On Friday, the 28th of June, a dreadful murder came to the fore from the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Police nabbed one individual identified as Arbaaz after he murdered his wife Chahat over minor domestic arguments. The incident came to the fore while the accused attempted to dispose of the deceased by chopping her body into 4-5 pieces.
As per the reports, the accused mercilessly beheaded her, severed her hands, and sliced her body into four pieces. A police officer stated that the perpetrator, Arbaaz, married Chahat, a 21-year-old woman from Uttarakhand, around six months ago. They began living in a rented room without informing their relatives. However, they had begun having issues between them.
UP के मुजफ्फरनगर से भयावह और डरावनी खबर
अरबाज ने चाहत को टुकड़ों में काटा और बोरे में भरकर फेंक दिया.
21 साल की चाहत ने अरबाज से लव मैरिज की थी और परिवार के मना करने के बाद भी 7 महीने पहले भागकर निकाह किया था. दोनों में झगड़ा हुआ तो अरबाज ने अपने दोस्त शाहरुख़ को बुलाया. चाहत… pic.twitter.com/Ccc6d09IIG
He stated that a week ago, Arbaaz killed Chahat with a sharp weapon and severed her head and hands. According to SP Satyanarayan Prajapat, the city police were notified by some locals that two people were riding a motorcycle in the direction of the Kali River in Niyazipur village and trying to float a sack through it.
After learning this, the police and ASP hurried over to the location to learn that the accused with his friend were trying to dispose of the body of the deceased girl stuffed in the sack. “One of the suspects escaped when he saw the police, but they caught the other man. When they questioned him, they found a headless body in a sack,” Prajapat added.
The accused confessed that he married 21-year-old Chahat around six months ago. They soon began fighting over a variety of issues during the last six months.
About seven days ago, he and an accomplice slit his wife’s throat with a knife. The officer stated that a team had been organized to arrest the second accused. Police also stated that they had recovered the murder weapon.
Chahat was a resident of Kotdwar in Uttarakhand and Arbaaz is a resident of Muzaffarnagar in UP. Arbaaz has been arrested by the police while his friend is on the run. A team has been formed to nab the other accused as well.
On Thursday (27th June), a Muslim woman was stripped, dragged for 1 km by her hair and thrashed for over an hour by goons for supporting the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).
The incident took place in Ruidanga village in Matha Bhanga-II block in Coochbehar district of West Bengal. The victim is currently undergoing treatment at the Maharaja Jitendra Narayan Medical College & Hospital.
As per reports, a group of TMC goons attacked the woman for being a worker of the Opposition BJP in the State. The victim’s father has now filed a complaint with the police.
According to the police complaint, the local TMC cadre has prevented the woman from stepping out of her house since the Lok Sabha elections were announced on 4th June 2024.
The victim was attacked on Thursday when she was en route home from a nearby park. A group of TMC goons attacked her, stripped her and then dumped her clothes in a river.
They have also threatened to break her house if she dared to step out again. The Cooch Behar police have so far detained 4 people, including the primary accused Shafiqul, in connection to the case.
Shafiqul is accused of capturing the naked picture of the victim during the assault and disseminating it on social media platforms.
In a horrifying display of political violence, Rosonara Khatun, a BJP Minority Morcha member, was savagely beaten in Coochbehar, West Bengal.
Dragged by her hair and assaulted at Ramthenga Market, her crime was supporting the BJP.
In a tweet, the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of ‘BJP West Bengal’ posted, “In a horrifying display of political violence, Rosonara Khatun, a BJP Minority Morcha member, was savagely beaten in Coochbehar, West Bengal.”
“Dragged by her hair and assaulted at Ramthenga Market, her crime was supporting the BJP. This barbaric act has outraged the Muslim community, and the safety of women and political dissenters is under grave threat,” it added.
“This is Mamata’s Bengal: where violence silences opposition,” the saffron party added.
