Ex MLA Krishna Hegde joins Shinde led ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’

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November 29, 2022

Former MLA Krishna Hegde joins Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena — Image: ANI

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) received a major setback as former MLA Krishna Hegde on Monday joined the Eknath Shinde faction.

The development comes weeks after Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar recently joined the Eknath Shinde camp.

Eknath Shinde took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30 earlier this year. This came after a faction of Shiv Sena under Shinde shifted its alliance to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from MVA.

Since then, Maharashtra has been witnessing a tussle between both the factions of Sena as to who is the real inheritor of the legacy of Bal Thackeray.

On October 11, The Election Commission of India alloted the ‘Two Swords and Shield symbol’ to the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena a day after the group was allotted ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’ (Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena) as the name for the group of the party.

Shinde faction had submitted ‘shining sun’, ‘shield and sword’ and ‘Peepul tree’ as its election symbol options to the Election Commission (EC) for the upcoming bypoll in Andheri East assembly constituency next month.

Whereas the ‘flaming torch’ (mashaal) election symbol was allotted to the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, rejecting their claim to the ‘Trishul’ citing religious connotation.

The Election Commission also allotted ‘ShivSena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ as the party name for the Thackeray faction. Meanwhile, the ECI rejected ‘Trishul’ and ‘Gada’ (mace) as election symbols claimed by the two factions of the Shiv Sena, citing their religious connotation.

SC lawyer files police complaint against IFFI jury head for remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’

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ANI

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November 29, 2022

Supreme Court IFFI Jury Head The Kashmir Files — Representative Image

A practicing lawyer of the Supreme Court on Tuesday filed a complaint with Goa police against International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Jury Head Nadav Lapid for allegedly abusing Hindu community sacrifice made in Kashmir by calling the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ as ‘vulgar’ and ‘propaganda’.

Advocate Vineet Jindal has filed a complaint against Nadav Lapid and sought registration under sections 121,153,153A and B, 295, 298 and 505 of the Indian Penal Code for his alleged comment on the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ based on the true story of Hindu genocide in Kashmir, the complaint stated.

The film ‘The Kashmir Files’ is based on the ‘exodus and killings’ of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley in the 1990s by Islamic terrorists.

By calling a movie based on a true story on Hindu genocide by Islamic terrorists that happened in Kashmir as ‘Propaganda’ and ‘vulgar,’ he is abusing the sacrifice of Hindus in Kashmir and targeting the Hindu community by using derogatory words vulgar and propaganda upon Hindu killings just to incite hatred in our country, it added.

The complaint has been addressed to the Director general of police (DGP), in Goa and stated: “the content of the statement made by him (Nadav Lapid) clearly shows his intent of instigating enmity between groups. Being a social activist and Hindu by religion, my religious sentiments are deeply hurt by the statement made by Nadav Lapid.” complainant Advocate Vineet Jindal stated.

The statement given by Nadav is totally manipulated and with ill intention towards the Hindu Community in the grab of targeting movie Kashmir files which became clearer when one of the jury members at IFFI Sudipto Sen through his Twitter account said that “it is completely in a personal capacity- nothing to do with the esteemed jury board”, Jindal stated further.

The statement of Sudipito Sen shows that no such statement has been approved or discussed upon Kashmir Files between jury members at IFFI but Nadav must have some hidden agenda in his mind against Hindu Community which came out during his closing speech in IFFI, it added.

On the controversial statement, The Kashmir Files lead actor Anupam Kher also criticized Nadav Lapid and said, “We’ll give a proper reply. If the holocaust is right, the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is right too. Seems pre-planned as immediately after that toolkit gang became active. Shameful for him to make a statement like this.”

Anupam Kher, on IFFI Jury Head Nadav Lapid’s remarks on Kashmir Files also said, “coming from a community – Jews – who suffered the holocaust, he also pained those people who suffered this tragedy several years ago. May God give him wisdom so that he doesn’t use the tragedy of thousands & lakhs of people from the stage to fulfill his agenda.”

Shraddha Walkar murder case: Two people were sent to judicial custody as they attacked Aftab’s police van

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ANI

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November 29, 2022

Shraddha Walkar,murder case,Aftab Poonawala — Shraddha Walkar | Image: ANI

Police said that their team is trying to identify and arrest the rest of the accused. Earlier on Monday, some sword-wielding men attempted to attack the police van carrying Aaftab, outside the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) office in Delhi.

An FIR has also been registered under Sections 186, 353, 147, 148 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Prashant Vihar Police Station in this regard.

During the alleged clash, Aaftab was being taken by the police after his polygraph tests were done for the day.

According to the officials, the police personnel, escorting murder-accused Aaftab during a sword attack allegedly attempted by Hindu Sena workers, belonged to the third battalion of Delhi Police.

