Massive landslides that struck the hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerela’s Wayanad have so far left at least 256 persons dead and over 200 injured. As the third day of rescue efforts began, the Army rescued over 1,000 individuals; 220 people were still reportedly missing.
According to sources from the Department of Information and Public Relations (PRD) Control Room in Wayanad, 96 victims have been identified, which includes 77 men, 67 women, and 22 children.
On Tuesday, July 30, three landslides struck Wayanad following heavy rain. Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages in the district were the worst affected due to the landslides.
The rescue operation being conducted by the Indian Army jointly with the Indian Coast Guards (ICG) and rescuers of Central and state emergency response teams has entered its third day today (August 1, Thursday). This rescue operation represents one of the largest rescue operations in the disaster-stricken Wayanad. 1,500 Army personnel have been deployed for rescue operations. Over 1,000 rescuers from Central and state emergency response teams have also been conducting massive search operations throughout the area.
#WATCH | Wayanad landslide | Brigadier Arjun Segan, Commandant of the Para Regimental Training Centre says, " Today is the 3rd day of rescue and search operation. We built a metallic footbridge overnight…we hope that we will be able to complete the work of bailey bridge which… pic.twitter.com/RWP27Ylyzf
The Indian Army has successfully built a metallic footbridge overnight to connect the landslide-hit areas. Brigadier Arjun Segan, Commandant of the Para Regimental Training Centre also informed that the army is trying to complete the construction of the 190-ft-long Bailey bridge, which is for 24 tonnes weight category, by this afternoon.
Notably, the Bailey Bridge is being constructed to connect the worst-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala.
Because of its length, the bridge is being constructed with a pier in the centre of the river, which will make rescue efforts easier after it is finished.
Supplies for constructing the bridge are being delivered from Bengaluru and Delhi to Chooralmala. 17 trucks are transporting the commodities that are flown into Kannur airport to Wayanad.
At a news conference, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that a second special Air Force plane had arrived at Kannur International Airport, transporting supplies for a makeshift bridge from Chooralmala to the remote Mundakkai.
Additionally, five JCBs have been shifted to the west side of the stream to clear debris and facilitate search operations.
Update on Wayanad Rescue Operation
– A meeting with all stakeholders was held at 7:00 PM on 31 July, chaired by the Director General of Kerala Police, to review the situation.
*Status as at 6:00 AM this morning**
– Search operations by relief columns resumed at 06:00 AM.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is also on his way to Wayanad from Kozhikode. The CM is scheduled to review the rescue operation at Chooralmala and Mundakkai in the wake of the devastating landslides.
Kerala Chief Minister #PinarayiVijayan aboard an IAF helicopter on his way to #Wayanad from Kozhikode. Mr. Vijayan is scheduled to review the rescue operation at Chooralmala and Mundakkai in the wake of the devastating landslides.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will also be holding an all-party meeting in Wayanad on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted more rain for Wayanad and several other districts over the next couple of days. A red alert for heavy rain has been issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts.
Residents in the hill district’s landslide-prone areas have been ordered to relocate as soon as possible to safer areas by the authorities, as the rains continue to pummel various sections of Wayanad. District Collector D R Meghasree advised people to exercise caution if they live in areas that are prone to landslides or have seen landslides in the past.
Kerala: Landslide occurs in Wayanad following heavy rainfall. Health Department – National Health Mission has opened a control room and issued helpline numbers 9656938689 and 8086010833 for emergency assistance. Two Air Force helicopters Mi-17 and an ALH will depart from Sulur…
A shocking case of brutal murder following Nikah-linked religious conversion of a Dalit woman recently came to light from the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, the accused Mohammad Alam (35) from Hapur murdered Pooja Devi, his 33-year-old wife, and disposed of her body in a canal. According to the information shared on X by Swarajya senior editor, Swati Goel Sharma, it is alleged that Alam also sexually harassed Puja’s minor daughter from an earlier marriage.
Sharma spoke with Sumit Kumar, the brother-in-law of the deceased victim. He told her that he has been associated with Bhim Army, the Dalit outfit headed by Nagina MP Chandrashekhar aka Ravan. However, he lamented that for political reasons, the Dalit outfit has not extended any support to the aggrieved family.
For 8 years, Sumit Kumar has been a senior member of Bhim Army – a ‘Dalit organisation’ headed by Chandrashekhar Ravan and named after Bhimrao Ambedkar
But last week when his sister-in-law Pooja was murdered by her partner Mohammed Alam, six months after her conversion-nikah,… pic.twitter.com/y9ZtfzvMjI
He told Sharma, “Bypolls for [Ghaziabad Sadar] assembly seat are due and the organisation doesn’t want to lose Muslim votes.”
