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Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinian terrorists, including local terror leader, hiding inside a Mosque in the West Bank

OpIndia Staff
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Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinian terrorists, including local terror leader, hiding inside a Mosque in the West Bank

On the intervening night of August 28 and 29, Israeli forces killed five Palestinian terrorists who were hiding in a mosque in the West Bank city of Tulkarem as per reports. The dead terrorists included a local terror leader, the IDF, police and Shin Bet say.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had launched a large-scale operation in the city of Tulkarem on August 28. Along with that, reportedly, troops are also operating in the city of Jenin and the Far’a camp near Tubas as part of the operation. A day earlier, Palestinian media had reported that 11 Palestinians have been killed during the ongoing IDF operation, means the toll has now risen to 16 after neutralisation of these 5 terrorists.

In the West Bank city of Tulkarem, troops of Israel Border Police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit battled a group of terrorists who had been holed up in a mosque, following intelligence of their whereabouts provided by the Shin Bet, the joint statement by Israel Security Forces says.

Reportedly, among the dead is Muhammad Jaber, known as Abu Shuja’a, who had been previously reported by Palestinian media to be the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s local wing.

The Shin Bet says that Mohammed Jaber was involved in planning and directing many terror attacks, including the killing of Amnon Muchtar in a terror attack in Qalqilya in June. One of the terrorists was also arrested in the operation.

If Siddaramaiah’s power is curtailed, it won’t be long before people storm into PM Modi’s house, just like in Bangladesh: Karnataka Congress MLA GS Patil

OpIndia Staff
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If Siddaramaiah’s power is curtailed, it won’t be long before people storm into PM Modi’s house, just like in Bangladesh: Karnataka Congress MLA GS Patil

Dreams of imitating the violence in Bangladesh to undemocratically topple Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been plaguing the Congress and its allies since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed. Now, the same has been voiced by Karnataka Congress leader and Ron MLA GS Patil who declared that agitation akin to those in Bangladesh will erupt in India if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s powers are curtailed. The controversial statements were made during a protest organized by the Taluk Ahinda Union in Gajendragad. “The day is not far when people will storm Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, similar to what happened in Bangladesh,” he threatened.

The MLA claimed that the Modi administration is attempting to undermine the Karnataka government headed by the Congress party via the governor. He charged that the interests of capitalists were given precedence over those of the general public by the central government and claimed that Siddaramaiah’s administration was pro-people. “Siddaramaiah is implementing schemes that support the development of all communities in the state.”

He further accused that the Governor had previously refused to authorize prosecution against Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) leaders despite chargesheets against them, but had now permitted Siddaramaiah’s prosecution based on one activist’s complaint. He also slammed BJP leadership and accused PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of taking the country down a perilous path and accused them of causing political unrest in the nation.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders reacted strongly to his statement. Party’s Vijayapura Lok Sabha MP Ramesh Jigajinagi condemned his comments. He criticized the intelligence and comprehension of Congress leaders and charged them with deceiving the public. He argued that the Congress administration has failed to contribute to the state’s growth. Furthermore, he made fun of GS Patil’s assertion, noting that the Congress party’s leadership was disconnected from the practicalities of governance.

Notably, a few days prior Ivan D’Souza, a Congress MLC from the state threatened Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot of encountering a “Bangladesh-like fate” if he refused to revoke his directive for an investigation into Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He announced, “If the President fails to send the Governor back, the Governor’s office will encounter a predicament similar to the one faced by Bangladesh’s prime minister, who was forced to vacate her position abruptly during the night. Our next fight will be with the slogan Chalo Governor’s office,” during a demonstration organised by his party.

On 17th August, Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot authorized and sanctioned an investigation against Siddaramaiah about the anomalies in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority’s (MUDA) allocation of substitute locations. Siddaramaiah responded by contesting the Governor’s decree at the Karnataka High Court. The trial court was ordered by the High Court to hold off on taking any further action against the Chief Minister until the 29th August hearing.

