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Bolivia: Coup attempt by Army commander fails, President Luis Arce thanks people for support

Bolivian President Luis Arce thanked people after a ‘coup attempt’ which saw armoured vehicles ramming into the doors of the government palace failed on Wednesday (local time), Al Jazeera reported.

Bolivian authorities arrested the outgoing general commander of the army, Juan Jose Zuniga, after troops pulled back from the square and newly appointed army chief Jose Wilson Sanchez ordered all mobilised troops to return to their barracks.

Troops led by army general commander Juan Jose Zuniga started withdrawing from the area around the presidential palace, after Arce called for the country to “defend democracy” and fired Zuniga along with the heads of the navy and air force.
“Many thanks to the Bolivian people,” said Arce. “Long live democracy.”

Armed soldiers gathered around Murillo Plaza, a main square in La Paz where the national executive and legislative offices are located, CNN reported.

The footage on Bolivian television showed Arce facing down Zuniga in the palace hallway.

“I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce said.
Taking to social media platform X, the Bolivian President said, “We denounce irregular mobilizations of some units of the Bolivian Army. Democracy must be respected.”

Newly appointed army chief Jose Wilson Sanchez ordered all mobilised troops to return to their barracks, stating that “no one wants the images we’re seeing in the streets”, Al Jazeera reported.

The public prosecutor’s office said it open a criminal investigation into those behind the failed attempt against the government.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales also denounced the incident. Morales, who publicly split from his one-time ally Arce, also called on “the social movements of the countryside and the city to defend democracy.”

Morales resigned in 2019 following mounting protests over accusations of fraud in the elections; at the time, he claimed he was forced out in a coup, as reported by CNN.

Latin American leaders and organisations also expressed alarm over the effort on Wednesday, with officials from countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Peru, Honduras, Paraguay and Colombia denouncing the army’s moves as an attack on democracy.
A spokesperson for the White House said that the United States urges calm and restraint and that the Biden administration is monitoring developments, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“We condemned the events in Bolivia. The army must submit itself to the legitimately elected civil power,” Luis Almagro, leader of the Organization of American States (OAS) said following news reports that a tank had slammed into the doors of the national palace, clearing a path for soldiers to enter.

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

MP: Ramzan, Altaf and others attack Hindu shop worker over Instagram story in Burhanpur, 8 arrested

In Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur district, a medical shop worker named Sumit Jadhav was attacked by several Muslim youths including Mohammad Ramzan and his son Altaf over an Instagram story put up by Jadhav. The incident left Sumit Jadhav and three others injured. The incident unfolded in the Sirpur village under the Khaknar Police Station precinct. The police have registered a case of assault and attempt to murder against thirteen people, out of which eight have been arrested and five are still absconding. Four people were injured in this incident and are undergoing treatment at a district hospital.

In Sirpur village, Khaknar police station, Burhanpur district, a social media post sparked a conflict. The incident began when a local youth posted an Instagram story about the results of a local buffalo fight game (Pada). The Muslim accused became enraged at this post. Soon the verbal argument started on Instagram took a violent turn. CCTV footage of the fight has recently surfaced online, showing the accused persons thrashing with victim Sumit Jadhav with sticks.

Meanwhile, SP Devendra Patidar has deployed a police force of four stations to manage the situation. The police have assured that stringent action would be taken to ensure peace and that those who disrupt law and order will be punished. The village is currently peaceful, but the police are on high alert and patrolling the area to avert clashes. The police said that accused Altaf had commented on Jadhav’s Instagram story and the two later verbally confronted each other in person. However, within half an hour, Altaf called his father Mohammad Ramzan and 10 to 12 other of his family members with lathis. They brutally attacked the victim.

‘Bulldoze unauthorised pubs, bars, and all drug-related illegal constructions in Thane, Mira-Bhainder area’: Maharashtra CM Shinde

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Chief Minister Eknath Shinde instructed the Municipal Commissioners and Police Commissioners of Thane and Mira-Bhainder to bulldoze all the illegal constructions related to drugs in the cities.

According to the statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, CM Shinde on Wednesday directed to take strict action against illegal pubs, and bars in the city to make Thane and Mira-Bhainder city drug-free.

It was recently noticed that some youths were consuming drugs in Pune. Taking serious notice of this, CM Shinde ordered the Pune Police Commissioner and Municipal Commissioner to use bulldozers to destroy the unauthorized constructions related to drugs.