After meeting the aggrieved family, Sharma stated that Pooja’s 11-year-old daughter from her first marriage revealed that the accused Alam also used to sexually harass her.
There is much left to be done in the case @ghaziabadpolice have arrested Alam and put out a press note that he has confessed to killing Pooja. BUT….
Police have not yet recovered Pooja’s body yet. So Alam has not even booked yet for murder, just for kidnapping for…
According to reports, Alam killed his partner Pooja nearly six months after he made her convert to Islam to do Nikah. He was already married with four children and didn’t want to keep her with him. The police had registered a case and arrested the accused on 24th July. They have revealed that Alam confessed to his crime and killing Pooja but her body has still not been found.
According to reports, Mohammad Alam was in a live-in relationship with Pooja for at least four years. She was at odds with her first husband. She insisted on living with the perpetrator which angered him and he strangled her to death with her dupatta and threw the body in the Ganga canal. Afterward, he also filed a missing person report with the police on the same day. Click here, to read how Police arrested Alam who tried to avoid suspicion and filed a missing person’s complaint in this matter.
थाना विजयनगर पुलिस टीम द्वारा महिला की गुमशुदगी/अपहरण की घटना का अनावरण, एक अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार व घटना में प्रयुक्त कार बरामद।@Uppolicepic.twitter.com/Tm9d3ErM25
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GHAZIABAD (@ghaziabadpolice) July 24, 2024
The matter came to light when Pooja’s sister Poonam approached the authorities and lodged a complaint that her sister had been missing for a few days.
On Wednesday (31st August), Lucknow Police arrested two people after the video of a mob harassing a woman on a waterlogged road went viral. The incident was reported in the Gomti Nagar area of the city. The woman fell off the bike as the accused aggressively stopped and began pulling the bike. The video of the incident went viral online with netizens demanding strict action against the harassers.
The arrested accused have been identified as Pawan Yadav and Sunil Kumar. The police said that efforts are ongoing to arrest the rest of the harassers seen in the viral video shot near the Taj Hotel bridge.
Lucknow: A viral video shows people mistreating a woman during rain and causing a ruckus under the Taj Hotel bridge. Police intervened, dispersed the crowd, and are identifying those involved pic.twitter.com/7TJxUYKmIv
Taking to X, Lucknow Police said that a case has been registered in the matter under relevant sections and the accused have been identified from the CCTV footage. The police said that two people Pawan Yadav and Sunil Kumar have been arrested while the search for others is on.
Meanwhile, Raveena Tyagi, Deputy Commissioner of Police in Lucknow, said that after learning of the incident, they began reviewing the footage to identify the perpetrators. A case was filed under the appropriate charges, and three police teams were organised to identify the accused.
As seen in the viral video, the accused were enjoying the rain in knee-deep water beneath the Taj Hotel Bridge. They dashed towards a two-wheeler rider, spotting a woman with him, and began throwing water on the two. Police intervened and dispersed the unruly crowd on the bridge.
A UK Muslim organization is offended again, this time, because a Hindu organization released a statement not wanting their Hindu and Indian identities to be conflated with the Muslim identity of the Manchester Airport Pakistani-origin attackers.
On the 28th of July, Insight UK, a Hindu organization, posted a statement on X where they objected to the use of the term “Asian” to describe the Muslim attackers, saying that it creates confusion and conflates the Hindu and Indian identity with that of the attackers’ Muslim identity.
INSIGHT UK strongly objects to the use of the term “Asian” to describe the individuals involved in the recent Manchester airport incident. The individuals in question were neither Indian nor Hindu. The conflation of British Hindus and Indians with the broader “Asian” identity often leads to a misrepresentation of Indian and Hindu values and behaviors, which are fundamentally peaceful. The British Hindu and Indian communities are highly educated, well-integrated, and law-abiding. They are among the highest taxpayers and contributors in the UK across all ethnic minorities. The British Hindu and Indian communities make significant contributions to business, healthcare, technology, innovation, and finance, driving economic growth and societal progress in the UK. As law-abiding citizens, we stand by the police and commend their decisive response to the senseless attack on their officers. We urge all journalists to avoid using the term “Asian” to ensure accurate and respectful representation.