Rutgers University publishes report co-chaired by Audrey Truschke claiming caste discrimination a pervasive issue on campus, gives no evidence, cites unrelated examples

Anurag
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Rutgers University publishes report co-chaired by Audrey Truschke claiming caste discrimination a pervasive issue on campus, gives no evidence, cites unrelated examples

In August 2024, a task force at Rutgers University released a “Caste Report,” which they wanted to push forward to include “caste” as a new protected category under the university’s discrimination policy. The Rutgers Caste Report was co-chaired by Audrey Truschke – a leading anti-Hindu propagandist masquerading as a professor of history at this very university. Truschke has a long history of whitewashing heinous crimes committed by the Mughals against Indians, especially Aurangzeb.

Source: X

The task force said that discrimination based on caste is widespread on campus. It recommended a number of educational and policy measures that, presumably, would resolve the issue. However, the report supported these conclusions with a limited set of anecdotal testimonies. It has had no substantial evidence and has raised serious concerns over the objectivity and motivations behind the recommendations.

Its claims were based on the principle of caste-based discrimination on campus. “The Task Force Report claimed that the so-called caste discrimination is a significant problem at Rutgers and it is impacting students, faculty and staff.” The discrimination is preventing good students, faculty members, and staff from contributing to it and availing opportunities because of its hostile environment says the report by the task force.

Prevalence of Caste-Based Discrimination

It said that the report was of the view that discrimination based on caste is a pervasive issue at Rutgers. It maintained that such discrimination has devastating consequences for people coming from caste-oppressed backgrounds. Various testimonies were cited, such as a student mentioning his identity as Brahmin during a class, a housing situation in which the Dalit student faced discrimination because of caste. However, these testimonies were anecdotal and did not make up a representative sample from the campus population. The report itself acknowledged that an undue lack of systematic data on caste-based discrimination existed. It said, however, “that these personal stories do justify comprehensive policy changes.”

Recommendations for Policy Changes

With less-than-substantial evidence of caste-based discrimination at Rutgers to go on, the task force urged that caste be added to the university’s non-discrimination policy. Rutgers Caste Report further recommended that the university spread awareness on caste-related issues and conduct large-scale data collection of incidents related to caste discrimination. The report contended that these recommendations of the task force will help in maintaining inclusiveness at the campus and looking into issues that any form of caste-based discrimination does not get unnoticed on the campus of the University.

Absence of Evidence and Systematic Data

It should be stressed that even the report has admitted that there is an absence of systematic data on its claims of caste-based discrimination at Rutgers University’s campus. According to the report, the Office of Employment Equity reviewed no complaints on specific caste discrimination at the campus.

The fact that the Task Force has to confess that there is a lack of documented evidence of any type of caste-based discrimination at any level on the campus itself is indicative of the fact. However, the report still insisted that caste-based discrimination is a “problem” at the campus and recommended further data collection. It essentially called for policy changes based on unverifiable and limited anecdotes. By pushing for policy changes without substantial evidence has raised concerns if the issue of caste is being manufactured or exaggerated to serve specific ideological ends.

The report read, “At Rutgers, the Office of Employment Equity (OEE) enforces the Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment, 60.1.12, which this Task Force recommends be expanded to include caste as a protected category. A review of OEE’s records showed no complaints that pertained to caste specifically. This absence of data is inconsistent with the “Testimonies about Casteism and Caste-Based Discrimination at Rutgers.” This underscores the report’s recommendations to enhance Rutgers policies against caste-based discrimination and provide education to all members of the Rutgers community on the harms of casteism.”

Questionable Testimonies and Examples

For any study to become substantial and trustworthy, the data should be verifiable and if there are testimonies they should be clear enough with proof to support the claims. However, in this case, the anecdotes used in the report are questionable and often unrelated to the institutional discrimination

For example, one of the stories mentioned in the report involved a student discussing his family’s caste-based marriage preferences. It is unclear how it affects the students or anyone on the campus as it is just a discussion and every family or individual has his or her own preferences. Claiming that this leads to caste-based discrimination on the campus is overstretching and exaggerating the matter for vested interests.

