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NRI Finally Returns Home After Long Legal Battle in Saudi Arabia August 19, 2019 13:23

A Non-Resident Indian hailing from Telangana who was accused of forging Iqama, a resident visa, returned home recently after battling for justice for three years in Saudi Arabia. The 68-year-old Gandam Narsaiah originally from Chandurti Mandal in Rajanna Sircilla district in Telangana state, was working as a mason in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After working with a company for three years, he switched to a new firm. He was then issued updated Iqama with new employer name. As part of a routine drive, on one occasion Narsaiah was checked by a patrolling team in Riyadh and they discovered that the Iqama was forged. Following this, he was shifted to a jail in Dammam, 400 km away from Riyadh, since the alleged Iqama had been issued from Dammam. While in prison, as Narsaiah fell ill he was then bailed out by prominent social worker Nass Vokkam of Kerala three years ago. Since then, Narsaiah’s accommodation was looked after by Nass. With the assist of Nass, Narsaiah proved that he was a dupe who had received the Iqama from an Egyptian who had offered him the job. It took almost three years to turn out that Narsaiah was guiltless. The charge sheet was examined by various departments of the Saudi government who eventually permitted him to leave the Kingdom. Since Narsaiah could not afford the air tickets, Al Rabia Polyclinic, which is run by Kerala origins, offered him a ticket to coming back to his native. By Sowmya Sangam

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Watch: Journalist Jumps into Violent Protest to Save Indian Tricolor August 19, 2019 05:56

An Indian origin journalist is being acclaimed as a shining example of a patriotic after she valiantly saved Indian flag from getting ripped and battered. A video of Poonam Joshi that has gone viral shows her darting into the middle of violent protests outside the India High Commission in London last week to retain the Tricolour from a group of pro-Pakistan and pro-Khalistan activists who had ripped the flag into three pieces and was beating it with a shoe. Joshi grabbed the national flag from the protesters even as eggs, glass bottles and several objects were being hurled at her and other people of Indian origin who were celebrating Indian Independence Day. Read: ‘Modi: Make Tea Not War’: Protests Outside Indian Mission in UK British Pakistanis and pro-Khalistan Sikhs arrived in London in hordes to protest against the Indian government’s decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The protest, which initially begun unruffled in no time turned violent and riot police had to be called. (Image Source: Swarjya) London-based Joshi, reporting for ANI, recalled seeing a Sikh man rush from the side where the pro-Indian crowd was being kept behind barricades, holding the Tricolour. “We could see he was rushing to the Pakistani side, and they tried to grab him,” she said. “He quickly threw the folded flag at them. He then merged into the Pakistani side of the crowd, and the police did not allow the Indians on the other side to go after the guy. He was a very young Sikh man, wearing a white T-shirt with the words ‘Satnam Waheguru’ in between a picture of an AK-47.” Joshi next saw "a very large man coming to the front in a black hoodie and colored sunglasses, and he was holding our flag and he had a Sikh bangle on his left hand". She added: "He started unfolding the flag, and mocking and instigating and provoking the Indian side. I saw him tear the flag into two with his hands and then throw it on the ground, and then he started beating it with a shoe. Another guy, a bearded Pakistani, started crushing it under his shoes. He was mocking the Indians, saying ‘Look at what I am doing to your flag? Come and get it?’” (Image Source: BizAsia) Police officers shouted at Joshi not to cross the barricades. But she refused and darted towards where the Tricolour was being treated with disrespect. “My blood was boiling. It was just instinctive. I ran to grab the flag from him, and at this point, one part was in his hand and one part under the shoe of the Pakistani. I snatched it from under the shoe and his hand. A tiny part of the flag was left on the ground, which I retrieved later on,” she said. Open Letter to London Mayor (Image Source: Sputnik International) On Sunday, Joshi wrote an open letter to London mayor Sadiq Khan, which she also posted on Twitter. The letter says Khan let down the Indian community and that the “limited police resources” provided to handle the protest was shocking, more so because "the authorities had full knowledge of the scale of the protest”. Along with the letter, she posted three pictures of the men who she says “stole, mutilated and insulted” India’s national flag. “We demand the arrest and prosecution of these goons by the Met Police. These hooligans pose a huge threat not just to the Indian community but to anyone living in the UK and they are supported by MPs and councilors,” she wrote. Joshi said she was planning on filing a police complaint about the incident after consulting the high commission. “The reason I have put an open letter to Sadiq Khan is to demand answers of him,” she added. “Millions agree with my sentiments. The intention of these protesters is not to protest for peace in the Valley but to cause destruction.” A Met Police spokeswoman said: “We have no information about any flag incident. She needs to report to us, and not just put it on social media. We had an appropriate number of public order officers on the ground and an experienced command team monitoring events. This is the same as we have for all public order events.” By Sowmya Sangam