Insight UK essentially wrote that the media was using the term “Asian” to describe the two perpetrators who attacked police officers at the Manchester Airport. The accused are of Pakistani origin. The use of the term “Asian” essentially broad brushes all Indians and Hindus under the same umbrella as Muslim identities from the sub-continent, in this case, Pakistani, leading to confusion and misinterpretation. For the broader Western public, the use of the term Asian leaves no room for differentiation between Hindus and Indians, and Muslims from Pakistan. When violent behaviors are then displayed by the Muslim community, especially by those of Pakistani descent, the Western community at large gets prejudiced against Hindus and Indians as well, owing to the broad brush of identities as “Asian” by the media. Insight UK legitimately urged journalists to use an accurate representation of identities, given that the Hindu diaspora is law-abiding and amongst the highest taxpayers in the UK.
This was a perfectly reasonable demand given that it was indeed not Hindus who assaulted the police officers in Manchester Airport. It is also not the Hindu diaspora that gets into repeated trouble with law enforcement for such violent behavior. For example, as of 2022, at 4% population in the UK, Muslims made up more than 18% of the prison population. In fact, in the grooming gang issue in the UK, where non-Muslim girls are sexually abused and harassed, the perpetrators are mostly Muslims of Pakistani descent. It is, therefore, not unreasonable for the Hindus and Indians of the UK to not want their identities conflated with the Muslims of the UK, especially those of Pakistani descent.
There is additional context to the statement by Insight UK. Pakistan has been the mothership of Islamic terrorism against India for decades. Pakistan has for decades followed the policy of death by a thousand cuts when it comes to India and harbors special animosity towards Hindus. In Pakistan, the usual narrative is that someday, they would turn India into an Islamic nation – from Dar-ul-Harb to Dar-Ul-Islam. The Islamic terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba has, for example, framed the prophecy of Ghazwa-e-Hind, as one in which India is defeated and united with Pakistan, unifying the Indian subcontinent under Muslim rule.
With such animosity towards India and Hindus, it is reasonable for Insight UK to take umbrage to Indian/Hindu identities being conflated with that of the Muslim/Pakistani identity under the broad brush umbrella of “Asian”.
This reasonable demand, however, did not sit well with Muslim organizations.
Muslim Association of Britain (UK) took to X to condemn the statement by Insight UK.
MAB tweeted, “This is absolutely disgusting by @INSIGHTUK2. Rather than bringing communities together at such a difficult time they seem intent at sowing division”.
Rather than bringing communities together at such a difficult time they seem intent at sowing division. https://t.co/MYCme7nM6J
— Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) (@MABOnline1) July 30, 2024
MAB was offended that the Hindu diaspora of the UK did not want to suffer for the crimes of the Muslim community, especially those where the perpetrators are of Pakistani origin.
Interstingly, while MAB is talking about shared identities and “bringing communities together” after the Manchester Airport assault by Pakistani-origin accused, during the Leicester violence in 2022, where Hindus were mercilessly attacked by Muslims, they were busy blaming the Hindus and allying with Islamists like Majid Freeman.
In 2022, MAB organized a conversation about the Leicester violence where they blamed Hindus after Muslims had gone on a rampage. One of the people who was a part of the conversation was Majid Freeman – the Muslim man who had spearheaded the violence against Hindus in Leicester and also, has now been booked for terrorism.
What’s Happening in Leicester? The Worrying Rise of Hindutva in the UK
MAB has also spread utter lies and hate against Hindus when they came under attack from the Muslim mob in Leicester.
Majid Freeman, who MAB quotes to spread hate against Hindus, has recently been booked in the UK for terrorism. Majid Freeman was charged with inciting terrorism and lending support to the proscribed terrorist organization, Hamas. Freeman was arrested on July 9th last year on suspicion of counter-terrorism offenses, including encouraging acts of terrorism.
Majid Freeman is a local Leicester Muslim “activist” who is known to harbor problematic and extremist Islamic views. Throughout the Leicester violence, Majid was at the forefront of spreading fake news that instigated violence against Hindus.
It was on 28 August 2022 that a scuffle broke out after India defeated Pakistan in a T20 match after the Indian flag was desecrated. After the scuffle, Hindus had even calmed the situation down and tended to the individual who had snatched and desecrated the Indian flag. Majid Freeman, however, had a different story to tell.
On the 30th of August, after the Leicester police got influenced by the Muslim organizations and lied about “death to Muslims” being chanted by Hindus (they later clarified their investigation found no such chants were heard), Majid took to Twitter to rabble-rouse against Hindus.
On the 30th itself, he lied about the Quran being desecrated in Leicester, insinuating that the Hindus had committed this act. However, OpIndia tried to verify these claims.