Another story involved a Dalit student being advised by her family not to reveal her caste to anyone on the campus. This is an unnecessary fear being rooted by elders of the family into the children. The student in question here was going to study at a university in the US where caste-based discrimination is mostly not heard of until recently when the CISCO Caste Case made the headlines and it became the baseline to import the caste system to the US from India and create a non-existence fear of it. 

These examples in no way demonstrated systematic discrimination at the campus or provided a basis for altering the policies at the university. The testimonies reflect individual social tensions rather than institutional biases.

Potential Ideological Bias

The Rutgers Caste Report was co-chaired by Audrey Truschke who has a history of anti-Hindu sentiments. It raised questions about the objectivity of the findings. Truschke has a history of portraying Hindu culture and texts negatively and aligning herself with groups that have been accused of propagating Hinduphobia. Her involvement in the task force suggests that there is a potential bias in framing the issue of caste discrimination at the campus.

Notably, Truschke has frequently distorted facts to fit her ideological narratives. She often positions Hinduism in a negative light. Her role in the task force and the continued push for caste to be a protected category despite the lack of data raises questions about the motivation behind the report. It appears that she will use this report as a vehicle to promote a specific narrative that aligns with her previously documented biases against the Hindu community.

SB403: A failed precursor to the Rutgers Report

For the unaware, the Rutgers Caste Report by the task force closely follows the narrative of California’s SB403 legislation that sought to add caste as a protected category under state civil rights laws. SB403 was introduced in early 2023 and gained support from several activist groups. However, it faced severe criticism due to a weak evidentiary basis, which was the Cisco Caste case.

The Cisco Caste case was a lawsuit where two engineers were accused of caste discrimination against a Dalit colleague. However, this case was later withdrawn because of lack of evidence. In effect, serious criticism walloped the Californian Department of Fair Employment and Housing for filing a case without concrete evidence. The outcome of the case exposed the lack of credible evidence supporting the claim that caste-based discrimination is widespread in the US companies where Indians are employed.

Notably, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB403. He stated that the existing laws were enough to cover all forms of discrimination including caste under broader categories like race, religion and national origin. The failure of SB403, however, did not deter the activists and it appears that they continued to find ways to set the narrative that caste discrimination is widespread in the US. This time, they used the Rutgers campus to propagate the agenda and to set a base for the policy change at university campuses.

Ola Electric unveils made-in-India 4680 ‘Bharat Cell’: CEO Bhavish Aggarwal says he hopes to lower EV costs and increase India’s battery production capacity

OpIndia Staff
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Ola Electric unveils made-in-India 4680 ‘Bharat Cell’: CEO Bhavish Aggarwal says he hopes to lower EV costs and increase India’s battery production capacity

“The smallest unit of a big leap. The Bharat Cell, now made in India,” OLA Electric posted on its official X (earlier Twitter) handle on 27th August giving a sneak peek into the indigenous Bharat Cell created by the company. Reportedly, it is a state-of-the-art 4680 lithium-ion cell that was fully developed and designed in India.

The move aligns with the country’s larger goals of leading the world in electric mobility and furthering the campaign for battery production to become more self-sufficient. The 4680 Bharat Battery Cell was launched on 15th August during Ola’s Sankalp annual flagship event to expedite the country’s electric vehicle (EV).

The “Bharat” cell seeks to develop Ola Electric’s and the Indian EV industry’s technological capabilities. “We didn’t import the tech, we built it ourselves,” stated Bhavish Aggarwal, the founder of Ola Electric, underscoring the company’s dedication to innovation. The Bharat cell, which has received over 70 patents as per OLA, aims to provide five times the energy density of the 2170 cells currently utilized in Ola’s electric scooters.

Furthermore, Ola Electric is gearing up to launch its electric motorcycle line into the Indian motorbike market. Aggarwal noted that motorcycles make up over two-thirds of all automobile sales in India, highlighting the strategic value of the move.

