India News
IAS officer hails daughter who was stalked by Haryana BJP chief’s son for taking on ‘worst form of chauvinism’
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In a series of Facebook posts which have gone viral, Virender Kundu, additional chief secretary in the BJP-led Haryana government, and his daughter – Varnika – describe the terrifying events of Friday night when Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son, Vikas, allegedly stalked Varnika. Vikas and his friend Ashish were arrested on Saturday but let out on bail.
In an admirable display of courage, Varnika Kundu – the woman who was, on Friday night, stalked and “almost kidnapped” by Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son Vikas while returning from Chandigarh to her home in Panchkula – and her father, Virender Kundu, took to Facebook to recount the ordeal.
In a series of Facebook posts that have gone viral since, Virender Kundu, additional chief secretary (tourism) in the ML Khattar-led BJP government, went on to hail his daughter for taking on the “worst form of chauvinism manifested in our society”.
The BJP government in Haryana has been on the back-foot ever since news broke about the identity of those accused and chief minister ML Khattar has asserted that Subhash Barala could not be held responsible for the alleged actions of his son.
However, Virender Kundu made it clear that “I do not believe the parents of these men (accused Vikas and Ashish) are responsible for their crimes” but added: “We will not interfere with the investigation or the prosecution, just as we do not want the accused to influence the investigation in any way”.
Varnika Kundu and Vikas Barala
In one of the several Facebook posts that Virender wrote since Monday morning, he says tells Varnika that his difficulties on account of her filing a police complaint “are nothing compared to yours” and, in a touching paternal gesture says: “We will not let criminals or their stooges affect your value system, or the quality of the life you have chosen for your selves”.
On August 5, in a brave move that is unfortunately not seen enough in cases of stalking, sexual harassment and violence, Varnika had taken to Facebook to give a vivid description of the ordeal that she faced in the late hours of the previous day.
Read Varnika’s account here:[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tJTJGcGx1Z2lucyUyRnBvc3QucGhwJTNGaHJlZiUzRGh0dHBzJTI1M0ElMjUyRiUyNTJGd3d3LmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbSUyNTJGVmFybmlrYUt1bmR1JTI1MkZwb3N0cyUyNTJGMTAxNTU3NTkyNTAzOTYyODIlMjZ3aWR0aCUzRDUwMCUyMiUyMHdpZHRoJTNEJTIyNTAwJTIyJTIwaGVpZ2h0JTNEJTIyNTY3JTIyJTIwc3R5bGUlM0QlMjJib3JkZXIlM0Fub25lJTNCb3ZlcmZsb3clM0FoaWRkZW4lMjIlMjBzY3JvbGxpbmclM0QlMjJubyUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93VHJhbnNwYXJlbmN5JTNEJTIydHJ1ZSUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]The accused, Vikas and Ashish, had been arrested by the Chandigarh police after Varnika filed a complaint against the at Chandigarh’s Sector 26 police station under Section 354 D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act (driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs), were let out on bail the same day.
While sternly standing behind his brave daughter, Virender also reached out to people through his Facebook posts to seek their support in his family’s quest for ensuring that the guilty are punished in accordance with legal provisions but more importantly also addressed the larger issue of harassment of women saying: “The issue is, does our country allow a woman to live as a free and equal citizen, and if she is wronged, does it give her enough confidence to even claim justice? If not, we are no better than a lawless, barbaric society”.