There was another incident that was cited by Majid Freeman to claim that Hindus had been attacking Muslims. He claimed that a mob of 30+ Hindus had chased and assaulted a Muslim teenager. When confirmed, it turned out that while the Muslim organizations had claimed this, no video evidence was submitted to the police and no investigation was underway, OpIndia was told by Insight UK.
On the 4th of September, when the violence against Hindus started with mobs hunting them down in their houses and on the streets, Majid Freeman took to Twitter to dog-whistle against Hindus again.
From the 4th to the 7th of September, Muslim mobs went on a rampage against Hindus. On the 4th of September, when Majid tweeted and dog-whistled, the Muslim mob went on a rampage unprovoked while the Hindus were celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. Eggs were thrown when Hindu symbols were spotted and where Ganesh puja was being held. A Hindu man was dragged out of his home and stabbed when his aunt ran out of the house to defend him, she was injured because the Muslim mob punched and beat her.
On the 12th of September, a dangerous lie started. It was alleged that Hindu men had attempted to abduct a Muslim girl while she was going to school.
After the story went viral, aided by Majid Freeman, the Hindu man started getting threats from Islamists since they had outed his car number, his location, and his picture.
On the 14th of September, the Leicester police confirmed that the news was fake.
In fact, another lie that was circulated by Majid Freeman and his Islamist cohorts was that a Mosque was attacked by Hindus during their peaceful protest. The Leicester police confirmed that no such mosque was attacked, however, they did confirm that a Hindu temple had been vandalized.
Besides being the key instigator of the 2022 anti-Hindu riots, Majid has also encouraged European Muslims to “do jihad in Syria,” and has promoted “tributes” to the late Al Qaeda terrorist Anwar Al-Awlaki on his Twitter and Facebook accounts. OpIndia had, in fact, exposed Majid Freeman’s links with ISIS and organizations connected to Al Qaeda and IHH.
MAB, which is closely associated with Majid Freeman, and justified violence against Hindus and blamed Hindus for the violence committed by Islamists, is today offended that Hindus of the UK don’t want to bear the burden of the crimes committed by the Muslims of the UK.
This playbook of indulging in violence and then crying Islamophobia is repeated across the world, with minor tweaks, depending on the situation. MAB accusing Insight UK of ‘sowing division’ is just another manifestation of it.
What happened at the Manchester Airport
On the 23rd of July, there was reportedly an altercation between some passengers of a Qatar Airlines flight. Greater Manchester Police said that the police were called by the Airport staff after an altercation at Terminal 2 of the Manchester Airport. The police reached the airport, checked the CCTV, and spotted the suspect at the ticket counter. The accused further attacked the police and broke the nose of a female police officer after which the police had to act.
Initially, a video emerged where the police officer was seen kicking the accused’s head. This led to widespread outrage claiming that the police were being racist and had used excessive force even after the accused was down on the ground.
However, later another video emerged where it was seen that before the police officer had kicked the accused in the head, the accused had rained punches against the police officers injuring one male and 2 female police officers.
In the second video which has emerged, according to the Independent, “Three police officers – one male and two female – approach two men standing by one of the ticket machines and proceed to restrain one of them, who was wearing a matching light blue top and shorts. The second man, wearing a black t-shirt, then circles around the male officer, who was leading the restraint of the first man, and appears to begin to attack him. The pair then seem to begin punching one another while the first man hits the two female officers multiple times. The man in the black t-shirt is eventually tased by the male officer, at which point the second man looks to have knocked the two other officers down and proceeds to punch the male officer in the back of the head. After the male officer and the first man wrestle to the ground, he appears to be tased by the female officers. The male officer then gets up and appears to kick the man in the head, where the video ends”.
Two of the accused are Fahir and his brother Amaad. According to The Express report, the row erupted as the two brothers headed to Manchester Airport on July 23 to meet their mother, who was returning from a visit to Pakistan.
While the police – two women officers and one male officer – got seriously injured in the violence which was unleashed by the accused, the Muslims of the UK have cried about Islamophobia.
On 1st August, an X user ‘TrainWaleBhaiya” shared a shocking video of a YouTuber Gulzar Sheikh putting different items on railway tracks including cycles, soaps, stones and more in the name of content creation. In his post, the X user wrote, “This is Mr Gulzar Sheikh from Lalgopalganj, UP who puts random things in front of trains for YouTube Money, He is putting lives of 1000s of passengers in danger,” and urged Indian Railways and administration to take strict action against the YouTuber.
Notably, there has been a spike in train derailments in recent times. Such videos have raised concerns over safety and security of the railway tracks with speculations how many derailments such YouTubers might have caused.