Ola Electric wants to establish itself as a leader in the sector by capturing a significant portion of the growing EV market with its entry into this category. Aggarwal’s statement is in tune with the Indian government’s desire for indigenous manufacturing and technological independence, especially in the expanding EV market. Agarwal stated that the Bharat Cell will work to reduce the dependency on imported battery technology while promoting indigenous innovation. Ola Electric’s popular S1 and S1 Pro models have helped the company establish a solid presence in the electric scooter market.

‘A new era for EV revolution and indigenous technology’, claims OLA

The “Bharat Cell” is reportedly a significant advancement in technology over earlier battery designs. Compared to the 2170 cells now in use, the battery has five times higher energy density because of its 4680 shape. Longer EV ranges are a result of this higher energy density, which is essential for the widespread adoption of electric mobility in a nation the size of India. Additionally, the cell offers reduced charging times, which solves a major issue for EV users, the convenience of charging. Ola claims that the cell lowers production costs by utilizing less cobalt.

The Bharat Cell is produced at Ola’s gigafactory in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. Aggarwal hopes to enhance this factory’s capability to 20 gigawatt hours (GWh) capacity by 2026, and 100 GWh by 2030.

‘EVs 25-30% cheaper with Bharat Cell’, says Bhavish Aggarwal

Aggarwal stated that the company wants to cut the cost of its electric vehicles by 25–30% by producing its own 4680 Bharat battery lithium-ion cell. “The cell is the costliest component of an eV. It’s the heart of an EV. In the ice era, the position that an engine had an engine one is automotive company engine guardian. Similarly, in the EV era, that’s the cell. Because the cell defines the weight, it defines the range, it defines the charging speed. The charging speed is not a function of the charger. It’s the function of the cell. So all these things of your vehicle depend on the cell and if we make our own, we will be able to make it about 25-30% cheaper,” he conveyed during Business Today’s summit on 20th August.

Aggarwal estimates that 90% of the world’s production capacity, or 2,000 GWh, is located in China. “India has one and a half gigawatt, that is mine. I hope to set up about 100 gigawatt hour through the course of this decade,” he added. “When we set up our cell effort four years back, when we started Ola electric, that’s when we set up our cell effort, we decided that we would build the frontier technology in cell not just the current. We will not license technology from China or elsewhere. We will not just use some old generation of technology, but we will build what, four years ago we felt was the frontier tech, and that was the 4680 format. It’s much bigger, more energy-dense and much less to charge. And then from here on, we can go into solid state cells which are the holy grail of energy storage in the modern world,” he shared during the event.

Karnataka: Order to remove electric poles with Dhanush, Gada designs on SDPI’s demand revoked after outrage by Hindus. Read what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Order to remove electric poles with Dhanush, Gada designs on SDPI’s demand revoked after outrage by Hindus. Read what happened

On 28th August, Wednesday, the Koppal district Tehsildar ordered the removal of decorative electric lamps on the streets of Gangavathi taluka, which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. The electric lamps on the streets of the city portrayed ‘Gada’ and ‘Dhanush’ like ornamental structures, to symbolise the weapons carried by Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman.

Tehsildar U. Nagaraj also ordered to register a police case against Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation (KRIDL) for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by portraying “Hindu religious symbols” on public lamps.

The action was taken after the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which is the political wing of the banned Islamist terrorist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) raised objections over the lamps and stated that these were allegedly hurting their religious sentiments. However, later the order was revoked on the verbal order of the District Collector.

These poles are notably installed on the road between the Rana Pratap Circle and Julia Nagar in the Gangavathi region for beautification. The official notification by the tehsildar stated that these poles could disturb the religious harmony in the city. “Since there are possibilities of disturbing public peace in the city, the poles should be immediately cleared. File a case against the KIRDL engineers for carrying out this work and take appropriate action,” the official notification read in Kannada.

It is important to note that Anjanadri Hills in Gangavathi (Koppal district) is celebrated as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Earlier, BJP’s Janardan Reddy had demanded the development of Anjanadri hills on similar lines to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama in Uttar Pradesh. He had also demanded the release of Rs 120 crores from the state funds for the development of the area, which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman.