Read Virender Kundu’s Facebook post here:[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tJTJGcGx1Z2lucyUyRnBvc3QucGhwJTNGaHJlZiUzRGh0dHBzJTI1M0ElMjUyRiUyNTJGd3d3LmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbSUyNTJGdnNrdW5kdSUyNTJGcG9zdHMlMjUyRjEwMjEyMDA4MzMzMzgxMjk1JTI2d2lkdGglM0Q1MDAlMjIlMjB3aWR0aCUzRCUyMjUwMCUyMiUyMGhlaWdodCUzRCUyMjI4NyUyMiUyMHN0eWxlJTNEJTIyYm9yZGVyJTNBbm9uZSUzQm92ZXJmbG93JTNBaGlkZGVuJTIyJTIwc2Nyb2xsaW5nJTNEJTIybm8lMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvd1RyYW5zcGFyZW5jeSUzRCUyMnRydWUlMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZpZnJhbWUlM0UlMEE=[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]
Case getting more controversial by the minute:
While the Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala has been incommunicado since news of his son’s arrest in the stalking case went viral, his deputy Ramveer Bhatti came out with a shocking statement, on Monday, questioning why Varnika “allowed to stay out late”. “Parents must take care of their children… they shouldn’t allow them to roam at night. Children should come home on time, why stay out at night? Bhatti said.
It has also emerged that while the Chandigarh police arrested Vikas and Ashish after Varnika’s complaint and initially charged the accused under five different sections of the Indian Penal Code, two sections – IPC Sections 365 and 511 – which relate to kidnapping were later dropped, ostensibly to let the duo seek immediate bail.
The Chandigarh police later explained that it has asked for legal opinion on whether the two charges that were dropped should be re-introduced in the complaint and if they get an affirmative response the charges will be invoked following which Vikas and Ashish could be arrested again.
Curiously, the Chandigarh police also said, on Monday, that there was no CCTV footage available of the incident even though there were nine such cameras installed in the route along which Varnika was stalked on Friday night. Deputy superintendent of police, Satish Kumar told the media that they tried to get CCTV footage from the nine cameras but “all were found to be non-functional”.
The Congress, which is the principal Opposition party in Haryana, has alleged that the Chandigarh police – which comes under the Union home ministry – were trying to cover up the matter to shield Subhash Barala and his son. “The home ministry which directly controls the Chandigarh administration, and the police, are conspiring to hush up the matter to protect the Haryana BJP president and his son,” said Congress party’s media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also a senior leader from Haryana. Surjewala also questioned why the CCTV cameras were non-functional in the first place and alleged that “due to the police and administration’s neglect of infrastructure that is meant to monitor criminal activity, crucial video evidence of what happened that night is believed to be lost”.
Never one to miss a chance for sound bytes, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP, Subramanian Swamy too jumped into the row claiming he had asked his associate, advocate AP Jagga in Chandigarh to explore the possibility of filing a PIL in the case.
“We have to look at what action the Chandigarh and Haryana police take in next 72 hours in the case and then we will decide if we need to file the PIL. We will issue a statement in this regard…We want the police to book the accused under appropriate sections of law”, Jagga told media persons in Chandigarh shortly after Swamy announced his intent on Twitter about filing the litigation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
Mumbai: Teenager steals family ornaments worth Rs 7.40 lakh and sells them to have fun with his friends
According to reports the boy’s father Selvin Armadurai (48) is a businessman based in Andheri East. Selvin lives with his wife Jaba. The couple have two children. Selvin’s son Edin Joy is 16 years old. He goes to the 11th grade at Shriniwas Bagraga College. His daughter is 14 years old and studies in Class 9.
A teenager stole family ornaments and sold them for enjoyment with his friends in Andheri (East). After his father came to know about the theft the teenager’s father lodged a complaint against his son for allegedly stealing the gold ornaments. According to the police the ornaments were worth Rs 7.40 lakh. Sahar police have arrested the sixteen year old under section 380 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Act. A case has been registered.
According to reports the boy’s father Selvin Armadurai (48) is a businessman based in Andheri East. Selvin lives with his wife Jaba. The couple have two children. Selvin’s son Edin Joy is 16 years old. He goes to the 11th grade at Shriniwas Bagraga College. His daughter is 14 years old and studies in Class 9. Selvin married again after his first wife passed away. His daughter and Edin Joy are from his first marriage. Afterwards Selvin married Jaba.
Selvin had given the ornament that belonged to his first wife and Children to his sister. When his sister was getting ready to visit her hometown in Tamil Nadu, She gave these gold ornaments to Selvin. Selvin placed the gold ornaments in his bed. He kept the gold ornaments in a plastic pouch for protection. Selvin’s wife and sister knew where he had kept the gold ornaments.