“The responsibility of transporting prisoners from jail to anywhere is of the third Battalion of the Delhi Police. Aaftab was escorted by five police personnel, including one SI rank as their in-charge, during the attempted attack by sword-wielders on a police van carrying Poonawala,” a police official told Agencies over the phone on the conditions of anonymity. “The police personnel and Aaftab were safe and secured,” he added.

Earlier, the FSL Director Sanjeev Gupta told Agencies that the polygraph test of Aaftab may continue on Tuesday as well. “The Expert team is conducting polygraph tests. Today’s session will be completed soon. We may need to continue the test on Tuesday as well. Once our tests are completed, the Narco test will be conducted,” he said.

The polygraph test held on Sunday could not be completed, despite Aaftab being taken to the FSL office for three days.

Aaftab is accused of strangling to death his live-in partner Shraddha and chopping her body into 35 pieces.

He is also alleged to have preserved the chopped body parts in a refrigerator before dumping them in forested areas in Delhi and Gurugram.

Police had earlier said Aaftab, who confessed to killing Shraddha and chopping her body into 35 pieces, was giving misleading answers to questions.

Delhi Police had submitted in court that Aaftab was giving wrong information and was misleading the investigation.

One-year-old girl dies due to Measles in Mumbai

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ANI

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November 28, 2022

One year old girl dies due to measles — Representative Image

A one-year-old girl died in Mumbai on Monday after contracting measles, said a statement issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

According to sources, the bay girl had a ‘heart condition’.

The minor’s death took the city’s official toll from the highly infectious disease to 14.

According to the BMC, 78 new patients with measles were admitted to hospitals on Monday while 49 were discharged on recovery.

On Thursday, a total of 22 cases of measles and nine deaths were reported in Mumbai, an official said earlier.

“Reported cases of measles are increasing. The high-risk area is Mumbai-East. A few other parts of Mumbai have also reported increasing number of cases. A total of 22 outbreaks and nine deaths have been reported (in Mumbai),” BMC’s executive health officer told the agency earlier.

The BMC on Wednesday said an 8-month-old succumbed to the disease, taking the toll this year to 12.

Amid the rise in measles cases, BMC appealed to the general public to get their children vaccinated.

“In view of the measles outbreak in Mumbai, all the citizens are requested to vaccinate their children between 9 months and 5 years of age,” read an official statement.

Raj Bhavan refutes reports of Maha gov Koshyari resigning

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PTI

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November 28, 2022

Bhagat Singh Koshyari Maharashtra Governor — Image: PTI

The Raj Bhavan on Monday termed “baseless” the reports of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari considering quitting amid the mounting pressure for his removal over controversial remarks made by him against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The chorus for Koshyari’s removal has become louder with Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, and Congress raising the pitch.

“The reports of the governor considering resignation are baseless,” Raj Bhavan sources told an agency.

Reacting to it, former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray slammed the State for not speaking against the governor’s remarks.

“Constantly insulting the State, its revered icons, social reformers & being blatantly political is a feather in the cap of the current Governor in his establishment, like none in the past of his rank. Disgraceful that he hasn’t been removed as yet and govt doesn’t speak on it!” Thackeray tweeted.

Earlier this month, Koshyari stoked a controversy by saying Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of ”olden days”, a remark which was dubbed an ”insult” to the 17th Century king and the state by the Opposition.

”Earlier, when you would be asked who your icon is — Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi used to be the answers. In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is of olden time, there are Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari,” the governor had said.

Assam Bhavan in Navi Mumbai, while Maharashtra Bhavan in Assam: CM Shinde

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Web Team

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November 28, 2022

Maharashtra Assam Guwahati Eknath Shinde — Image: PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who was on a visit to Guwahati in Assam along with his party MLAs and MPs, announced that Maharashtra Bhavan will be built in Guwahati. He also approved his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma’s request for setting up Assam Bhavan in Navi Mumbai.

“CM Shinde has approved Sarma’s request for the construction of the Assam Bhavan in Navi Mumbai, while the Assam government will provide land to set up Maharashtra Bhavan in the northeastern state,” said an official, requesting anonymity. The meeting between the two state CMs took place on Sunday morning when they discussed strengthening cooperation between the two states in the field of industries, trade and tourism. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that Assam Bhavan already exists in Navi Mumbai and while every state wants land here, Maharashtra does not have a place in other states. Shinde along with his MLAs, MPs and other leaders is on a two-day visit to Guwahati.

The CM’s visit comes five months after he along with supporting MLAs had gone to Guwahati when they raised a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray and formed an alliance with BJP.Shinde met Sarma in the same hotel in Guwahati where he and other rebel MLAs stayed for 11 days before toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Shinde, his ministers and MPs along with their families visited Kamakhya Devi temple on Saturday and later also attended a get-together with Sarma. They returned to the state on Sunday. The CM thanked Sarma for his support during the power struggle in Maharashtra and invited Sarma to Maharashtra.