Local reports say that the electric poles portraying symbols of arrows and ‘gada’ have been installed to instil religious motivation in the minds of devotees who travel on the path while on their way to the Anjanadri Hills. During the installation, it was also made clear that the act was being executed with no other communal intention. Attempts are made to beautify the birthplace of Lord Hanuman on the models of Ayodhya and Tirupati, and the decorative electric poles were part of that effort.

However, the Tehsildar asked removal of the lamps citing communal disharmony after protests by SDPI. Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which is the political wing of the banned Islamist terrorist organization Popular Front of India (PFI), raised objections over the lamps and stated that these were allegedly hurting their religious sentiments. “The electric poles contain religious symbols that might disturb communal harmony in Gangavati,” the SDPI had stated in the official notification on 21st August appealing to the Gangavati Municipal Assembly Commissioner for clarification.

The SDPI also claimed that these Hindu religious symbols on the electric poles threatened the society’s peace.

However, after the outrage over the Tehsildar’s order to remove the poles and police action against authorities, the District Collector issued a verbal order to revoke the order.

On 28 August, Tehsildar U. Nagaraj issued another notification, saying that no electric poles will be removed and no case will be filed against the police. The Tehsildar added that the earlier order is being withdrawn. The new notification said, “As this matter falls under the purview of the municipal council, a proposal was made in the general meeting, the matter was presented and approved, and the background order was made without my notice. The order has been withdrawn.” 

The Tehsildar asked the police to dispose of the case at this stage. The police have been directed not to register any FIR against the officials concerned and not to take any action to remove the electric poles.

It is crucial to note that the poles have been installed on the streets of Gangavathi leading to Anjanadri Hills. The route lasts 12km. Local reports suggest that these religious symbols have been installed just to encourage the devotees walking on their way to Anjanadri Hills to worship Lord Hanuman.

Note: This report has been updated with latest developments in the matter

Paris: Telegram boss Pavel Durov released on bail bond of $5.5 million, asked not to leave France and report to a police station twice a week

ANI
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Paris: Telegram boss Pavel Durov released on bail bond of $5.5 million, asked not to leave France and report to a police station twice a week

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, is under formal investigation related to illicit activities on the messaging app. French authorities have also prohibited him from leaving the country, CNN reported.

Notably, Pavel Durov, who had an arrest warrant issued against him, was detained by the French authorities at an airport outside Paris, CNN had earlier reported.

Officers from France’s anti-fraud office, attached to French customs, took the French-Russian billionaire into custody on Saturday evening after he arrived at Bourget Airport on a flight from Azerbaijan, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.

Durov was wanted under a French arrest warrant due to the lack of moderation on Telegram, which allegedly led to the platform being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing pedophilic content.

Earlier in the day, Durov was released from police custody in France and was transferred to court for questioning, CNN reported.

Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said in a statement that Durov had been ordered to pay bail of USD 5.5 million, and was released but must check in at a police station twice a week, according to The New York Times.

Beccuau also asserted that Telegram has featured in several criminal cases in France in connection with child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and online hate crimes, but has shown a “near-total absence” of replies to requests for cooperation from prosecutors.

Prosecutors around France, along with legal authorities in Belgium and other European countries, “have shared the same observation,” Beccuau said, leading organised crime prosecutors to open a probe in February on the “potential criminal liability of executives at this messaging platform,” The New York Times reported.

Beccuau further said that if Durov is convicted, he could face up to 10 years in jail.

Durov is being probed for several suspected offences related to criminal activity on the messaging app, including complicity in illegal gang transactions, laundering of crimes in an organised gang, and refusal to communicate information to authorities, as per the French prosecutor’s statement, CNN reported.

Notably, France issued an arrest warrant for Durov on charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud due to the lack of moderation on Telegram and his failure to cooperate with law enforcement, the Moscow Times reported, citing French local media.

The Russian-born founder of Telegram, which he says boasts over 900 million users, is currently based in Dubai. He became a naturalised French citizen in August 2021.