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Racist Passenger Yells at Indian for Speaking in Hindi, Conductor Kicks Her off the Train August 14, 2019 10:52

A train ticket collector in New Zealand is garnering a whole lot of compliments after she asked a passenger to get off the train midway as she passed racist comments at an Indian origin co-passenger who was communicating in Hindi on his cellphone, NZ Herald reports.  The incident happened last week on the train that was traveling to Upper Hutt from the Wellington Railway station.The young girl who was also traveling on the same train as the Indian passenger wasn't quite pleased. Subsequently, she began shouting at the Indian. As soon as the conductor overheard the girl behaving badly with the Indian passenger, she was asked to get off midway."A young girl, about 16, was yelling at a passenger and saying, 'Go back to your country, don't speak that language here'. She said she was getting off at the next stop, and the conductor said, 'No you can get off at this one, I'm not putting up with that nonsense'," the witness was quoted as saying by Checkpoint.JJ Phillips, the conductor, called the police after the young girl refused to get off the train. "Well, I'm not getting off the train then," the girl had said, as per the witness. Other passengers, in fact, we’re delighted that the conductor took a stand and wasn’t bothered about the fact that the train stopped midway for around 20 minutes."A lot of us had turned around and were watching the situation unfold. Everyone was over the moon she decided to do that and stand up to that behavior. We were just in awe that she (conductor) had the courage to say, 'This isn't on and I'm not going to put up with it, no matter who you are and whether you're a paying customer or not - you can get off the train and find your own way home'," the witness added.Read: UK Sikh MP Backs British Politician’s Tweet Criticizing Indian Govt.According to the report in NZ Herald, the Indian origin passenger was taken aback after the incident. While speaking about the incident, the conductor told NZ Herald that she was alerted about the incident by another passenger."Just as I was walking through getting the tickets, one passenger raised a concern with me, so I went to where this particular passenger was. She was a teenage girl and she was hurling abuse at some passengers, and the passengers who were receiving the abuse, I called them out and I asked them what had happened," the conductor said, as per NZ Herald.She also said that the Indian passenger "was just minding his own business" and speaking to a friend in "their own language"."It appeared this teenage girl had an issue with him talking in his own language and she was being racist and abusive towards him. We don't put up with language like that, of any kind. We carry passengers to and from A to B, and we want our passengers to get there in a safe manner," the conductor said.                        (Image source from: Difference Between)Before signing off, the conductor also told the NZ Herald that everybody deserves respect "no matter what race you are".By Sowmya Sangam

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Indian Youngster Drowns in Ukraine River August 12, 2019 12:19

An Indian origin youngster drowned in a river in Ukraine on Saturday after going for swimming in Feofania Park. Hailing from Hyderabad, the 21-year-old Jaspreet Singh Bhatia was studying second-year BBA in Amity University, Mumbai. According to his family, he left to Ukraine in June for the purpose of the internship. He was returning to India on Monday to celebrate his birthday with his family.Bhatia was along with four of his friends when the incident happened. However, as he didn’t know how to swim, he drowned, said his uncle Jagjith Singh.   “Today, he was supposed to return, and celebrate his birthday. He had his tickets booked and his parents were eagerly waiting for his arrival... We are extremely pained by the incident,” said Jagjith Singh.Jaspreet is the eldest son of Rajender Pal Singh Bhatia and Jaspreet Kaur.Jaspreet’s family lament that there has been a delay by the Indian embassy in retrieving his body, and have approached K T Rama Rao, TRS working president and son of the Telangana chief minister, through Twitter, for his intervention to expedite the process of bringing his body back. KTR has responded positively. Sorry for your loss. My office @KTRoffice will get in touch with you to get the mortal remains asap https://t.co/egRlU02qNG — KTR (@KTRTRS) August 11, 2019 “Jaspreet’s college has already sent a letter to the embassy in Delhi. They are yet to process it and send it to the Ukraine embassy. We want his body back as soon as possible. It would be great if KTR takes up the issue with the Indian embassy on priority,” Jagjith said.In the meantime, on Sunday, Telangana state minority commission chairman Mohammed Qamaruddin paid a visit to Jaspreet’s home and assured all possible help from the government.By Sowmya Sangam

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Indian American Techie Killed in Road Mishap in U.S. August 08, 2019 12:19