After that, extensive activities were carried out in this regard in Pune city. Now, in the same way, illegal constructions related to drugs in Thane City and Mira-Bhyander City should be destroyed by using bulldozers, suggested the Chief Minister.

Drug abuse is causing a great loss to the youth. It is important to stop this scourge immediately.

Earlier, exuding confidence in achieving the target of making India a drug-free nation on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the government is pacing towards achieving this goal.

In a post on X, Shah said, “Greetings on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi Ji, our government is firm in its commitment to making India a drug-free nation and is pacing towards achieving this goal with a whole-of-government approach. Let us all fortify our resolve to liberate the nation from the scourge of drugs and gift a better world to our future generations.”

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is annually observed on June 26 to create awareness about issues related to drugs and strengthen action and cooperation to make the world free of drug abuse.

Across the world, many individuals, organizations, and communities come together on this day to inform people about the problems faced by society due to illegal drugs.

This year’s theme “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention” recognizes that effective drug policies must be rooted in science, research, full respect for human rights, compassion, and a deep understanding of the social, economic, and health implications of drug use. 

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

Following Delhi LG’s order, Directorate of Education re-instates all 594 vocational trainers who were fired by Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government  

On Wednesday (26th June), the Directorate of Education in Delhi repealed its earlier order passed last month and re-instated all the 594 vocational trainers who were fired from their jobs by the AAP government. The department has taken the decision following the directions of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. Earlier on Saturday, a delegation of BJP leaders met with the Delhi LG with a demand to restore the skill trainers. The delegation included all seven BJP MPs from Delhi. 

After the meeting with Delhi LG, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj stated that the Delhi government has got Rs 38 crore sanctioned for the salaries of the vocational trainers for the year 2024-25. Yet, they gave a bizarre reason, heatwave, to sack the teachers. “We have discussed this issue with the Delhi LG”, she added. 

Now, on Wednesday, the Directorate of Education, Vocational Education Branch, GNCTD issued an order reinstating all the 594 vocational teachers. The order states, “In view of the representations made by Part Time Vocational Teachers (PTVTs)/Vocational Trainers & others, the Order no. DE-45/VE/NSQF/10/ 2019/136-141 dated 27/05/2024 is rescinded. This issues with the prior approval of the Competent Authority.”

Following the decision, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva congratulated all the 594 teachers and expressed gratitude to the Delhi LG. 

Taking to X, he slammed the Delhi government for its earlier order released on 27th May 2024 through which, it fired 594 vocational teachers under the Directorate of Education. The BJP leader added that the Kejriwal government fired the teachers who had been serving for over two to three decades. 

He mentioned that when they learned about the 27th May order, they met Delhi LG and requested him to take adequate measures stating that the decision of the Kejriwal government is illegal.

Taking to X, he shared a copy of the new order reinstating all the terminated vocational teachers. He wrote, “The Kejriwal government of Delhi passed an order on 27 May 2024 and fired 594 vocational teachers under the Directorate of Education overnight! Kejriwal government fired teachers who had been serving for 25-30 years!”

He added, “When this matter came to our notice, we, along with all the seven MPs, met Hon’ble @LtGovDelhi ji and requested him that this decision of the Kejriwal government is illegal. Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor accepted our request and on his orders, the Directorate of Education has repealed its wrong decision and reinstated the teachers!” 

DoT concludes Spectrum Auction for 2023-24, earns ₹11,340 crores from sale of 141.4 MHz spectrum in multiple frequency bands

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, has successfully concluded the Spectrum Auction 2023-24, marking a step in meeting the evolving spectrum needs of India’s telecom service providers.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Communications, the auction, held over two days from June 25 to June 26, resulted in the sale of 141.4 MHz of spectrum across multiple frequency bands, generating a total revenue of Rs 11,340 crores.

The auction aimed to address the expiring spectrum licences set for renewal in 2024 and to sell off unsold spectrum from the previous auction held in 2022.

The auction offered spectrum across the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands.

However, activity was primarily seen in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2500 MHz bands, with no bids in the 800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands, likely due to recent 5G spectrum allocations.

The auction saw participation from all three major telecom operators in India–Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, and Vodafone Idea–who collectively purchased 141.4 MHz of spectrum, accounting for 26.5% of the available 533.6 MHz.

The total revenue from the auction amounted to Rs 11,340 crores.