Durov, who is also the founder of the VKontakte social network, left Russia in 2014 after he refused to share VKontakte users’ data with Russian security services. Later, Russia unsuccessfully attempted to block Telegram over its refusal to provide users’ online communications to security services. 


(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Bengaluru: Retired teacher dies after 10-12 stray dogs attack her during morning walk

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru: Retired teacher dies after 10-12 stray dogs attack her during morning walk

On Wednesday, August 28, a 76-year-old woman was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs during a morning walk at the Jalahalli Air Force Campus in Bengaluru. The deceased was identified as Rajdulari Sinha, a retired teacher from Bihar.

According to reports, Sinha, mother-in-law of an airman had come to Bengaluru. She was out for a morning walk when 10-12 stray dogs suddenly attacked her in the playground at Air Force East 7th Residential Camp in Jalahalli around 6.30 am. She sustained multiple injuries and died on the way to the hospital.

A case of unnatural death has been registered at the Gangamma Gudi police station, according to a senior police officer.

Meanwhile, a social media user, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, took to X to narrate what transpired. “It’s a tragic scene in the morning itself. Dozens of stray dogs attack a lady. I shouted, and my family joined me until a gentleman comes the dogs attacked. Jalahalli Airforce playground, Vidyaranyapura. I am guilty that I couldn’t help her because of this wall.”

“I was the helpless eyewitness. Due to their big wall, I couldn’t save her. I shouted and called some people and they took her to hospital, but no use,” he said in another post.

Jalahalli police inspector Sidde Gowda was quoted by HT as saying, “Raj Dulhari Sinha, a retired teacher from Maharajganj in Sivan district, Bihar, was staying at her son-in-law, Airman Amit Kumar’s house. The attack happened about 200 metres from the house when a pack of 10-12 dogs attacked her, inflicting grievous injuries. She was immediately shifted to MS Ramaiah Hospital but she died during treatment. The autopsy has been conducted. We have registered a case of unnatural death, and the investigation is ongoing.”

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Zonal Commissioner Karee Gowda stated that this is the first incident of its kind in the Yelahanka zone. “Last year, there were 35 reported cases of dog bites in our zone; this year, so far, seven cases were reported. We regularly conduct anti-birth control measures for street dogs and will take extra precautions to protect the lives of people, including relocating stray dogs if necessary,” he said.

Stray dog attacks have become increasingly common. In fact, only on 27th August, Nayeeb Shaikh, a four-year-old girl from Bhiwandi who was bitten by a dog in July this year, died while receiving treatment at Sion Hospital. The reason for her death is believed to be a severe dog bite. She was admitted to three separate government hospitals for proper treatment but could not be saved.

Fake currency racket busted in Madarsa, Prayagraj police arrest Maulvi Mohammad Tafseerul, mastermind Zahir Khan and 2 others

OpIndia Staff
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Fake currency racket busted in Madarsa, Prayagraj police arrest Maulvi Mohammad Tafseerul, mastermind Zahir Khan and 2 others

On Wednesday, August 28, Prayagraj police uncovered a fake currency racket operating within a madrasa in the city, leading to the arrest of the madrasa principal, Mohammad Tafseerul, the mastermind, Zahir Khan alias Abdul Zahir, and two other students, Mohammad Afzal and Mohammad Shahid. The madrasa, identified as Jamia Habibiya, was being used to print counterfeit currency.

Authorities recovered 1,300 fake 100-rupee notes, 234 sheets of printed fake currency, three bundles of paper, a printer, a cutter, a laptop and other related items from the scene.

Giving information about the operation, DCP City Deepak Bhukar stated that the Civil Lines Police received a tip-off about individuals coming to the Civil Lines bus stand to deal in counterfeit currency. Acting on this information, the police conducted a raid, apprehending three suspects. Following their interrogation, a raid was carried out on Wednesday at a madarsa near Kalyani Devi Petrol Pump in the Atarsuya area, where fake currency was being printed in a room. During the raid, police discovered 234 counterfeit notes that were yet to be cut.