A Muslim woman was stripped and beaten in West Bengal’s Coochbehar, for supporting the BJP. The incident took place at Ramthenga Market in the Mathabhanga Assembly of Coochbehar district. Rosonara Khatun, a member of the BJP's Minority Morcha, was dragged by her hair and… pic.twitter.com/tgcv6D815l
“There is a #Sandeshkhali in every village of Bengal. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice. Concerns over political violence and safety of women under Mamata Banerjee remains a huge concern,” BJP’s national spokesperson Amit Malviya condemned the incident.
Turmoil in Sandeshkhali
The unrest in Sandeshkhali village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal brought into focus the atrocities committed against women by former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
Multiple women have come forward to narrate instances of land grabbing, and sexual violence perpetrated against them by the trio. Forced by circumstances, they took matters into their own hands and gheraoed the police station.
The agitation led by women eventually led to the arrest of the 3 TMC goons. OpIndia had previously reported how the Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have left no stone unturned to trivialise the sexual violence committed against women in Sandeshkhali.
Besides Mamata Banerjee, TMC MLA Udayan Guha also attempted to downplay the sexual exploitation of women in Sandeshkhali as ‘eating pie (Pitha khaowa)’ and ‘mischief (Dushtami)’ on 29th February.
TMC spokesperson Jui Biswas also sought to deny sexual violence in Sandeshkhali by demanding ‘video footage of rapes’ as proof. Journalist’ Sagarika Ghose, who was recently rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat by the TMC, also trivialised the raging unrest in Sandeshkhali village as a ‘local land dispute.’
TMC Minister Partha Bhowmick had earlier tried to dismiss accusations of sexual violence by women of Sandeshkhali village as ‘fake.’ On 10th March, the actress turned TMC candidate from Hooghly, Rachna Banerjee, was seen casting aspersions on the sexual violence faced by women in Sandeshkhali.
On 28 June, Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit was slammed online after a purported poster appeared that claimed that she would be participating in an event in Houston hosted by Pakistani event manager Rehan Siddiqui. While Rehan Siddiqui has organised a large number of events in the USA featuring Bollywood stars, he has come under the radar of the Indian authorities for allegedly using funds raised from his events to finance Kashmir-related anti-India activities in the United States. In 2020, Salman Khan had cancelled his Houston event after the allegations against Siddiqui emerged.
Therefore, people were shocked that Madhuri Dixit is appearing in an event hosted by the same Siddiqui, even after allegations against him became well known. Based on a poster advertising the event on 16 August, several netizens slammed Dixit. The social media outrage was then covered by media houses like Navbharat Times and Free Press Journal.
However, OpIndia has found that apart from one single poster, there is no other evidence of any event of Madhuri Dixit hosted by Rehan Siddiqui in Houston or anywhere in the USA. Moreover, the design of the poster suggests that it could be fake because it seems to be created using a poster of Madhuri Dixit’s upcoming tour of several cities in the USA next month, which does not include Houston.
The poster mentions the tagline Forever Queen of Bollywood Madhuri Dixit, and mentions that tickets are available on Sulekha for the event on 16th August Friday. However, when we checked the Sulekha website, we could not find any mention of this event.
The events section of the Sulekha website has tickets available for Madhuri Dixit’s US tour in August, but it does not include any event in Houston, Texas. It mentions concerts in New York on 8 August, Virginia on 10 August, Atlanta on 11 August and New Jersey on 15 August. This tour is organised by World Star Entertainment, an event management company that organises programs featuring Bollywood actors, singers etc. The company is run by one Atique Sheikh.
World Star Entertainment’s Instagram page mentions some other events of Madhuri Dixit during the tour, which are 9 August in Dallas and 10 August in Chicago, apart from the events mentioned by Sulekha.
It could be possible that Rehan Siddiqui hosted the event in Houston coinciding with Madhuri Dixit’s presence in the USA in August. However several facts suggest that there is no such event, and the poster could be fake.
First, there is no mention of any such event on Rehan Siddiqui’s Instagram and Facebook pages. His posts show that while he has been organising events with Pakistani stars regularly, he has not hosted any Indian artists in recent years. It is evident that after he was accused of terror links in India, Indian stars have not attended any event hosted by him. An online search also didn’t return any results of the event being organised in Houston with Madhuri Dixit.