The 28-year-old Indian American techie was killed in a road accident on August 4 (Sunday), while he was heading home in Rawlins, Wyoming along with his co-worker. Hailing from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, Sivateja Chintala reportedly moved to the United States six years ago to pursue Masters. According to reports, the car he was traveling in lost control and hit a median. In the accident, Sivateja died while his colleague was seriously injured.The family members of his colleague informed Sivateja’s sister Priyanka, who also lives in the United States, about the tragedy. According to The New Indian Express, Siva Teja’s parents - Chintala Ramanjaneyulu and Venkata Ratnam, were planning to get him married this year.Siva Teja’s family requested the Union government to make arrangements for bringing the body to their native village - Komminenivaripalem in Ballikurava Mandal. One of the two brothers of Sivateja is living in Australia, while the other returned to India and is settled in Guntur.In the meantime, Sivateja’s brother-in-law Satyanarayana has set up a fundraiser on Gofundme to fly his body to India and for other funeral expenses.By Sowmya Sangam

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‘Only Sushma Ji Understood My Pain’: Indian Woman Deserted by NRI Husband Recalls Her Meet with Former Minister August 07, 2019 12:31

The news of sudden demise of former external minister Susha Swaraj was no less than a shock for entire world and for chief Indians abroad, to whom Swaraj was source of solution for all their hitches. The Bharatiya Janata Party veteran worked around the clock to alleviate Indian women who were abandoned by their NRI (Non-Resident Indian) husbands.  Women from Uttar Pradesh, who had found hope for justice and comfort by Sushma Swaraj after being abandoned by their NRI husbands, were deeply disheartened after the news the of death of Sushma Swaraj came out. “She was a completely accessible minister with a mother’s heart. I met her for a few minutes and she heard my ordeal patiently, assuring me of government’s intervention in my case,” Zuby Zaidi, a distressed woman who met Swaraj on June 11, 2017, in New Delhi, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. According to Hindustan Times, Zaidi got married to an NRI on April 10, 2014. In the span of just two months, she received a divorce notice from her husband and since then, she has been fighting for justice incessantly. “When I met Sushma ji, I felt that she understood my pain. In her demise, I have lost a family member,” she said.Not just Zaidi, when you go to Uttar Pradesh you find number of women who have been abandoned by their NRI husbands just after few months or days of getting married. Several of them met Sushma Swaraj when she was serving as the minister for external affairs.Another agonized woman from Kanpur in UP was quoted by Hindustan Times, saying: “Our fight for justice is on but no one other than Sushma ji understood our pain. She was the one who listened to my story, consoled me and took action in my case.”Another aggrieved women who met the Swaraj in March this year, said that she had assured them that the government would enact a law pertaining to NRI marriages.“She had asked us to meet her after the Lok Sabha elections. When one of us asked Sushma ji if she would remain in the same office in the new government, she had said that she was hopeful of being able to help us out,” said a woman to Hindustan Times.By Sowmya Sangam

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Triple Talaq: NRI Divorces Wife over Phone, Case Filed August 05, 2019 09:45

Just three days after Triple Talaq Bill was passed by both Raja Sabha and Lok Sabha, Uttar Pradesh police have registered a case against a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) for allegedly divorcing his wife over the phone. The incident came to light after the woman’s father submitted a written complaint to Kushinagar Police in UP regarding the matter. According to sources, NRI Abdul Raheem said talaq three times to his 25-year-old wife Fatima Khatoon over the phone and ended the call.A case has been registered against the NRI under Section 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, at the Nibua Naurangiya Police Station of Kushinagar district. As per the new law, “The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 makes talaq-e-biddat or any other similar form of talaq having the effect of instantaneous and irrevocable divorce pronounced by a Muslim husband void and illegal.” The law makes it illegal to say talaq three times in spoken, written or through SMS or WhatsApp or any other electronic means in one sitting."Any pronouncement of talaq by a Muslim husband upon his wife, by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or any other manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal," the law says.“Any Muslim husband who pronounces the illegal form of talaq upon his wife shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine,” the law further states.By Sowmya Sangam

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Meet the 23-Year-Old Indian Origin Doctor Bhasha Mukherjee, Who Is Now ‘Miss England’ August 02, 2019 10:33