The acting principal of the madarsa, Maulvi Mohammad Tafseerul Arifin, was also arrested. According to the DCP, the acting principal was actively involved in the operation, providing a separate room for the gang to print the fake notes. The leader of the gang, Zahir Khan, a madarsa student from Orissa, was identified as the mastermind behind the operation.

We lost pride in Indian stuff, test our Indigenous weapons against global benchmark: Indian weapon maker makes important points after govt orders 73,000 more riffles from US

OpIndia Staff
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We lost pride in Indian stuff, test our Indigenous weapons against global benchmark: Indian weapon maker makes important points after govt orders 73,000 more riffles from US

On Wednesday (28th August), the CEO of a major Indian defence company, Vivek Krishnan expressed disappointment and discontent over the fact that the Ministry of Defence awarded another order for the procurement of assault rifles from the American firm instead of prioritising ‘Made in India in Defence Sector’ and indigenisation of defence hardware. 

Notably, this comes a day after American weapons manufacturer Sig Sauer announced on Tuesday that India’s Ministry of Defence has placed an order for 73,000 SIG716 rifles. The US firm said that the company is honoured to announce a second procurement contract with the Government of India, Ministry of Defence to supply an additional 73,000 SIG716 rifles. This is India’s second procurement order awarded to US firm Sig Sauer in the last five years. The Indian government previously ordered 72,400 rifles from them in 2019. Now, once their new deal is completed, the Indian Army will have more than 1.45 lakh Sig Sauer SIG716 rifles in service. 

While this new order will fulfil the much-needed requirement of guns for Indian armed forces, this has been seen as a major setback for the government’s own make-in-India in defence sector initiative. While India now manufactures fighter planes, helicopters, tanks, artillery guns and many other equipment, local production of small arms has been less than expected.

In 2019, there was a lot of buzz about two new snipper riffle prototypes developed by an Indian company, SSS Defence from Bengaluru. It was expected that the company would supply to the Indian Army, as the army was looking to acquire sniffer riffles. Now, the recent order has meant that the company has missed out on the opportunity this time.

Now, responding to this development, the Indian Entrepreneur Vivek Krishnan has written a long post on X stressing that India needs indigenous weapons, especially when it is surrounded by hostile neighbours. Krishnan is the CEO of SSS Defence, a new age Defence company that is backed by 70 years of manufacturing excellence, as per the company’s X (Twitter) bio. Their focus is manufacturing small arms, ammunition, high-end optics & military accessories. 

In his post, the Indian Entrepreneur exhibited confidence in Indian defence manufacturers and posed a challenge stating that indigenous weapons can be tested against global benchmarks, alluding that they will be at par with their global competitors. 

While expressing confidence in the capabilities of Indian defence manufacturers, Krishnan, however, lamented by pointing out what he called “a lack of self-esteem”. He explained by saying, “…we brown skinned Indians have always found that we’re respected by our own global peers before the country wakes up. It’s a self esteem thing…”

He noted that he has reacted to this development as he was getting a lot of messages asking “his” opinion about this procurement order of assault rifles from the US firm. 

He said, “Well, we knew this was coming. So, just went about our work. But some plainspeak is well worth it.” 

Afterward, he raised several points in his post, while displaying raw emotions –

Major points raised in his post

Krishna outrightly mentioned, “I wish the govt had not acquired more of these,” referring to the repeat order for SIG716 rifles. He argued that India could have gotten more contenders in the race had the govt insisted on Indian design and content. 

He noted that despite the order going to the US firm, his defence company SSS Defence will continue “to be the most fearless dog in this business”. He added, “We shall still have a weapon for each caliber and the user to us is still the man in uniform. We will be global”. 

Highlighting the need for patience to see the success of Make in India for in defence, he said, “What about Make in India for defence? There are a handful of guys really doing good work in the small arms space. There’s commitment from them and all it’ll take is patience. With our neighbourhood, only a fool can imagine doing without indigenous weapons. They’ll have to come and buy from us”. 

He asked, “What about pride in Indian stuff?” adding that we lost pride a long ago by building substandard weapons in the government-controlled space which the private sector is trying to regain.  