Bharti Airtel acquired a portion of spectrum, securing 42 MHz in the 900 MHz band, 35 MHz in the 1800 MHz band, and 20 MHz in the 2100 MHz band, totaling 97 MHz of spectrum. This acquisition amounted to Rs 6,856.76 crores.

Reliance Jio Infocomm focused its bids on the 900 MHz band, acquiring 14.4 MHz of spectrum for Rs 973.62 crores.

Vodafone Idea secured spectrum in three bands, including 18.8 MHz in the 900 MHz band, 1.2 MHz in the 1800 MHz band, and 10 MHz in the 2500 MHz band, totaling 30 MHz for Rs 3,510.40 crores.


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

Uttar Pradesh: Maulvi Azizul Rehman rapes a minor student inside a madrassa in Rampur, arrested

A shocking case of rape of a minor student inside a Madrassa has come to light in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh. The accused has been identified as Azizul Rehman. He is the Maulana of Jamia Arabia Sirajul Uloom Madrassa and used to impart religious teachings to students. After committing the heinous act, he threatened the victim that he would kill him if he told anyone about his acts. The accused also used to try to take the minor to his home.

Based on the complaint filed by the victim’s father, the police registered an FIR on Tuesday (25th June 2024). The Police then arrested Maulana Azizul. This incident took place in the Azimnagar police station area of Rampur district. In Nanglia Ankil village, there is a madrasa named Jamia Arabia Sirajul Uloom. A 15-year-old student from the Milak Khanam area of Rampur also studies in this madrasa.

In the complaint, the father stated that his son was taking religious education at the madrasa where Maulana Azizul Rehman teaches students. He is a resident of the same village where the madrassa is located. According to the complaint, on several occasions during the last one year, the accused Maulana used to remove the victim’s pajama and raped the minor victim by indulging in unnatural sex.  

It is alleged that the Maulana sometimes used to entice the minor while at other times he used to threaten him. After sexually assaulting the minor, Azizul would threaten the victim, saying he would kill him if he told anyone about his acts. On Monday, (24th June), the Maulana started pressuring the victim to come to his house. Somehow, the student managed to escape and reach his home.

After reaching home, he narrated his ordeal to his family. The next day, the victim’s father filed a complaint with the police. Subsequently, the police registered an FIR against Maulana Azizul under Sections 377 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 3/4 of the POCSO Act.

Police teams were formed, and they immediately initiated a search for the Maulana. Just a few hours later, on Tuesday, the accused Maulana was arrested. Investigation and other legal actions are being carried out in the case. OpIndia has a copy of the complaint related to this case.

Rajasthan: MBBS student undergoes dialysis 4 times after suffering kidney damage in ragging, 7 senior students booked for forcing 1st year students to do 300 sit-ups in sweltering heat

A shocking case of ragging has come to light in a medical college in Dungarpur, Rajasthan. A first-year MBBS student had to undergo dialysis four times after allegedly being brutally ragged by some senior students last month, which caused an infection in his kidney, police said. After the anti-ragging committee found the allegations against senior students to be true, the college suspended the students and the college principal lodged an FIR against seven students. 

It is alleged that the seniors summoned over 50 first-year students to a hill where they were forced to do over 300 sit-ups in sweltering heat on 15th May. The temperature had reached 48° C on that day. As a result, one student’s health deteriorated, and he was rushed to a hospital in Dungarpur. But there was no improvement in his health, after which his family took him to a private hospital in Gujarat. The doctors there revealed that his kidney and liver suffered damage, causing kidney infection. 

4-5 other students also needed treatment after the brutal ragging, but they recovered after primary medical care.

According to the SHO of Dungarpur Sadar police station, Girdhari Singh, seven second-year students made the victim do more than 300 sit-ups at a place near the college on 15th May. This exerted severe pressure on his kidney, leading to a malfunction and an infection, he said.

The Police officer added that the victim was hospitalised in Ahmedabad for a week during which dialysis was done four times. As per the Police, the student is now stable and he rejoined college in June. The student had enrolled in the college in September of last year.

The SHO stated that the college principal lodged an FIR against seven accused students on Tuesday (25th June) after they were found guilty in an inquiry by the anti-ragging committee of the institute. 

The police officer further stated, “He had faced ragging earlier too but did not complain. The latest incident came to light after the college authority received a complaint through the online portal on June 20 following which an inquiry was conducted.”

