter to Banerjee expressing anguish over the latest events in the state.

Letter written by notable Muslims from Kolkata to CM Mamata Banerjee

In the letter, the notable Muslims have written that they are Muslims who are living in Kolkata for decades and have been deeply concerned by two events that have recently occurred – the attack on doctors and the attack on former Miss India Ushoshie Sengupta.

They say that the attackers in both these cases were Muslims, a part of their community and that they are deeply anguished and embarrassed by it.

They then proceed to list two ways in which this problem can be solved. First, the letter says, that the culprits must be brought to book. They say that not just in this case, but in all cases where the culprits are Muslims, they should be brought to book since the growing perception is that just because some criminals belong to the Muslim community, they are allowed to get away, are shielded and the Muslims community appeased.

The second suggestion made in the letter is to initiate an outreach programme where Muslim youth and families across Kolkata can be sensitised in the area of gender sensitivity, civic consciousness, law compliance etc. This, they say, would need long term patience but needs to be implemented right away.

In a horrific incident in Kolkata recently, former Miss India Universe Ushoshi Sengupta was dragged out of her car and attacked by seven Muslim men raising further concerns about the increasingly deteriorating state of law and order in the West Bengal. The attackers, in this case, were Sheik Rahit, Fardin Khan, Sk. Sabir Ali, Sk. Gani, Sk. Imran Ali, Sk. Wasim and Atif Khan.

Before this, West Bengal medical services were on suspension after an 85-year-old Muslim man had died of natural causes and doctors were attacked by a Muslim mob. Support for NRS doctors poured in from across the country with lakhs of doctors going on strike. Eventually, Mamata Banerjee, after blaming outsiders for the strike, conceded to the demands of doctors. 

 

Humorous but ugly in their behaviour: The story of Pakistani fans

Ritesh
-
0
Humorous but ugly in their behaviour: The story of Pakistani fans

Anyone who remembers what happened to Pakistani players after they lost to India in World Cup 1996 Quarterfinals knows how ugly Pakistani fans could be.

As soon as Pakistan lost to India on March 9, 1996, fans in Pakistan smashed TV sets (a common sight every time India beat Pakistan in a cricket match), a college student fired a hail of bullets from a Kalashnikov into his TV set and then on himself, another fan died of a heart attack, captain Wasim Akram (who couldn’t play a match due to injury) received death threats, and a cleric said Pakistan would never win at cricket so long as a woman – Benazir Bhutto was the prime minister – ruled the country. Even the plane carrying the players had to be diverted to Karachi as irate fans waited in Lahore carrying expletive-laced banners and rotten eggs.

On Sunday in yet another World Cup clash, India comfortably won the game against Pakistan at The Old Trafford. This time Pakistani Twitter erupted into hilarious, self-deprecating jokes. Many found it amusing, and some even called it a victory for Pakistan off the field and how Pakistani fans won the heart while India won the match. People believed the fans have changed for good.

However, they have missed the real side of Pakistani fans. They have been very offensive to their team’s performance in this tournament. Booing and calling names inside the stadium has become a common thing for Pakistani fans.

In the below video shared by a Pakistani fan, Sarfaraz Ahmed been trolled by their fans saying ‘Sarfaraz Mota, toss jeet kar batting kyu nahi li, inhone ne Imran Khan ki bhi nahi suni, apni PM ki bhi nahi sunte to kya kare hum’ which translates into ‘Fat guy Sarfaraz, why didn’t you bat after winning the toss, they didn’t listen to Imran Khan, they don’t even listen to their PM, what can we say’?

According to thenews.com.pk, Sarfaraz Ahmed warned his teammates that all of them would be returning home after the World Cup, and he wouldn’t be alone in facing the wrath of the public if Pakistan continued to disappoint.

The trolling didn’t end up on the ground, some of them blamed Sania Mirza on social media for the poor performance of the Pakistan team. Sania celebrated India’s victory against South African and Australia in the World Cup. This has irked many Pakistani supporters and even celebrities.

Sania Mirza’s reply to Pakistani actress Veena Malik has won the hearts of many from both sides of the border.

The normal fans were also too harsh on players, especially on Shoaib and Sania. Some called Sania an Indian spy and even demanded public hanging. It must be so hard for players to cope with such kind of comments.

Because of all this, Shoaib Malik had to release a statement where he requests the local media and fans to maintain respect for their privacy.

The Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir has been in great form in this World Cup, yet he is too facing the wrath of the fans. In his tweet, he asked the fans not to abuse the players and keep supporting them.