Moreover, the poster being shared has the same design and tagline as the World Star Entertainment poster, which means that it is fake. Rehan Siddiqui has been in the business for a long time, and it is unlikely that he will copy his rival’s poster for his event.
The poster being shared uses the tagline Forever Queen of Bollywood Madhuri Dixit in the same design and typeface as the posters for the real tour of Dixit. A cursory glance shows that this poster has been created using the poster for the Virginia concert on 10 August. Madhuri Dixit’s photo along with the tagline has been retained, while the background and other text have been changed.
While the original poster’s photo has Madhuri Dixit’s body from head to waist, the photo has been cropped in the ‘Houston poster’, retaining only from head to chest. This could be done to remove the text in the original poster which was superimposed on the photo.
Therefore, it can be safely concluded that Rehan Siddiqui is not hosting any event featuring Madhuri Dixit in Houston on 16 August, and the poster being shared on social media to slam the Bollywood star seems to be fake. However, Madhuri Dixit has not reacted to the claim yet.
In a startling exposé published on the 27th of June by the Canadian daily The Globe and Mail, it has emerged that former defence minister Harjit Sajjan instructed Canadian special forces to rescue approximately 225 Afghan Sikhs after the Taliban took power in 2021. This allegedly resulted in resources being misdirected from assisting Canadian nationals and Afghans with ties to Canada.
The report highlighted that Sajjan used his influence to ensure that Afghan Sikhs were given special attention during the chaotic and urgent evacuation operation which was botched up and the Indian government had to come to the rescue.
The Globe and Mail report on Harjit Sajjan
According to the report, Sajjan’s actions included direct communications with government officials, urging them to expedite the evacuation process for this vulnerable group. The report suggested that Sajjan’s advocacy might have influenced the allocation of resources and efforts, potentially diverting attention from other at-risk groups also in need of evacuation. This involvement has raised questions about whether his actions were aligned with the broader, equitable evacuation strategy that the Canadian government should have implemented during the crisis.
“Mr. Sajjan also relayed location information and other details about the Sikhs to the military as special operation forces worked to meet up with the group. The information was passed to him from a Canadian Sikh group that was in contact with these Afghan Sikhs,” the report reads.
Harjit Sajjan ordered Canadian forces to focus on rescuing Afghan Sikhs instead of Canadian nationals stranded in Afghanistan
During the violent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, the situation in Kabul was chaotic, with evacuation flights ending and Canada and other Western countries rushing to get their citizens out of Afghanistan.
While Sajjan desperately sought to rescue Afghan Sikhs, the military sources indicated that they were not a priority for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) because they had no connection to Canada. They accused him of compromising the interests of Canadians and Afghans, whom they believed he should have prioritised.
“The way it was presented to us at first was: If we can do this and pay attention to it, great, but not stopping doing everything else. But a day or so later, it came back to us as a firm order,” a source told The Globe and Mail
Due to the immense pressure built by Minister Harjit Sajjan, the CAF for the last 24 hours of the rescue operation focused solely on rescuing Sikhs. However, they were unsuccessful.
“There was such furious anger that the last 24 hours were solely dedicated to getting the Sikhs out. We were unsuccessful. They were just one group that we were asked to do” a source said.
Harjit Sajjan admits to giving information to CAF about Afghan Sikhs with no Canada connection for rescue
Amidst CAF’s rescue operation in Afghanistan, Minister Harjit Sajjan spoke to Canadian Sikhs, who told him about three busloads of Afghan Sikhs waiting for troops near the airport. They were concerned and departed before the soldiers arrived, however they were asked to stay. The report says that Sajjan confirmed communicating with the CAF about the circumstances on the ground after communicating with the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, which agreed to fund the Afghan Sikhs.
“I relayed whatever information that the NGO provided about the location and status of these Sikhs to the chain of command for it to use as it saw fit, in line with its operational plan on the ground in Afghanistan,” Sajjan said.