The matter came known on September 11, when Selvin’s daughter wanted to wear the gold ornaments. He couldn’t find the pouch containing them. Both of them told Selvin quickly about it. When Selvin asked his son he confessed to taking the gold ornaments. He said he sold them to have fun with his friends. The stolen gold ornaments are valued at Rs 7.40 lakh. The ornaments includes two chains, two bracelets, six rings, a pair of earings, two bangles and two chains.
India News
MotoGP issues apology for live streaming distorted map of India
MotoGP stated that it was never their intent to make any statement other than that of support and appreciation for their host country.
MotoGP has issued an apology for displaying a distorted map during its live-streaming of practice sessions for India’s inaugural MotoGP race, the IndianOil Grand Prix of India, which commenced on Friday at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida. The map omitted the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, according to reports.
Issuing an official statement, MotoGP expressed its regret. The statement read that they apologise to their fans in India for the map shown earlier as part of the MotoGP broadcast. They added that it was never their intent to make any statement other than that of support and appreciation for their host country.
The statement stated that MotoGP is excited to be able to enjoy the Indian OilGrand Prix of India with fans across India and that they are loving the first taste of Buddh International Circuit. MotoGP Bharat which is now rebranded as the IndianOil Grand Prix of India, marks its debut in India as the 13th race of the 2023 season. The event is being conducted from today and will conclude on Sunday. Reportedly, features riders competing on superbikes at speeds exceeding 300 km/h to claim victory under the checkered flag.
Online controversy broke out when multiple social media users raised concerns about the map displayed during MotoGP’s live-streamed practice sessions. Users on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter enquired why India’s wrong map was used and demanded an explanation from MotoGP and the Indian organisers.
Several social media users asked MotoGP to clarify why their live-streaming of the practice session had this map with Bharat’s head missing? They added that if it is a mistake, it needs to be immediately corrected and not repeated again in qualifying and the main race. They further requested MotoGP to provide a feed of the practice session, if they think the image is edited debunking the claim which is doing rounds on social media.
Following the uproar, the race organisers corrected the map and issued a clarification in response to the public’s concerns.
India News
Chandrayaan-3: ISRO postpones plans to reactivate Vikram Lander, Pragyan Rover on September 23
After Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover soft landing on the South Pole of the Moon on August 24, both Vikram and Pragyan functioned effectively for a duration of 14 Earth days. The Rover was put on sleep mode on September 2, while the Lander was on September 4.
The Indian Space Research Organisation on Friday postponed the plans to reactivate Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover to September 23.
After Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover soft landing on the South Pole of the Moon on August 24, both Vikram and Pragyan functioned effectively for a duration of 14 Earth days. The Rover was put on sleep mode on September 2, while the Lander was on September 4.
They were put on sleep mode for approximately 16 Earth days before the lunar night enveloped the south pole of the Moon.
Speaking on Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover, Nilesh Desai, Director of Space Application Centre said that earlier we planned to reactivate the Pragyan Rover and Vikram Lander on the evening of September 22, but due to some reasons we will do it on September 23, said Desai.
He further said a plan to take out the Lander and Rover from the sleep mode and reactivate it, adding that, we had a plan to move the Rover to almost 300 to 350 metres but due to some reasons, the Rover has moved 105 metres there.
In collaboration with MyGov, ISRO has invited the citizens to participate in the Chandrayaan-3 Mahaquiz. The step was taken with the motive to honour India’s amazing space exploration journey. This will help to explore the wonders of the moon and show our love and passion for science.
In order to participate in the Chandrayaan-3 Mahaquiz, the participants would be required to create an account on the MyGov website. There is a cash prize for the winners and it also allows individuals to download the certificate.
Earlier, the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Pragyan rover also detected aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon and oxygen, as expected.
ISRO also shared a graph of the observation on X, illustrating the temperature variation of the lunar surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe’s penetration.