An FIR was filed against seven students. They have been booked under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (offence committed in prosecution of common object), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 352 ( assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation). The matter is being investigated, the SHO said.

Speaking with ETV Bharat, the father of the victim claimed that along with his son, there were more than 50 other first-year students, who were ragged on 15th May. He claimed, “As many as 40 second-year students harassed the freshers. They were tortured so badly that one had to be hospitalised.” 

He also said that his son’s muscle snapped as a result of intense physical exertion, which caused kidney and liver infections. He said that his son was shifted to the hospital after calling an ambulance via 108 service, and later the student was admitted to Zydus hospital in Ahmedabad.

A first-year student named Harshit Khanna also confirmed that students of his class were ragged by the senior students. He said that 3-4 students suffered deterioration of health as a result, and one of them had to be hospitalised.

A Deccan Herald report identified the seven students as Devendra Meena, Ankit Yadav, Ravindra Kulriya, Surjit Dabriya, Vishwavendra Dhayal, Siddharath Parihar, and Aman Ragera. Meanwhile, there is ambiguity about the identity of the victim. While news agency PTI has not revealed the identity of the victim or the accused students, some media reports claimed that the victim’s name is Pratham Vyas, while others identify him as Vikas.

Meanwhile, a separate incident of ragging emerged from the Bordumsa sub-division in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district. The incident occured at a boarding school on 25th June at around 2 PM. As per reports, around two dozen class 8 students were injured following an attack by Class 11 students at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Bordumsa. The boarding school has around 530 students and 18 teachers. Following the incident, the school’s principal, Rajiv Ranjan, stated that a disciplinary committee met promptly and decided to suspend five students involved in the ragging.

Sam Pitroda, who resigned over his racist remarks about Indians during Lok Sabha elections, re-appointed as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress

Congress ideologue Sam Pitroda, who resigned following outrage over his racist remarks against Indians during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, was re-appointed as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.

The All India Congress Committee shared a notification on June 26, 2024, announcing that the Congress President has reappointed Sam Pitroda as the chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.

On 8 May 2024, the Indian Overseas Congress President Sam Pitroda resigned from his post after his racist remarks about Indians from various regions, and the backlash that followed it. The resignation was accepted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Pitroda had claimed that Indians native to the Eastern side of the country resemble Chinese people, those living in the West appear Middle Eastern while North Indians look like ‘white people’ and the ones in the South are similar in appearance to the people of ‘Africa’.

Sam Pitroda stated, “We could hold a country together as diverse as India where people on the East look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arab, people on the North look like maybe White and people in the South look like Africa. Doesn’t matter. We are all brothers and sisters. We all respect different languages. We all respect different religions, different looks, different customs. different food and as a Gujarati, I love dosa, I love idli. That’s my food. That’s no longer South Indian food. Okay, that’s the India I believe in where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit.”

Pitroda’s earlier comment on inheritance tax

Sam Pitroda was in the news last month for doubling down on ‘inheritance tax’. Amidst outrage over the Congress party’s ‘wealth redistribution’ poll promise, Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s advisor Sam Pitroda has suggested that a US-like inheritance tax should be brought in India. Pitroda while explaining the inheritance tax claimed that in the US, 55% of the wealth is grabbed by the government when a person dies and the rest goes to the family, suggesting that Congress can bring a similar policy under its wealth redistribution promise.

Sam Pitroda’s ‘Hua toh Hua’ comment to shrug off the 1984 Sikh genocide

Sam Pitroda is best known for his callous comment shrugging off the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in a bid to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is not the first time when Pitroda has shrugged off a serious topic on a casual note. Earlier, he had insulted the Pulwama martyrs by trivialising the attack and towing Pakistan line by demanding proof of the Balakot airstrikes.

“Ab kya hai ’84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. ’84 mein hua to hua. Aapne kya kiya? (now what about ’84? What did you do in 5 years, talk about that. What happened in ’84 had happened. What did you do?) You were voted to create jobs. You were voted to create 200 smart cities. Aapne wo bhi nahi kiya. Aapne kuch nahi kiya isliye aap yahan wahan gup lagate hain (you didn’t do that also. You didn’t do anything hence you are talking here and there)”, he said.