While Sajjan has defended his actions saying that his instructions were “acceptable”, the shift in mission to rescue these Sikhs proved a “logistical nightmare” while “we are still trying to hurry and process people through who have Canadian passports,” a military source said.
In a recent statement, Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) stated that evacuation operations in Kabul were carried out “in accordance with direction by the Government of Canada and the Minister of National Defence.” It also stated that General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and his officers issued orders to the on-the-ground forces. However, a senior commander in Ottawa opined that a directive or even a suggestion from the defence minister is practically an order.
Harjit Sajjan resorts to playing victim card after failing to offer a rational explanation for his alleged favouritism even in a crisis
Amidst severe backlash over The Globe’s report, Harjit Sajjan called the allegations made against him as “utter BS”. Sajjan further asserted that he is being ‘targeted’ because of his Sikh identity. “I can only surmise that if I did not wear a turban no one would question whether my actions were appropriate… when it was clear Sikhs and other minorities were part of government policy to support and assist vulnerable Afghans,” the Labour Party leader and current Emergency Preparedness Minister said.
Notably, while Sajjan asserted that it was a part of the PM Justin Trudeau-led government’s policy to rescue “vulnerable Afghans” insinuating that a Canada connection was not essential, the government documents state otherwise.
According to an official document, the military’s top priority during the evacuation was to aid Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family members, as well as vulnerable Afghans who had assisted Canada during its military campaign in the country.
Even in its resettlement program, the Canadian government said that it would implement a special immigration program for Afghans who contributed to Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan as well as persecuted minorities. However, its policy was not to prioritise Afghan Sikhs alone over people who had more claim to Canadian support.
Notably, beginning from October 2001 as a part of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Canadian forces were engaged in combat operations against Taliban terrorists, counter-terrorism missions etc. However, as the mission was costly both financially and in terms of lives lost, in 2011, Canada officially ceased its combat operations, transitioning to a training mission for Afghan security forces. By 2014, all Canadian military personnel had withdrawn from Afghanistan, marking the end of its 13-year presence. It was during these military operations that many local Afghans helped the Canadian troops.
While Sajjan asserted that his action was rooted in ‘humanitarian concern’, the situation raises important questions about the balance between advocacy and impartiality in governmental decisions. Prioritising one religious group with no connection with Canada over Canadian nationals in a crisis scenario is a deviation from standard procedures, and undermines the principles of equity and fairness. The decision-making process during the evacuation was already fraught with complexity, and Sajjan’s preferential treatment for his co-religionists could be perceived as favouritism.
Meanwhile, conservative leaders in Canada have already started demanding a parliamentary hearing into the allegations made against Harjit Sajjan. On Thursday, Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole and the Bloc Québécois demanded a parliamentary hearing on the matter and said that the House of Commons hearings should look into why Afghan Sikhs were given preference over Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and Afghans who assisted Canada’s troops during its 12-year military campaign in Afghanistan.
Khalistan sympathising NDP leader Jagmeet Singh calls Canada rescue ops in Afghanistan a massive failure, refuses to condemn Sajjan’s Sikh favouritism
When asked to comment on Sajjan’s involvement in the rescue of Afghan Sikhs, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called the Liberal government’s Kabul rescue attempts “a failure”. “Canada has a responsibility to provide some relief to folks and didn’t do a good job,” Singh claimed.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he can't condemn fmr defence minister Harjit Sajjan for using military resources to rescue Afghan Sikhs instead of Canadian citizens and Afghan allies:
"I don't know enough of the details to get the specifics of what Mr. Sajjan did or didn't do." pic.twitter.com/WHdJWv3Z6A
However, he declined to condemn Sajjan or even comment on whether it was right for Harjit Sajjan to liaise with the military on how to rescue a specific group of Sikhs, claiming that he does not know enough about what the minister did.
World Sikh Organisation of Canada (WSO) defends Harjit Sajjan
Amidst the controversy, the World Sikh Organisation has come to Harjit Sajjan’s defence alleging that The Globe’s report is influenced by a “bias” against the Sikh community. “These evacuation efforts were driven by the dire humanitarian need to protect the highly vulnerable Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities. Allegations that Minister Harjit Sajjan acted inappropriately are unfounded and appear to be influenced by bias against his Sikh identity,” the WSO statement reads. Notably, Harjit Sajjan’s father, Kundan Sajjan, was an executive board member of the WSO.