This is Mr Gulzar Sheikh from Lalgopalganj, UP who puts random things Infront of trains for YouTube Money, He is putting lives of 1000s of passengers in danger. Strict action should be taken against him, @RailwayNorthern@rpfnr_@drm_lko Sharing all the information Below? pic.twitter.com/g8ZipUdbL6
OpIndia’s investigation revealed many channels uploading such videos putting random things on railway tracks
OpIndia investigated the matter and found that many YouTube channels have been uploading such videos for likes and shares. In most probability, these channels are earning hefty money by monetizing these videos.
Source: YouTube
First, we checked Gulzar’s channel which goes by Gulzar Indian Hacker. The channel was full of such videos and shorts where he was seen putting random items on railway tracks. The “funny” thing is he kept on “urging” people not to do such things. In total, he has 243 videos uploaded with a Short video having 99 million views. The channel has 2,35,000+ subscribers and has accumulated 13,70,44,393 views so far.
Source: YouTube
The oldest video on his channel where he was seen putting ear buds on railway tracks was from January 2024.
Source: YouTube
In a video uploaded a month ago, Gulzar was seen putting a 500 GM weight on the tracks.
Source: YouTube
In a YouTube Short video, he put an axe on the track.
Source: X
Next, we found a YouTube channel named Train Experiments that has 241 videos. In the videos, the channel owner was seen putting random things including brake blocks, watermelon, needles, keys, stones, and toy hand grenades.
Source: YouTube
The channel has accumulated 2,92,80,045 views so far.
Netizens fumed over the videos and demanded action against these YouTubers. Bharatiya Janata Party’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared screenshots of the videos and wrote, “Identify these anti nationals who create railway accidents. There have been several instances of sabotage / signals being covered with paper/ deliberate obstacles being put on tracks. Look at Gulzar Sheikh.. putting stones, cycles, obstacles on rail tracks. God knows who all and how many such elements are doing it to cause train accidents.” He urged Railway Ministry and Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnav along with UP Police and CM Yogi Adityanath to take action in the matter.
Identify these anti nationals who create railway accidents
There have been several instances of sabotage / signals being covered with paper/ deliberate obstacles being put on tracks
Look at Gulzar Sheikh.. putting stones, cycles, obstacles on rail tracks
After the disputed President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro challenged X owner and billionaire Elon Musk for a cage fight, the latter has accepted it. Replying to an X post, Musk wrote, “I accept”. He later added, “He (Maduro) will chicken out”.
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) July 31, 2024
The cage fight is not without “rewards”, as Elon Musk said that if wins the fight, Maduro will have to resign, and if the Venezuelan leader wins, Musk will offer him a free ride to Mars. “If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela. If he wins, I give him a free ride to Mars,” Musk said.
This came after Maduro called Musk his “archenemy” and challenged him for a cage fight. “Social media creates a virtual reality, and who controls the virtual reality? Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk. Do you want to fight? Let’s do it. Elon Musk, I’m ready. I’m not afraid of you, Elon Musk. Let’s fight, wherever you want,” Maduro said.
'I ACCEPT': "You want to fight? Let’s have it, Elon Musk." After a days-long Twitter war between the billionaire and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Elon Musk has officially accepted the challenge to fight. See how everything unfolded: https://t.co/bLG1Huzzlopic.twitter.com/fn38wWiPJ2
Notably, the feud between Elon Musk and Nicolas Maduro has been simmering for some time, fuelled by political unrest in Caracas. Maduro, whose recent election triumph has been controversial, has found an opponent in Musk, a Donald Trump supporter who advocates for fair elections and freedom of speech.
Maduro has accused Musk of coordinating attacks on Venezuela, claiming that the tech magnate is responsible for an alleged “computer hacking” at the National Electoral Council (CNE). The CNE controversially declared Maduro the winner of recent elections without releasing comprehensive data.
Interestingly, Elon Musk did not leave the opportunity to take a swipe at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, although their cage match could not happen, Musk said that if it did, then it would be a quick one since Zuckerberg is a “little fella”.
Maduro is a big guy himself and probably knows how to fight, so this would be a real fight.
Zuck is a little fella, so that would be a short fight lol.
“Maduro is a big guy himself and probably knows how to fight, so this would be a real fight. Zuck is a little fella, so that would be a short fight lol,” Musk said.
Musk took the jibes against Maduro further, saying that he would carry Maduro to Gitmo (Guantanamo Bay prison) on a donkey.