Lamenting about the lack of pride in Indian talent, he added, “But making good weapons & getting them accepted is a difficult task. We know since going global has taught us that. In any case, we brown skinned Indians have always found that we’re respected by our own global peers before the country wakes up. It’s a self esteem thing…”

He concluded by demanding a fair test in which the indigenous weapon is tested against the global benchmark. 

He said, “Here’s the challenge – we’ve heard from the buyer for a long time that “we’re not there on metallurgy” or “our designs are behind time”. I say put an Indigenous weapon of ours against a global benchmark in each caliber and test out. Make the results open like real serious armies do. Test protocols are clearly defined. It would be the best for both sides. How difficult is that ?” 

SIG716 vs Sniper rifles developed by SSS Defence

As per the Live Mint report, the SIG716 rifle is said to be an improved version of a rifle in the ArmaLite Rifle (AR) platform chambered 7.62 NATO. It has a higher recoil and higher calibre, meant to shoot-to-kill targets at 600 metres. This assault rifle reportedly has a higher range, more lethality, and higher recoil than the INSAS and the AK-47, which fires a smaller round.

It features a 16-inch barrel, an M-LOK handguard, and a 6-position telescoping stock. According to the statement released by the US firm, it designs and builds rifles for the Indian Army and various other clients in the United States. 

Based in Bengaluru’s Koramangala, SSS Defence is reportedly India’s first private firm in defence production. In 2019, it had designed and developed two sniper rifle prototypes meant for the armed forces, indigenously. Back then, it was gunning to put its two weapons on trial with the special forces. 

As per the Times of India report, it had developed two rifles: Viper which uses .308/7.62x51mm cartridge, and Saber which fires .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. While Viper has proved its accuracy from a distance of more than 1,000 metres, Saber has proved it on a 1,500 metres range. The Minute of Angle (MoA), which is used to measure the accuracy of rifles, the firm claimed, is the best in the class, comparable to global weapons.

UP: Son of farmer leader and friend arrested for trail derailment attempt in Farrukhabad

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Son of farmer leader and friend arrested for trail derailment attempt in Farrukhabad

Two men, one of whom is the son of a local farmers’ leader, have been arrested for allegedly trying to derail a train by placing a wooden log on the tracks in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad over the weekend. The police reported on Wednesday that an alert locomotive pilot managed to prevent an accident by timely applying the brakes.

The arrested individuals, Dev Singh and his neighbour Mohan Kumar, both in their twenties and residents of Ariyara village in Farrukhabad, confessed during interrogation that they committed the act to gain fame. “The accused believed that the incident would bring attention to their names and make them famous,” said Ram Avtar, the Station House Officer of Kayamganj Police Station.

Singh’s father, Kamlesh Kumar, is a prominent farmers’ leader in the region.

The police reported that Indian Railways employee Jaheer Ahmed Khan filed a First Information Report (FIR) on August 24 against unidentified individuals for placing a wooden log on the railway track, putting passengers at risk and causing damage to government property.

On Friday (23rd August) night, the Farrukhabad Express plying between Kasganj and Farrukhabad narrowly averted a major accident after coming in contact with a wooden log placed on the railway track.

As per reports, the train experienced a sudden jolt, forcing the loco pilot to apply emergency brakes and bring the train to a halt. It was later discovered that the wooden log had stuck to the train’s engine.

After that, the railway workers removed the wooden log and cleared the track. The train resumed services after 25 minutes. On reaching the Shamshabad railway station, the loco pilot reported the matter.

During their investigation, the police used local intelligence and surveillance to identify Dev Singh and Mohan Kumar as suspects. “The accused confessed to the crime, stating that they arrived at the field around 9 pm on Saturday. Seeing no one nearby, they took a wooden log from the field and placed it on the railway track, about 80 meters away,” said a police officer.

Singh and Kumar, both farmers, have been charged under Section 327 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for mischief with intent to destroy or make unsafe a rail, aircraft, decked vessel, or a vessel of 20 tons burden. Additionally, they face charges under the Railways Act.

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