Sajjan himself is notorious for being a Khalistan sympathiser. Back in April 2017, the then Punjab CM Amarinder Singh had refused to meet Sajjan over his connection to the Sikh separatist movement. Sajjan’s Sikh favouritism, however, is not shocking given Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself and his government have been appeasing the Sikh community for electoral gains. Trudeau government has openly been mollycoddling Khalistani terrorists like Hardeep Singh Nijjar and allowing anti-India protests, farcical ‘referendums’ and perpetual disrespect of the Indian flag, and defacing of Hindu temples on Canadian soil. All at the cost of straining diplomatic ties with India.
How the Modi government undertook Operation Devi Shakti to rescue Afghan Sikhs
It is worth recalling that during the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, India launched an extensive rescue operation named “Operation Devi Shakti” to evacuate its nationals and vulnerable Afghan citizens, including Sikhs and Hindus. The operation involved several evacuation flights, coordinated by the Indian government, military, and diplomatic missions. India successfully evacuated approximately 565 individuals, including several Afghan Sikhs, amid the chaotic and dangerous conditions in Kabul. While Khalistanis often attack PM Modi calling him a ‘terrorist’ and somehow “anti-Sikh”, however, it was under his government that 110 Afghan Sikhs were rescued. Before this, Afghan Sikhs had brought three hand-written Swaroop of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Afghanistan to India. India also rescued Afghanistan Member of Parliament Narender Singh Khalsa including 20 other Sikhs.
On Friday, June 28th, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar slammed TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, Saket Gokhale, and Derek O’Brien for creating a ruckus in the Parliament over the issue of NEET exams and paper leak involving other irregularities. The three MPs representing the TMC in the Rajya Sabha were creating chaos in the parliament when BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh Sudanshu Trivedi was addressing the upper house.
Dhankar slammed TMC MP asking if she came to the house to create chaos. He also slammed MP Saket Gokhale calling him a nuisance. “Sagarika Ghose, have to come to this house for this purpose? Saket, you are virtually becoming a nuisance to yourself. And Mr. Derek O’Brien you are becoming the director of all this,” Dhankar said immediately before adjourning the House.
Yesterday Om Birla, today Jagdeep Dhankhar ?
Sagarika Ghose, have you come to house for this purpose?
Saket Gokhale, you're becoming nuisance to yourself.
Dhankar earlier said that he had received 22 notices demanding discussion on the NEET examination and irregularities involved. “The government will launch a thorough investigation in the case ensuring strict punishment to the culprits. The government is working also to establish major reforms in exam-related bodies and to enhance their functioning,” he said.
The protest by opposition in both houses continued as the demonstrating parties demanded a discussion on the NEET exam and the paper leak incident. The opposition leaders yelled in the upper house of the Parliament forcing the Chairman to adjourn the House.
Also, Om Birla in the lower house asked the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to avoid creating chaos in the Parliament over the NEET issue. “We wanted to give a joint message to the students of India, on behalf of the Opposition and Government – that we consider this an important issue. So, we thought that to respect students we would have discussion on NEET today, a dedicated discussion,” Rahul Gandhi said to which Speaker Om Birla insisted that the discussion on Motion of Thanks to President’s Address be taken up first. The House was adjourned till 12 pm.
#WATCH | Lok Sabha adjourned til 12 noon. LoP Rahul Gandhi raised NEET issue and demanded, along wth Opposition MPs, that the matter be discussed. Speaker Om Birla insisted that discussion on Motion of Thanks to President's Address be taken up first.
The National Eligibility and Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, was administered by the NTA on May 5th, with around 24 lakh candidates enrolling. The results were announced on June 4th, but they were met with suspicions of question paper leaks in areas such as Bihar, among other abnormalities. The Education Ministry also canceled the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) and NEET (postgraduate) exams after receiving reports that their “integrity may have been compromised.”