As reported earlier, with 80% of votes counted, Maduro secured more than 51% of the vote, beating Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who got over 44% of the vote, according to a statement by the National Electoral Council (CNE). The United States and multiple global leaders have voiced concerns about the official results, handing the presidential election victory to the strongman leader.
Congress party, whose senior leader Rahul Gandhi has a track record of invoking caste in public, seems to have gotten extremely riled with BJP MP Anurag Thakur asking for the Gandhi scion’s caste. Amid heavy rains, some Congress workers in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, tried to burn the effigy of the BJP leader.
However, some police officials arrived at the scene and seized the effigy, resulting in a prolonged struggle between the two sides.
A video of the incident has emerged on social media and has gone viral now.
This is next level Comedy ?
Congress workers protesting against Anurag Thakur's comment on Rahul Gandhi in UP
Similar scenes were witnessed in some other areas in Uttar Pradesh. In Hathras Congress supporters gathered at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park on Agra Road, raised slogans and burnt the effigy of BJO MP Anurag Thakur.
In Hapur, District President Mithun Tyagi and City Congress President Abhishek Goyal along with other Congress supporters collected at Atarpur square where they burnt the effigy of the BJP leader.
The controversy erupted after, BJP MP Anurag Thakur, on Tuesday, during his speech in the Lok Sabha remarked on the caste census. The BJP MP, without taking any names said, “Those whose caste is not known, talk about the caste census.”
The remark came after Rahul Gandhi while speaking in the Parliament on Monday attacked the government by using the customary “halwa” ceremony and the absence of diversity in the process of preparing the budget. This prompted the BJP to respond by claiming that the Congress has a history “replete with instances of obstructing reservation.”
Thakur responded to this remark on Tuesday by enumerating the purported scams that have occurred throughout Congress administrations and remarked in Hindi, “Rahul ji, you spoke about ‘halwa’ (sweetmeat). Who had the ‘halwa’ from the Bofors scam, from the Antriksh-Dewas scam, from the Commonwealth Games, National Herald, submarine, AgustaWestland, 2G, coal, urea and fodder scams? Rahul ji, was the ‘halwa’ sweet or tasteless? Some people talk about OBCs, but for them (the Congress) OBC stands for ‘only for brother-in-law commission’. This party will talk about other backward castes?”
“The ‘shahzada’ (prince) from this party will give us ‘gyan’? First, he has to understand what LoP stands for – it is the Leader of the Opposition and not the Leader of propaganda. All I want to say is that he should stop spreading lies. There is a lot of talk about OBC and caste census. He whose caste is unknown is talking about a census?” Anurag Thakur added.
Rahul Gandhi and his obsession with caste
Caste divisions and religious intolerance have been Rahul Gandhi’s key tools lately to stay relevant in politics. For months on end, the entire I.N.D.I. alliance, in partnership with Congress and Rahul Gandhi, has been advocating for a caste-based census and the concept of ‘proportional representation based on population.’ The unveiled caste census data in Bihar had set the stage, and against this backdrop, Rahul Gandhi consistently emphasised that a Congress government will conduct a comprehensive nationwide caste census, urging the Modi government to reveal its results.
In December last year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had addressed a huge rally in Maharashtra’s Nagpur citing the occasion of the Congress’ 139th foundation day. Speaking at the party’s ‘Hain Taiyyar Hum’ rally, he stated that the Congress will conduct a caste census if it comes to power at the Centre post the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
In May this year, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi escalated his caste rhetorics as he made contentious remarks concerning the Indian Army. Gandhi, who was speaking at a public rally at Rae Bareli, criticised the ‘Agniveer Scheme’, and insinuated that there is a distinction between jawans belonging to the lower castes vis-a-vis those belonging to the upper castes.
On the 24th of April, the Gandhi scion reiterated his ‘X-ray’ remark saying that the Congress-led government would conduct a caste census and also scan the wealth held by different caste groups. He asserted that “no power can stop him from conducting caste census.”
In another infamous incident, the Congress leader in a verbal meltdown asked a journalist what his and his employer’s caste was, leading to a near lynching of the journalist by a mob of Congress supporters.
In fact, for the last few months, the Gandhi prince has perpetually been in ‘Kaun jaat ho?’ mode. Be it labelling PM Modi as a ‘fake OBC’ or reportedly demanding the caste profile of the passengers on a flight, finding out the caste details of Indians has become his obsession.
Former US President Donald Trump launched a strong personal attack on Vice President and rival in the upcoming presidential polls, Kamala Harris, by claiming that she, after being of “Indian heritage” for years, “turned Black” a few years ago, CNN reported.