Chhattisgarh: NSUI president Surykant Verma nabbed in relation to Balodabazar violence, stolen phone recovered; religious symbol of Satnami community was desecrated

On the 26th of June, the 25-year-old state president of the Congress party student wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) in Chhattisgarh was taken into custody along with six others by the police in connection with the intense violence and arson that occurred in Balodabazar of the Balodabazar-Bhatapara district in the state. He also allegedly stole a mobile during the unrest.

The authorities are continuously taking action in the matter. The accused has been identified as Surykant Verma who is charged with vandalism and theft of a phone. The cops have apprehended one hundred and forty-five people till now and put them behind bars. The case is still under investigation.

The controversy that erupted on the intervening night of 15th and 16th May is related to the Satnami community of the area. A holy symbol known as “jaitkham” or “victory pillar” worshipped by the community which was near the Amar Gufa at Giroudpuri Dham in Balodabazar was damaged which infuriated the locals and later led to the arrest of three individuals. Three labourers from Bihar were alleged to have defiled the sacred symbol out of aggravation over not receiving payment. They were reportedly intoxicated.

However, the action did not placate the people who accused the issue was being suppressed and the real culprits were not captured. The community members then met with the administration and demanded an inquiry. They also declared a one-day protest. The scheduled date of this demonstration was 10th June. The agitation started peacefully but quickly turned violent which deteriorated the situation. The national flag was also disrespected in the SP (Superintendent of Police) and Collector’s office and a white flag was hoisted there.

Many vehicles were damaged and incidents of arson also transpired. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai removed the Collector and SP because of the declining state of law and order. Meanwhile, measures were taken to deal with the miscreants. After the chaos, two days later, more than 100 rioters were nabbed. Now, 145 accused persons including members of an outfit named Bhim Regiment have been caught and 13 First Information Reports have been registered in the case.

On 10th June a mob set fire to a complex housing government offices, including those of the district collector and the Superintendent of Police. They also torched more than 150 vehicles, including two and four-wheelers, in Balodabazar city during the agitation. The district administration enforced section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which forbids gatherings of four or more people in the region in response to the unrest that resulted in arson and stone-pelting.

Police were using CCTV footage, recordings and technical evidence to identify and apprehend the people responsible for the chaos. The Satnami community is the largest Scheduled Castes group in Chhattisgarh. It was formed by the social reformer Baba Guru Ghasidas in the medieval era.

Inhumane, disgusting: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni pays homage to Indian worker who died after being dumped by employers after his hand was chopped by machinery

On Wednesday, June 26th, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni paid homage to Satnam Singh, who was dumped by his employers after his hand was chopped off in an accident while working at a farm in Italy. She spoke of the horrible and inhumane death condemning a disgusting attitude from his employer. “This is the worst Italy that profits from desperation,” she said after which all the deputies present in the Chamber stood up and applauded her in honor.

“These are inhumane acts that do not belong to the Italian people, and I hope that this barbarity will be punished harshly,” she added.

Earlier this week, 31-year-old Satnam Singh of Punjab died tragically after his employer abandoned him on the road without medical attention after his arm was cut by heavy farm gear. Singh was hurt by heavy machinery while working in a vegetable field in Lazio, close to Rome. The Embassy of India in Rome announced on Wednesday via X that it was aware of the tragic death of an Indian national in Latina, Italy.

“He was thrown out like a dog. There is exploitation every day, we suffer it every day, and it must end now. We come here to work, not to die,” Gurmukh Singh, head of the Indian community in the Lazio region of central Italy told media.

Meanwhile, Muktesh Pardeshi, Secretary (CPV and OIA), Ministry of External Affairs, expressed India’s grave concern to Luigi Vignali, Director General for Italian Citizens Abroad and Migration Policies, about Satnam Singh’s killing and demanded immediate action against those involved. The Indian embassy is currently contacting the victim’s family for diplomatic assistance and transportation of mortal remains.

As per the reports, Singh was left outside his home after sustaining injuries to his arm and legs, with his amputated limb placed in a fruit crate. The farm’s owner, Renzo Lovato, expressed his grief over the disaster but said Singh had been warned not to approach the machine that would hurt him. “The worker did it his own way. It was carelessness, unfortunately,” Lovato said.

Thousands of Indian farm laborers meanwhile in Italy protested after the incident and called for an end to “slavery.”

An inquiry into Lovato’s son, who allegedly abandoned Singh outside his home, has been launched, with potential accusations of manslaughter and failing to aid a person in danger.