Hemant Soren, the former chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha stalwart was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on 28th June. Soren was arrested by the ED in January this year in connection with a money laundering case involving a land scam.
According to his attorney, Arunabh Chowdhury, the court found him not guilty of the offence. He stated, “Bail has been granted to Soren. The court has held that prima facie he is not guilty of the offence and there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing an offence when on bail.” On 13th June, the high court reserved its decision regarding his bail petition.
SV Raju, the agency’s lawyer, contended that he would do a similar crime if he was allowed bail. The 48-year-old was eventually arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on 31st January in connection with its investigation into the money-laundering case after a protracted hide-and-seek scenario. The probe was related to an illegal possession of 8.36 acres of land. The inquiry focuses on large sums of money obtained through the falsification of official records, involving “fake sellers” and buyers who used forged or counterfeit paperwork to purchase enormous tracts of land worth crores.
The Jharkhand Police filed several First Information Reports (FIRs) in land “scam” cases against various individuals, including state government officials, which led to the money laundering inquiry. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party loyalist and state transport minister Champai Soren was named as his successor after his resignation. He reporetdly tried to dodge the inteorrgataion and even skipped nine Enforcement Directorate summons. Hemant Soren who is the executive president of the party is currently lodged in the Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi.
Notably, the Jharkhand Police had also issued to the ED officials after Soren had filed a case against the agency under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Soren had alleged that the ED’s searches at his residences were aimed at tarnishing his image and harassing him for being a tribal. But the Jharkhand High Court ordered no coercive action against ED officials after the agency filed a petition challenging Soren’s FIR.
The ED had claimed to have recovered Rs 36 lakh in cash and documents related to the investigation, alleging that Soren had acquired 8.5 acres of land through fraudulent means. The investigation revealed that a syndicate, including Revenue Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, was involved in corrupt property acquisitions.
Soren’s petition to attend the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly’s budget session was dismissed by the High Court on February 29. He had resigned as Chief Minister following his arrest in the money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
A startling incident of love jihad and sexual violation has surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad where Sameer first hid his religious identity to wed a Hindu girl and then raped her. Furthermore, he proceeded to brutally assault her when she protested after the truth came to light. Afterwards, she notified the police and they registered a First Information Report based on her complaint. The accused has now been arrested. The matter pertains to the Ankur Vihar area of Ghaziabad.
The victim stated that she became friends with a young man named Naresh, a year ago. He claimed to be a resident of Seemapuri in Delhi. The two then started to meet and talk on the phone every day. She used to work in a factory located in the Mansarovar Colony of Shahdara. However, he employed her in the same factory as him after which he began to visit her residence. On 13 March of last year, he proceeded to form a physical relationship with her under the guise of marriage and threatened her not to tell anyone.
The perpetrator brought her to a Lord Shiva temple in Haridwar after she compelled him to marry and put sindoor (vermilion) on her. They didn’t take circles around the sacred fire (Saptapadi) nor were holy mantras chanted. He though managed to deceive her and alleged that their union was now official. A month later, she went to his house in Nandnagari with him where some people called him Sameer. She grew suspicious and inquired about it after which his reality came to the fore. She learned that her alleged husband is not Naresh but a Muslim.
Moreover, it was disclosed that he in fact lived in Ghaziabad’s Shahidnagar neighbourhood. She confronted him about the shocking revelations and he beat her up. He even forced her to embrace Islam and threatened to end her life when she didn’t comply. the female added that she somehow managed to escape his clutches and returned home. She then approached the police station to seek justice. She has submitted a case against Sameer alias Naresh for sexually assaulting her by lying about his religion. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bhaskar Verma informed that the cops had apprehended the love jihad culprit and sent him to jail.
On Friday (28th June), a roof collapsed at Terminal-1 of Delhi airport leaving one dead and six injured. Even in a situation like this, the opposition parties found an opportunity to attack the Central government.
Taking to X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that in March this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Terminal-1 of Delhi Airport the roof of which he asserted collapsed today.