He further claimed that Harris “all of a sudden, made a turn” in her identity and wants to be known as black.
Trump made the comments at a gathering of black journalists in Chicago when an interviewer asked him why black voters should consider backing a candidate with his history of racist attacks on political rivals.
Trump responded by questioning Harris’ heritage.
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn black, and now she wants to be known as black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?” CNN quoted him as saying.
“I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went – she became a Black person,” he said. “I think somebody should look into that too.”
Notably, Trump has made similar comments in the past as well. For years, he pushed the “birther” conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, according to CNN.
Kamala Harris is of Indian origin. Her mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican; both immigrated to the United States. She was born in Oakland, California, and attended a historically black university, Howard University, in Washington.
She is the first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president. Also, if she wins the upcoming polls, she will become the first woman president of the country.
Last week, President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and nominated his deputy, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee for the race.
Harris’ takeover has re-energised the Democratic campaign that had faltered following Biden’s performance in the presidential debate against Trump, leaving the party in doubt about Biden’s chances of defeating Trump or his ability to continue in the White House if he had won.
Harris rapidly consolidated support among Democrats in the hours after Biden stepped aside, and she raised more than USD 200 million in her first week as a presidential candidate.
The White House was quick to denounce Trump’s comments, calling it “insulting” and said only VP Kamala Harris can speak for herself on the matter.
“As a person of colour, as a black woman, who is in this position, standing before you, at this podium…what he said is insulting,” White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre said at the briefing on Wednesday (local time).
“No one has any right to tell someone, who they are, how they identify, that is no one’s right. It is someone’s own decision,” she added.
“Only she (Kamala Harris) could speak up to her experience, only she can speak up to what it’s like, she is the only person that can do that. I think it’s insulting for anybody, doesn’t matter if it’s insulting for a foreign leader, a former president, it is insulting…she is the Vice President of the United States, we have to put some respect to her name,” Jean-Pierre further asserted.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Delhi’s Tis Hazari court has dismissed the bail pleas of Manuj Kathuria, Tejinder, Harvinder, Parvinder, and Sarabjeet, who were arrested in connection with the drowning incident at a coaching center in Old Rajender Nagar.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Vinod Kumar dismissed the bail applications after considering the submissions from the counsels for the accused and the Delhi police.
While dismissing the bail application of accused Manuj Kathuria, the judge observed, “Perusal of CCTV footage of the alleged incident shows that the driver can be seen driving the vehicle on an already heavily waterlogged road at a speed causing large displacement of water, resulting in the gate of the alleged premises giving way. Water entered the basement, leading to the loss of three innocent lives.”
The judge further noted, “Perusal of CCTV footage prima facie shows that he was warned of the danger ahead by a passerby, but he did not heed the warning.”
Regarding the other accused, the court noted that the allegations against them pertain to their joint ownership of the basement. The lease deed dated June 5, 2022, executed between the accused and the coaching center, indicated that the premises were being used for commercial purposes, contrary to the completion cum occupancy certificate issued by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, thus violating the law.
“The unfortunate tragedy occurred because the premises were used for commercial purposes, resulting in the loss of three innocent lives,” the judge observed.
The court emphasised the seriousness of the allegations against the accused and noted that the role of other civic agencies is still under thorough investigation. Given the early stage of the investigation, the court dismissed the bail pleas.
On Tuesday, the court reserved the order on the bail pleas of the landowners’ brothers and the driver.
Delhi police opposed the bail pleas, arguing that the landowners abetted the offence while the car driver aggravated the incident, contributing to the students’ deaths.
It is alleged that the driver was speeding, causing a high wave that resulted in the crashing of three iron gates.
Advocate Rakesh Malhotra argued that the incident occurred at an institute with a basement library and a biometric door, designated for storage but used as a library.
Malhotra also argued that the MCD and other agencies are responsible for maintaining civic amenities. A complaint had been filed with the MCD a week before the incident, indicating ongoing issues.
He contended, “There was no overspeeding by the driver. What do you expect, should I ask everyone whether I can pass my vehicle? If so, then I am guilty of negligent and rash driving.”
Malhotra further argued that the accused had no knowledge that their actions could cause the incident, given the crowded nature of Rajender Nagar and the role of civic agencies.
Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Shrivastava, opposing the bail, presented a picture of the vehicle and noted the accused’s fondness for off-road vehicles. He argued that the driver should have slowed down in the waterlogged area.
Shrivastava emphasised the early stage of the investigation and the accused’s potential to influence witnesses.
