Narendra Modi Facts

'The shocking incident took place at the Silver Link Oyo hotel on Saturday morning when the man, a 31-year-old assistant professor from Udaipur tried to check in to his room. His companion, the Hindu woman was expected to join him later when she arrived from Delhi. He told Indian Express, “I had booked a room for two in the hotel through a travel app. I reached the hotel somewhere around 8-9 am. The receptionist then asked me about the other person who was to check in with me and I gave them my friend’s name, but to my shock I was told that ‘this is a problem.

'In response to an FIR being filed against 49 celebrities and prominent personalities for writing an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 180 cultural and literary personalities have condemned the charges and endorsed the original letter. Among those who have signed the letter are actor Naseeruddin Shah, writer Nayantara Sahgal, dancer Mallika Sarabhai, historian Romila Thapar, academic Anand Teltumbde, singer T.M. Krishna and artist Vivan Sundaram, according to a report by NewsClick.

'Prevented from visiting Kashmir last week, a delegation of activists lashed out at the government for seeking to project a false narrative of “normalcy” in the valley. “If everything is normal, then what is the need for maintaining a clampdown in the valley for two months?” questioned Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Award winner and head of the National Alliance of People’s Movements, a network of grassroots organisations in India, who was a part of the delegation.

'A ‘hate speech’ by a Central Reserve Police Force constable during a debate organised by the National Human Rights Commission won a consolation prize on September 27. It also went viral on social media and while many criticised the harsh language used by the officer, some television channels chose to support her. The debate was on ‘terrorism and militancy in the country can be tackled effectively while observing human rights’. Two parts of Constable Khushboo Chauhan’s speech stood out.

'Declaring the indefinite strike by unions of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) illegal, chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said more than 50,000 protesting employees will not be taken back into service. Employees of the public road transport body have been on a strike since Saturday morning, demanding the corporation’s merger with the government. Among the other demands were filling various posts and better pay and job security. A call to strike was given after talks with the government failed to make any headway...'

'The police in Alwar, Rajasthan on Sunday (October 6) morning arrested two men for forcing a Muslim couple to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and harassing them. According to the Hindustan Times, the couple, from Haryana, was waiting at a bus stop in Alwar at 11:30 pm on Saturday when two men on a motorcycle stopped and harassed them. “According to the FIR, they forced the couple to chant Jai Shri Ram and one of the men flashed before the woman,” police said...'

'A set of new surveys conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on consumer confidence in the economy, as well as how the country’s manufacturing sector has been impacted by the slowdown, reveals an unflattering picture. Taken together, they point out how the two major drivers of the Indian economy, investment and consumption, have indeed slumped over the last few months...'

'In an indictment of the Central Board of Direct Taxes’s (CBDT) functioning, a top Indian Revenue Service (IRS) official has accused Pramod Chandra Mody, chairman of India’s top tax administration body, of giving an unlawful directive to bury a “sensitive case” involving “serious allegations”. In what is an equally incriminating charge against the Narendra Modi government, the official said that the CBDT chairman tried to entice her to fall in line by claiming that he had secured the top position only because of a “successful search” operation against an opposition leader.

'The induction of murder accused JMM leader Shashi Bhushan Mehta into the BJP launched high-voltage drama at the BJP headquarters in Ranchi on October 4. Mehta is facing trial in connection with the murder of Suchitra Mehta who was a warden at the school where the now former JMM leader was the director. He is currently out on bail...'

'Politicians and minors detained, pellet victims too scared to go to hospital, internet and phone lines still cut, night raids by security forces... '

[Full article on Scroll.]