Doctors are not just confined to books and infirmaries! This was yet again proved by a 23-year-old Indian origin doctor who has crowned Miss England. Vanquishing dozens of other models, Bhasha Mukherjee stood winner. She will be now entering the Miss World contest and will also bag a holiday to Mauritius. Mukherjee holds two different medical degrees and has an Intelligent Quotient (IQ) of 146, making her officially a 'genius'. Moreover, she is fluent in five languages, according to The Daily Mail. Just hours after getting crowned as Miss England on Thursday evening, Mukherjee was about to start her new line of work as a junior doctor in a hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire.                         (Image source from: Derby Telegraph) "Some people might think pageant girls are airheads, but we all stand for a cause," she said before the contest. "My pageant career all started to happen while I was in the middle of studying at medical school - it took a lot of convincing for me to do it, but eventually I decided to do it to balance out my studying and give me a break." Born in India and grew up in the United Kingdom since the age of nine, Mukherjee completed two bachelor degrees: one in medical sciences and one in medicine and surgery from the University of Nottingham in England. By Sowmya Sangam

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Indian Origin Politician Deepak Raj Gupta Takes Oath as MLA in Australia with Bhagavad Gita in Hand July 30, 2019 11:41

Deepak Raj Gupta, an India-born politician, on Tuesday, took oath as the first Indian Australian member of Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislative Assembly. Born in a middle-class family, Deepak Raj Gupta had to wash cars and work in an eating place in Chandigarh to support his studies.Gupta, the first Australian-Indian origin MLA from the Labour Party in ACT, sworn in as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Gungahlin constituency with a copy of Holy Bhagavad Gita in his hand. He is the first elected member to take an oath with Gita in the ACT Legislative Assembly. He went to Australia to study information technology in 1989 and was granted PR in the year 1991.Deepak Gupta's brother Anil Raj who lives in Chandigarh told India Today TV that the family is thrilled with the honor.He told that Deepak was runner up in the elections held in 2016 for Gungahlin constituency, the fourth town of Canberra. Since the winner who was also from the Labour Party resigned recently, so Deepak was nominated for the Parliament as per norms.As an active leader of the Australian-Indian community, efforts of Deepak Raj were recognized with several awards including the excellence in community service awards. He was also awarded the Community Advocate Award by the Government of ACT in 2012.Speaking to the media about Deepak's struggle, Anil Raj told India Today TV that their family moved to the city in 1973. Deepak studied in Government Senior Secondary School and the Graduated from DAV College. Deepak landed in Australia with just 150 dollars in his pocket. He washed cars, worked in restaurants to sustain his studies.He later worked as an Executive Officer in the Defence Department. He was also the President of Australia-India Business Council (AIBC) for 10 years and was also a member of the AIBC National Executive Board of Directors.By Sowmya Sangam

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Young NRI Entrepreneur Returns to His Native Place with an Intent to Save Water in Gardening July 30, 2019 10:36

After staying in Canada for about a decade, a young Non-Resident Indian (NRI) entrepreneur, Nitin Latit, came back to his native place Karnal in Haryana to lend a hand to farmers. The 35-year-old returned India with a vision to utilize waste material to help farmers generate income, besides saving water used in gardening. He set up a unit to produce flower pots and planters from recycled plastic waste and designed them in such a way that they help in conserving water. Besides, he added a saucer-shaped container below the planters and flowerpots to save water. He is making use of soil-less media comprising vermicompost, coco-husk, rice mill ash, and cow dung in these pots and claims to save around 25 percent water in comparison to normal potted plants.The district authorities as well as Rekha Shukla, joint secretary, Health and Family Welfare Ministry, have praised his initiative. Shukla recently visited the district with regard to the Jal Shakti campaign of the Union Government. Now, the Karnal Municipal Corporation is promoting Nitin’s startup by giving him an assignment for the beautification of the city. The young entrepreneur has started the trial work by installing hanging flowerpots on electricity poles near the NDRI. The demand for such pots is coming from various parts of the state. Currently, he is sending his pots to various states in the northeast where these are widely acceptable for organic horticulture.Nitin, an automobile technician, had worked with General Motors in Canada for around five years and returned to India in 2016. He along with his father JK Lalit, a retired banker, started Alpha Advantech LLP.“I am in a habit of gardening and during my stay in Canada, I became familiar with the practices of people living there to save water used in gardening. When I came to my country, I observed unaccounted wastage of water in gardening. This gave me an idea to save water with specially-designed flowerpots and planters, which take less water for optimum growth of the plant,” Nitin was quoted as saying by The Tribune. About the design, he said as quoted by The Tribune, “We use plastic refuse to make the outer shell of the pots, catch plates and saucers for storing water at our unit. These planters efficiently store run-off water during watering cycles in a concealed reservoir for later use. It also prevents evaporative loss and is also inaccessible to flies and mosquitoes for breeding. It also conserves and replenishes water through its vapor-lock design, which provides air and moisture to roots all around and leads to an expedited growth of plants with least efforts”.He added that farmers could use these technologically-advanced planters to potentially increase their income and produce chemical-free food.By Sowmya Sangam