In rebuttal, the defence counsel argued that the vehicle in question was a passenger car, not designed for off-road conditions, and the actual culprits were the civic agencies and the institute.
Advocate Amit Chaddha, representing the other accused, argued that they approached the police voluntarily, demonstrating their bona fide intentions. He contended that the incident was due to an act of God, which could have been avoided by the authorities.
Delhi police invoked sections 106 (death caused by negligence) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) to bypass Supreme Court judgements in similar cases, according to the defence.
Chaddha also presented a fire safety certificate for the premises, arguing that it was the authorities’ responsibility to ensure compliance with safety standards.
APP Atul Shrivastava countered by highlighting the serious nature of the charges and the initial stage of the investigation, arguing that the accused were aware of the coaching centre’s operations and failed to take necessary precautions.
The court, taking into account all submissions, dismissed the bail applications.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday in a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Congress leader who was the former MP from Wayanad had neglected critical issues of the region that witnessed devastating landslides in the early hours of July 30.
“In the last 1,800 days since Rahul Gandhi was the MP from Wayanad, he has not raised the issue of landslides and floods even once in the Assembly and in the Parliament,” said Surya speaking in Lok Sabha today.
“In 2020, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority advised relocating 4,000 families from landslide-prone areas in Wayanad. Till today no action was taken and the MP representing Wayanad did not even raise this issue till today. Kerala’s Forest Minister in the Assembly admits that they are unable to remove illegal encroachment because they had pressure from various religious organizations,” the BJP MP from Bangalore South said.
The MP alleged that the Wayanad landslides “are a man-made disaster and accountability should be fixed.”
“What has happened in Wayanad is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster. I am not saying this, ecological experts from Kerala are saying this. In the last five-six years, out of all the landslides that have happened in the country, 60 per cent of them are happening only in Kerala,” Surya said while speaking to ANI.
“In 2020, the Disaster Management Authority of Kerala told the Kerala government to remove 4,000 families from all the illegal settlements on the Eastern Slope of the Western Ghats of Wayanad. Rahul Gandhi never raised any questions about it. Commercialization activities are going on continuously in the entire Western Ghats in Kerala. It is shaking the very foundations of the hills of Western Ghats, Surya said.
“Why evacuation has not been done till now is because of the vote bank politics there. The Forest Minister of today’s LDF government had said in the Kerala Assembly in 2021 that we are not able to evacuate the illegal encroachments because of political pressure and pressure from religious groups and Rahul Gandhi being an MP from there for five years, neither in the Parliament nor outside, he has never raised his voice to clear this illegal encroachment,” Surya said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that it was “very unfortunate” that someone speaking in Parliament unnecessarily politicises humanity in times of crisis.
“It is feared that by the time the rescue operation is over we will have lost more than 200 lives. Not everything in our country is politics,” Tharoor said.
Congress MP KC Venugopal said, “I am sad about the speech made by a member from the Treasury benches…The Home Minister could have controlled him because this was the saddest moment for the entire country, especially Kerala…We need actions, we need results. We cannot bring back the lives but we have to show the country that we are together…”
Speaking in Rajya Sabha today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the loss of lives in the Wayanad landslides while stating that the Kerala government could have minimized the losses in Wayanad if they had become alert after the Central government’s warning about potential landslides and the risk of people’s lives.
“My condolences to the bereaved families… I want to clarify something for the country… They kept on talking about early warning. I want to clarify that on July 23, the government of India gave an early warning to the government of Kerala, which was 7 days before the incident, and then on July 24 and 25 too early warning was given. On July 26, a warning was given that there was a chance of heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm, and there were chances of landslides, there could be mudflow and people could lose lives in this. Questions are being raised about the early warning system of the government… The government has spent Rs. 2000 crores after 2014 for the early warning system…” Shah said in Rajya Sabha.
“Under this early warning system, on July 23, at my direction, 9 NDRF teams were sent to Kerala considering that there could be landslides. What did the Kerala government do? Were the people shifted? And if they were shifted then how did they die? The project of early warning started in 2016 and by 2023, India had the most modern early warning system. There are only four countries to predict seven days in advance and India is one among them,” Shah said.
Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan countered Shah’s statement saying that “it was not a time for blame games.”
“This is not the time to blame each other. However, reports from the Rajya Sabha indicate that the Union Home Minister claimed they had issued a warning, and Kerala did not respond appropriately,” the Kerala Chief Minister said.
Vijayan stated that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had only issued an orange alert for the district before the landslides. However, Wayanad experienced over 500 millimetres of rainfall, far exceeding the IMD’s predictions.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