Former players who themselves never won a World Cup match against India coming out with solutions on how to win a match against India. Shoaib Akhtar, in particular, has been very critical to the team’s performance. Even though he played against India in 2 World Cups (1999 and 2003).

There are many more such incidents on and off the field especially after India’s match will easily make you believe that the Pakistani fans are not just humorous but ugly too in their behaviour.

FIR lodged against rapper Hard Kaur for calling Yogi Adityanath ‘OrangeRapeMan’ and accusing RSS chief of terror attacks

OpIndia Staff
-
0
FIR lodged against rapper Hard Kaur for calling Yogi Adityanath ‘OrangeRapeMan’ and accusing RSS chief of terror attacks

Taran Kaur Dhillon, more popularly known by her stage name Hard Kaur, has been booked for her abusive remarks on social media against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

According to reports, a complaint has been registered by Varanasi based lawyer Shashank Shekhar at the Cantonment police station on Wednesday.

The FIR against Hard Kaur was lodged under sections IPC 124A – attempt to excite disaffection or hatred, IPC 153A – promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, IPC 500 – defamation, IPC 505 – intent to incite, Section 66 of IT Act – sending offensive messages.

In his complaint, Shashank Shekhar has alleged that since he is an RSS volunteer, he was extremely hurt by such social media posts against RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Inspector Cantt Vijay Pratap Singh has said that an FIR has been lodged following the complaint.

Hard Kaur had referred Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as an ‘OrangeRapeMan’.

In one of her posts, she had even become part of Pakistani propaganda, where she had accused RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat of being the main man behind the Mumbai and Pulwama Terror Attacks, thereby, absolving Pakistan of all its guilt.

Apart from Mohan Bhagwat and Yogi Adityanath, Kaur has also spread malicious lies about the origin of the word Hindu.

Ajaz who had set ablaze woman Police officer in Kerala dies while undergoing treatment in hospital

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Ajaz who had set ablaze woman Police officer in Kerala dies while undergoing treatment in hospital

Ajaz, the police officer who had set ablaze fellow police officer Soumya Pushpakaran after hacking her with a sword in Alappuzha district of Kerala, died today while undergoing treatment at Alappuzha Medical College.


Ajaz who was a Civil Police Officer (CPO) who had brutally murdered his colleague Soumya Pushpakaran who was also a CPO after she allegedly refused to stay with him. He had suffered 40% burns during the tussle that took place between them after he set her ablaze and was admitted to ICU at Alappuzha Medical College.

35-year old Pushpakaran worked at the Vallikunnam police station and was the mother of three children and her husband works in the Middle East. On that fateful day, Pushapakaran was returning home at around 4 pm on her scooter after completing her duty with student police cadet members in a nearby school. The accused was waiting for her in a rented car for the right opportunity. When the victim reached near her house, he rammed his car into her scooter, knocking down the victim.

He chased her to a neighbouring house carrying petrol and machete with him. He first brutally stabbed the victim and then poured petrol on her and set her on fire.

Cattle smugglers fire at a person for trying to stop them, FIR lodged against Arif, Tareef, Subin and others

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Cattle smugglers fire at a person for trying to stop them, FIR lodged against Arif, Tareef, Subin and others

An incident of attempted cattle smuggling has come to light from Sector- 37 near Kanishka Tower in Faridabad, Haryana. The incident took place on June 16 late at night. According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, a person named Vikas Sharma, who is a resident of Natthu Colony, Ballabhgarh, was returning at around 1 am in his Tata Sumo car after attending an event. On his way, he saw about half a dozen people with a pickup van near Kanishka Tower trying to steal cattle. When he tried to stop the smugglers they opened fire at him with an intention to kill him.

Sharma noted the number of the vehicle of the smugglers and informed the police about the incident. However, the smugglers fled the scene immediately. He filed a complaint at the police station against the smugglers. An FIR has been registered by the police against six persons identified as Arif (a resident of Utawad, Palwal), Tassi (a resident of Punhana), Subin (a resident of Dhauj), Teeman (a resident of Bibipur) and Tareef (a resident of Nuh).

OpIndia spoke to ASI Zakir Hussain who is the Investigating Officer in the case. Confirming the incident, ASI Hussain told that an FIR has been registered in the case against the six accused whose names were provided by Gau Rakshak Dal and the vehicle used by the culprits has also been seized. However, no arrests have been made so far.

UN report cites ‘credible evidence’ linking Saudi Arabia crown prince to journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

OpIndia Staff
-
0
UN report cites ‘credible evidence’ linking Saudi Arabia crown prince to journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

A UN expert citing ‘credible information’ has stated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be investigated in the murder of Washington Post columnist and Kingdom critic Jamal Khashoggi.