“…On March 10th, when Modi ji inaugurated the Delhi Ariport T1, he called himself“Doosri mitti ka insaan…” All this false bravado and rhetoric was only reserved for quickly indulging in ribbon-cutting ceremonies before Elections! Our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the Delhi airport tragedy. They bore the brunt of a Corrupt, Inept and Selfish Govt,” Kharge wrote.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also quick to blame PM Modi as she wrote, “Delhi Airport Terminal-1, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in March, suffered a roof collapse today, resulting in the tragic death of a cab driver…This is BJP’s corrupt model of “take donation and give business” which has now been exposed. The question is, will the Chief Inauguration Minister take responsibility for this poor construction work and this corrupt model?”
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Riju Dutta used the incident to attack PM Modi and claimed that PM Modi hurriedly inaugurated Terminal-1 of Delhi Airport for election campaigning. She alleged that PM Modi is “directly responsible” for the death of three people in the roof collapse.
“Roof collapse in Delhi Terminal 1 Airport departure area. 3 Dead including a cab driver in pillar collapse, at least 6 injuries. Tragedy & national shame. Flights suspended. For election campaigning, PM Modi had hurriedly “inaugurated” T1 in March even while it was under construction. From Jabalpur Airport to Ayodhya Station to now New Delhi Airport, “Photojeevi” PM’s desperation to inaugurate projects before completion for political mileage is the fundamental reason for such tragedies. He’s directly responsible for the death of 3 people who lost their lives because PM Modi was desperate to campaign,” Dutta posted.
Tamil Nadu Congress general secretary Laksmi Ramachandran claimed that the Delhi Airport is not an old one but rather “just inaugurated”. “OMG….Airport roof falling? It is not even an old airport, just inaugurated one! When will we wake up? This is what monopoly leads to….3 lives lost,” she posted.
Was Delhi Airport’s Terminal-1 inaugurated by PM Modi three months ago?
Amidst the political blame game started by the opposition parties, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidr said that the building that collapsed here is an old building and was inaugurated back in 2009.
“…we are taking this incident seriously…I want to clarify that the building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side and the building that collapsed here is an old building and was opened in 2009…” the Minister said.
#WATCH | On portion of canopy collapsed at Delhi airport's Terminal-1, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu says, "…we are taking this incident seriously…I want to clarify that the building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side and the… pic.twitter.com/ahb6d9ujc0
Notably, back in February 2009, the then Delhi Chief Minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the terminal in question at the Indira Gandhi International Airport when Praful Patel was the Civil Aviation Minister.
The Maldivian police arrested a State environment minister on Thursday (June 27th) after she was accused of performing “black magic” on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
Fathimath Shamnaz Ali Saleem, the state minister for environment, climate change, and energy, was apprehended in Male, along with two others who are said to have assisted her, local reports claim.
As per the reports, she has been held in detention for a week pending investigations without providing any specifics about her arrest. “There have been reports that Shamnaz was arrested for performing black magic on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu,” reported the Sun, a local media outlet.
Maldives Minister Fathimath Shamnaz Ali Saleem suspended for performing black magic on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, reports Maldives Media. https://t.co/EBqLKbZHY9
Her position is critical in a country at the forefront of the climate catastrophe, with UN environmental experts warning that rising sea levels could render it uninhabitable by the end of the century.
Reports mention that sorcery is not a criminal violation under the Maldives’ penal code, but it is punishable by a six-month jail sentence under Islamic law. Traditional rites are widely practiced throughout the archipelago, with the belief that they can earn favors or curse opponents.
Earlier, a 62-year-old woman was stabbed to death by three neighbors on Manadhoo in April 2023 after being accused of carrying out black magic practices, following a protracted police inquiry.
Shamnaz is the wife of Adam Rameez, a minister in the President’s Office who has also been suspended.
Shamnaz had previously served on the Male City Council alongside President Muizzu when he was the city’s mayor. However, following his election to office last year, Shamnaz withdrew from the council and was appointed as a state minister at Muliaage, the president’s official house. She was eventually reassigned to the Environment Ministry.