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23-Year-Old Indian Origin Woman Stabs Her Father to Death in South Africa July 26, 2019 06:03

A 23-year-old Indian origin woman in South Africa stabbed her father to death on July 13 while trying to intervene in the fight between her estranged parents at the local International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) premises where they were residing.Nekita Sukdeo had graduated with a law degree just two months ago.According to media reports, a close family member said that there had been a history of quarreling between the divorced couple - Jewan and Nadira."During the dispute, Nekita got involved in the fight between her parents. From what we hear, she reached for a kitchen knife and stabbed him," the family member, who requested anonymity, told the Weekly Post.Even though Jewan was taken to a local hospital immediately, he declared dead on arrival from his stab wounds.Nandakumar Das, the President of the ISKCON branch, said the incident was the result of "a domestic dispute".The couple had parted ways five years ago and Nadira, a Hare Krishna devotee, relocated into the ISKCON facility.Four months ago, in an attempt to get back together again, Jeewan moved in with Nadira and their children, the relative said. "It takes a lot of hate, anger, and frustration for someone to grab a knife and stab someone, especially your father," said the relative.Nekita appeared in the Alexandra Regional Court last Monday, two days after the incident. She was released to attend her father's funeral and will appear in court again next month.By Sowmya Sangam

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Indian Man in Singapore Fined for Placing Toy Grenade Outside Presidential Palace July 25, 2019 07:03

On November 3, 2017, a grenade outside Singapore’s Istana, the Presidential Palace in the city center, triggered panic leading to the high deployment of public resources which later found to be a toy one positioned by an Indian origin cleaner. On Wednesday, the 59-year-old Elankovan Marimuthu was fined S$ 4,500 and was reduced the charge from a more serious one. Marimuthu chanced upon the toy grenade while working as a cleaner near the Istana area as usual at about 7 a.m. on November 3, 2017. He positioned it upright to get to know how the general public would react to it. The cleaner used a pair of tongs to put up the toy grenade before leaving the scene, Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran said.                         (Image source from: Hindustan Times) One of the motorists passing by from there noticed the grenade and called police immediately. In no time, thirty-nine officers were deployed to the site from various units of the Singapore Police Force, plus eight members of the Singapore Armed Forces Chemical, Radiological, Biological, and Explosive Defence Group and other police officers who swept the Istana's nearby areas, including Dhoby Ghaut Mass Rapid Transit (metro rail) station. The grenade was found at Penang Lane, one of the routes to the Central Business District. The route was closed for half an hour and partially cordoned off to traffic for 45 minutes, while police advisories were circulated to advise the public to stay away from the area. Subsequently, several phone calls were made to the police Servicenummer complaining of traffic congestion in the area. Anyhow, at around 5 p.m., it became clear that it was a toy grenade and Penang Lane was subsequently opened again. In the beginning, it was not known who placed the toy, according to the Channel News Asia report. Closed-circuit television footage confirmed that Elankovan had put the toy grenade in an upright manner. He was asked to cooperate in investigations the following morning when he went to Istana Park as part of the duty. He confessed that he had positioned the toy and did so because he wanted to see how the public would respond to it, the report said. Elankovan pleaded guilty to one charge under the Protection from Harassment Act of using intimidating behavior by positioning the toy grenade in an upright position, behavior likely to cause dismay. The prosecution asked for a fine of 4,500 Singapore dollars, saying it was not unreasonable to characterize Elankovan's behavior as "irresponsible" in today's security climate. The area was full of sightseers and it was next to the Istana. On top of that, his act wasted public resources and resulted in inconvenience to the general public. "The public messaging today is that everything suspicious should be reported to the authorities," said the prosecutor, adding that Elankovan had not reported it when he first saw the object. "He turned it into his own little game," said the prosecutor. "He wanted to see how the public would react." “The fine would send a message that such conduct is unacceptable and that it is not a joke nor a game, but has serious consequences,” he said. Defense lawyer Rajan Supramaniam told the court that his client was not highly educated and wishes to close this "unfortunate chapter" in his life. "Our client has truly learned a hard and bitter lesson as a result of his foolish and wrongful actions," said the lawyer, asking for leniency. “It was fortunate that the prosecution had reduced the charge from a more serious one under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, which carries maximum penalties of 10 years' jail, a 500,000 dollars fine, or both,” said District Judge May Mesenas. "Hopefully this is a lesson learned for you, not to be taken lightly," said the judge. "After this incident, look at what happened." By Sowmya Sangam

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