In October, last year, the Turkish authorities had insinuated the Crown prince of Saudi Arabia of executing a premeditated homicide of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi inside Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

A report by the special rapporteur, Agnes Callamard, read that the “personal assets” should be targeted with sanctions until there is proof he was not responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“In view of the credible evidence into the responsibilities of the Crown Prince for (Khashoggi’s) murder, such sanctions ought also to include the Crown Prince and his personal assets abroad, until and unless evidence is provided and corroborated that he carries no responsibilities for this execution,” said Callamard.

Jamal Khashoggi, 58-year-old journalist, a US-based columnist for the Washington Post and prominent critic of Prince Mohammed, had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since 2017. He was a citizen of the USA, with bonhomie with many Trump administration officials. He had a huge twitter following.

Khashoggi incriminated Saudi of being complicit in aggravating humanitarian crisis going in Yemen, he also spoke vocally about sanctions against Canada for speaking on behalf of jailed activist like Raif Badawi along with many scathing comments.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate on October 2, 2018, to obtain papers he needed to marry his fiancee Hatice Cengiz from where he suspiciously disappeared. According to reports, he was assassinated by Saudi government officials, inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. His fiancee was waiting outside the consulate when he was being killed.

Initially, Saudi authorities had strongly denied the allegation. However, subsequently, the investigators concluded that Khashoggi was forcibly restrained after a struggle and injected with a large amount of a drug, which resulted in an overdose that led to his death.

Saudi Arabia’s deputy public prosecutor, Shalaan, maintained that his body was then dismembered and handed over to a local “collaborator” outside the consulate.

Turkey had provided USA classified intelligence information which allegedly proved that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi authorities. Central Intelligence Agency of the USA had backed Turkey’s allegations and contradicted Saudi’s claim that murder was spontaneous and not pre-meditated. CIA also added that crown prince himself was involved in the murder and privy of the events.

In January 2019, the UN’s human rights office tasked Callamard with establishing “the nature and extent of responsibilities states and individuals for the killing”.

Though the senior Saudi officials insisted that Khashoggi’s death was the result of a “rogue” operation, the Callamard’s report said Khashoggi was “brutally slain” inside the consulate that day and further concluded that it was “an extrajudicial killing for which the state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible”.

“From the perspective of international human rights law, state responsibility is not a question of, for example, which of the state officials ordered Mr Khashoggi’s death; whether one or more ordered a kidnapping that was botched and then became an accidental killing; or whether the officers acted on their own initiative or ultra vires [beyond their authority],” the report notes.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s ties with Saudi Arabia have come under strain since Khashoggi has been brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which tarnished the international reputation of the crown prince.

Last week, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, making a veiled attack on Turkey warned against “exploiting” the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi for political gains.

“The death of Jamal Khashoggi is a very painful crime,” Prince Mohammed told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in an interview published Sunday, and without directly naming Turkey he added, “any party exploiting the case politically should stop doing so, and present evidence to the (Saudi) court, which will contribute to achieving justice.”

CBI summons investigative journalist Mathew Samuel in connection with Narada Scam

OpIndia Staff
-
0
CBI summons investigative journalist Mathew Samuel in connection with Narada Scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued summons to Editor and Managing Director of Narada News to be present at their office in Kolkata on June 24 in connection with Narada Scam in West Bengal.


Earlier this month, Enforcement Directorate had issued summons to former Mayor of Kolkata, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sovon Chattopadhyay’s wife Rama Chattopadhyay, TMC leader Sadhan Pandey’s daughter Shreya Pandey, Avijit Ganguly and Moloy Bhattacharya in connection with the case.

The Narada Scam relates to a sting operation conducted by investigative journalist Mathew Samuel on TMC leaders and IAS officers wherein they were allegedly caught on camera accepting bribes from Samuel in exchange of favours. Samuel had posed before them as a businessman who was hoping to invest in West Bengal.

The TMC leaders against whom the CBI had filed an FIR post the sting for accepting bribes included Mukul Roy, Saugata Roy, Aparupa Poddar, Sultan Ahmed, Prasun Banerjee and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. Amongst others named in the FIR were Firhad Hakim, Suvendu Adhikari, Sovan Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra, Iqbal Ahmed and IPS officers Saiyaad Mustafa Hussain Mirza. SMH Mirza who was the former Superintendent of the police of Burdwan district was summoned by the CBI on June 5 this year in relation to the Narada Scam.

The final charge sheet in the case was filed by the CBI in February this year.

1...6,3346,3356,336...7,667Page 6,335 of 7,667