The administration has yet to make an official remark on the case.
Former US President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, the two contenders in the presidential race had a go at each other over their foreign policies, especially concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Hamas war.
In a televised debate on CNN on Thursday (loval time) Trump, the Republican Challenger in the US presidential elections scheduled later this year, claimed that it was the US’ “embarrassing” withdrawal from Afghanistan that prompted Putin to start the war against Ukraine. He further claimed both conflicts wouldn’t have taken place if Trump had been in office.
“He was so bad with Afghanistan, it was so embarrassing…when Putin watched that so much incompetency…when Putin says that he said ‘I think we are gonna go in,” Trump said.
“He (Putin) would have never invaded Ukraine, never, just like Israel would never have been invaded by Hamas, because Iran was broke with me. I would not let anybody do business with Iran…that’s why you had no terror at all during my administration, the whole world is blowing under him (Biden),” he further added.
President Biden defended his stance on supporting Ukraine and said Russia has lost thousands of troops and has not succeeded in its aim to capture Kyiv.
“This guy (Trump) has told Putin, do whatever you want…Putin said he would take Kyiv in five days because it was part of the old Soviet Union….he could not get it done, they have lost thousands and thousands of troops,” Biden said.
Terming Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”, Biden warned that if Russia captures Ukraine, it might lead to further conflicts in Europe.
“Putin is a war criminal. He has killed thousands of people, and he has made one thing clear, that he wants to establish the Soviet Empire, all of Ukraine. Do you think, he would stop there…if he takes Ukraine, what you think happens to Poland, Belarus, NATO countries,” the US President further said.
Meanwhile, on being asked whether Putin’s terms to end war — Ukraine not joining NATO and Russia keeping the territories it has annexed so far — Trump said it is “not acceptable” to him.
“No, they’re not acceptable,” Trump said.
He also reiterated his claim that he would end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, “before he takes office.” He also took a jibe at the US support to Ukraine so far calling Zelenskyy a “salesman.”
“But, this is a war, that never should have started. He (Biden) has given USD 200 billion or more to Ukraine…that’s a lot of money. Every time, Zelenskyy comes to the country, he walks away with USD 60 billion, he’s the greatest salesman ever,” Trump said.
“It should have never happened. I would have this war settled between Putin and Zelenskyy as president-elect before taking office on January 20,” he added.
Trump also raked up the issue of NATO, and said that other European countries “don’t wanna pay.”
“The big thing I changed is they don’t wanna pay…I got them to put up 100s of billions of dollars, I said I won’t protect if they don’t pay,” Trump said, adding that this resulted in “millions of dollars pouring in.”
The issue of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza also propped up in the debate. President Biden said that the ceasefire proposal has been accepted by Israel, and it is the Hamas that wants the war to continue.
Biden touted a plan that included trading the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a continued “ceasefire with additional conditions.”
“The only one who wants the war to continue is Hamas,” Biden said. “We’re still pushing hard to get them to accept.”
President Biden laid out a three-phase proposal in May, which he said Israel had submitted, to wind down the war in Gaza, declaring, “It’s time for this war to end.”
On the other hand, Trump said that Israel should be allowed to finish the job in Gaza, and mocked Biden as a “weak Palestinian.”
“You should let him (Israel) go and finish the job. He (Biden) has become like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he is a very bad Palestinian, a very weak one,” Trump said.
In a major takeaway, Trump did not directly answer if he would support an independent Palestinian state to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“I’d have to see…” he said.
President Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign in April 2023, describing the contest between him and Trump as a “stark choice” for voters between the continuation of democracy in America and its possible “destruction” under Trump.
He is the oldest president to ever hold office and would be 86 at the end of a second term. Polling shows that voters are far more concerned about Biden’s age than his opponent’s. But if Trump wins, he would break Biden’s record as the oldest president before the end of his term.
Meanwhile, Trump launched his bid to reclaim the White House in November 2022. He aims to reclaim the White House after his bitter exit in 2020, as he looks forward to becoming only the second commander-in-chief to win two non-consecutive terms in office.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