During Shinde’s visit to Assam, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Mandal, started by the Marathi-speaking gazetted officers serving in Assam, met the CM and requested the construction of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sanskritik Bhavan in the state, which the CM accepted. The CM also announced the appointment of State Ports and Mines Minister Dadaji Bhuse as special coordinator for this work. Shinde said that industries minister Uday Samant will try to increase the industrial relations between Assam and Maharashtra.

Karnataka-Maha border issue: Chandrakant Patil, Shambhuraj Desai set to visit Belagavi on Dec 3

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ANI

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November 28, 2022

Maharashtra Karnataka border issue Chandrakant Patil — Image: PTI

Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai have been appointed as coordinating ministers for the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue. Both ministers are set to visit Belagavi in Karnataka on December 3.

Belgaum or Belagavi is currently part of Karnataka, but is claimed by Maharashtra.

As per media reports, the long-running Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute started back in 1953, after the Maharashtra government objected to the inclusion of 865 villages including Belagavi.

The villages are spread across Belagavi and the north-western and north-eastern regions of Karnataka – all bordering Maharashtra.

After the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, 1956, the Maharashtra government demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka.

Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer predominantly Kannada-speaking 260 villages, but it was turned down by Karnataka.

Now, both Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter, and the matter is still pending.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government is contemplating an all-party meeting soon in connection with the issue. Recently, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has asked the Karnataka government to hold an all-party meeting on the Belagavi border dispute with Maharashtra and allow its representative to join the meeting.

In a letter to Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka state president of AAP Prithvi Reddy demanded an all-party meeting in Karnataka to resolve the issue and requested him to allow a representative of AAP attend the meeting.

“The time has come for all parties to come together and fight against the attempts made to harm the interest of our state. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is committed to protecting the interest of the state and the state government should invite us for the all-party meeting,” Prithvi Reddy said in the letter.

“Although the Aam Aadmi Party is yet to be recognized as a national party as per the law of the Election Commission of India. However, in the current scenario, the Aam Aadmi Party can be considered as a national party and called for the meeting,” the letter said.

“Therefore, I assure you that our party’s contribution to the all-party meeting will be strong, innovative and worthwhile. The Chief Minister should make full efforts in the interest of the state,” Prithvi Reddy said in the letter.

Another macabre murder in Delhi; Man chopped into 10 pieces, buried skull

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ANI

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November 28, 2022

As the investigation into the brutal Shraddha Walker’s murder case is still underway, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police have cracked a similar crime in the eastern part of the national capital.

Delhi Police crime branch has arrested a young man in east Delhi’s Pandav Nagar for allegedly murdering his step-father with the help of his mother at their residence in Trilokpuri.

The accused have been identified as Poonam and Deepak while the deceased as Anjan Das, who married Poonam in 2017 after her ex-husband died in 2016.

They chopped the body into 10 pieces after killing the man and these pieces were stored in a fridge and disposed of over several days. The woman and her son confessed to the grisly crime, police said.

On May 30, the accused made deceased Anjan drink liquor and mixed sleeping pills in it. Then they slit his throat and left the body in the home for a day for the blood to drain out completely. Then they chopped off the body in 10 pieces. The police, however, have recovered six parts of the body.

“On June 5 some body parts were recovered in Ramlila maidan, East district. Then for the next 3 days two legs, two thighs, a skull and a forearm were recovered and then the case was filed,” DCP Crime of Delhi Police Amit Goel said.

Special CP Crime Ravinder Yadav said, “Mother Poonam and son Deepak dumped the body pieces of Anjan Das in isolated areas like behind the Ramlila Maidan, and New Ashok Nagar drain. They also buried the skull.”

According to the Crime Branch officials, the accused buried the deceased’s skull. The police said that Poonam was furious after she learnt that her husband had sold her jewellery and sent the money to his first wife, who lived in Bihar with their eight children.

“The situation in Anjan’s family worsened after Deepak got married and the deceased used to have ill intentions towards his wife and one of Deepak’s sisters who used to live with them. Anjan used to take all their earnings but wasn’t earning himself,” Ravinder Yadav further said.

DCP Crime, Delhi Police Amit Goel said that efforts were made to identify the body for which door-to-door verification was done.

“It seemed like a gruesome murder. Footages were analysed, door-to-door verification was done and the body was identified,” Goel said.

Goel further said that It was found that the deceased was missing for the last 5-6 months and there was no missing complaint filed by the family members.

BBC journalist held and handcuffed while covering the protest in China over Covid restrictions

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ANI

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November 28, 2022

Arrested,China, BBC Journalist,Protest — Arrested | Image: Representative

In worrying news around the ongoing mass anti-Covid restrictions protests across China, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has expressed concern over the treatment meted out by Chinese authorities, to its journalist, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering a similar ongoing protest in Shanghai.

In a statement, BBC showed concern over the reports that its journalist in China, Ed Lawrence was beaten and kicked by the police while he was being arrested.

“The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai. He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” BBC said.

The BBC said it is very worrying that one of their accredited journalists was attacked in this way whilst carrying out his official duties. “We have had no official explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught Covid from the crowd. We do not consider this a credible explanation,” the statement added. Meanwhile, huge protests continue across many cities in China. In an unprecedented show of defiance against the zero-Covid policy, protestors are even heard chanting “Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party,” according to a CNN report.

This large-scale protest was apparently sparked by an apartment block fire in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang province, which killed at least 10 people on Thursday and has acted as a catalyst for searing public anger.

According to media reports, much of the demonstration started as videos emerged that seemed to suggest lockdown measures delayed firefighters from reaching the victims. From the capital Beijing to the financial hub of Shanghai, people reportedly gathered to mourn the dead from the Xinjiang fire, while holding protests against zero-Covid policies.

By Sunday evening, on dozens of university campuses, students demonstrated or put up protest posters. Protests also spread to Chengdu, Guangzhou and Wuhan, where residents called for not only an end to Covid restrictions.

At Tsinghua University, in the capital city Beijing, students gathered on a square to protest against zero-Covid. Videos and images circulating on social media show students holding up sheets of white paper and shouting: “Democracy and rule of law! Freedom of expression!”

According to CNN, residents in locked-down neighborhoods tore down barriers and took to the streets, following mass anti-lockdown protests in Urumqi on Friday. Such widespread scenes of anger and defiance are rare in China, where the ruling Communist Party clamps down on all forms of dissent. However, the increase in COVID restrictions long detested across the country has brought matters to a head.

Covid restrictions leave Tibetans tortured, traumatised, harassed, and helpless

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ANI

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November 27, 2022

Tibetans, China, Covid-19 — Tibetans | Image: ANI

China’s zero-Covid policy has made the life of local Tibetans a living hell.

They suffer inhuman Covid restrictions that leave Tibetans tortured, traumatised, harassed, and helpless, as they are not even allowed to protest or contact their families outside Tibet.

China’s zero-Covid policy mismanagement of the virus has left the Tibetans suffering from a shortage of necessary supplies. This includes both medical and food-related items. They are not allowed to protest and express their opinions, Tibet Press reported.

A video was posted on Twitter which showed that the food prices in Tibet have increased and people who speak against it have been subjected to state-instigated violence.

The video shows Chinese guards assaulting locals, handcuffing them, and stopping them using pepper spray. Their phones had also been snatched so that they are not able to contact anyone, Tibet Press reported referring to a video from Free Tibet. Because of the Tibetans being treated inhumanely by Chinese authorities, five people committed suicide from the top of a building in Lhasa. Such suicides were a form of silent protest against the extremely strict Covid protocols implemented by China in Tibet.

The Chinese authorities instead of controlling the disease are just tightening the Covid protocols even further which is causing more harm than benefit to locals.

People in Tibet have even lost the spirit of protest as they will be stripped from the minimum supplies that they are getting currently from the Chinese oppressors. Tibet Press reported citing a pro-Tibet advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet report that the Chinese authorities even in these critical conditions that the Tibet locals are exposed to have been pouring effort into controlling social media as this could lead to the whole world knowing about the atrocities that China has made Tibet go through.

These Covid protocols and other restrictions are biased against the locals from Tibet. Around 200 locals were jailed while suppressing a major protest that broke out in October this year in Lhasa and this was the largest protest after 2008. This group consisted of Han Chinese migrants that had come to Lhasa in search of jobs. These protests broke into a scuffle between Chinese officials and locals. There were even cases when people threatened to burn themselves if these Covid protocols were not lifted. Although, most of the Chinese migrants were released the Tibet locals were still held back saying that they will be released on October 29. But Tibet Press quoted Radio Free Asia’s local source that said, as of now there is no information regarding these detained Tibet individuals from the Chengdu region and Tibet. The source claimed to be a friend of one of these detainees held in prison. Yet another report mentioned that all these restrictions in Lhasa were imposed without any further notice and this left all the locals without preparations. In some cases, these restrictions were made so strict that the detection of one case got the whole building and even whole compounds sealed in some cities.

In September this year Tibet Press released a report which said that these restrictions are sheer mismanagement of Covid as most of the countries are actually recovering from Covid but China is still suffering from it. And all these Covid restrictions are making the conditions worse as many Tibetans have left Tibet under the pressure of these restrictions. These restrictions are not only making the life of Tibet locals worse but there has been no improvement in the conditions of the locals. And in between all this China is still producing an image of controlling Covid in the best way possible. But all this must come in front of the world and China must be made to answer for all the atrocities that it has exposed Tibetans to.