Latest news with #Sudhir
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Branding elderly Jharkhand woman a ‘witch', relatives ‘slit her throat' while she walked to market
An elderly woman in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur district was allegedly attacked from behind by three other women, who slit her throat while she was on her way to the market after they accused her of being a witch, the woman's family said. Police have arrested the three women from Dhobni village in connection with 60-year-old Bhavi Singh's murder, which took place on August 4. The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Boram police station. The officer in charge of the station, Manoranjan Kumar, told The Indian Express that the three women followed her, and one of them attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon — known locally as a gowli — and left her body in the forest. Bhavi was on her way to Kuyiyani village's Common Service Centre (CSC) to collect her pension, the officer said. Police have registered a murder case and invoked provisions of the Prevention of Witch Practices Act. One of the victim's three daughters-in-law told The Indian Express that the accused had earlier barged into their home and beaten her mother-in-law. 'They had been planning to kill her. For the past five years, she has been branded a 'dayan' (witch). Whatever bad things would happen in the village, my mother-in-law would be blamed,' she said. The victim's nephew, Gopinath Singh, said that while the accused had been accusing her of being a witch for many years, 'the whole village stands against us'. According to the police, the killing was not solely related to her being branded a witch, but also stemmed from a long-standing personal enmity. The accused and the victim were members of the same extended family and lived in the same village. 'There had been disputes between them for about two years. It was not purely a witchcraft-related matter, as the victim's family claims,' officer Manoranjan Kumar said. The victim's relatives, however, alleged that police were downplaying that angle. 'It is entirely a case of witch-branding,' the nephew said. Police said that both the accused and the victim belonged to the Bhumij Adivasi community, and that the FIR was lodged by the victim's son, Sudhir Singh. Sudhir said the three women are his distant relatives. 'They had threatened my mother before. For years, they targeted her, calling her a 'dayan'. It started after my father's death, about six to seven years ago. My mother never practised black magic. But whenever people or animals fell ill, or accidents happened, they blamed my mother,' he said. 'They had already warned her that they would kill her. On Monday, when she was on her way to collect her pension, all three of them followed her, found her alone in the forest, and attacked her throat and neck with a gowli,' Singh said. Sudhir claimed that his wife has also been labelled a witch. 'We even took the matter to a village meeting, but no one took it seriously or stood with us,' he said. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
AI startup founder blasts ex-managers for biased reference checks: ‘Many treat exits like betrayal'; netizens react
A founder from AI startup ecosystem has sparked a heated conversation after slamming the reference check culture in Indian companies, especially within the SaaS sector. He said many treat the departure as 'betrayal'. The post has stirred discussion on Linkedin about ego, power dynamics, and fairness in corporate culture. Sudhir P. took to the platform and said, 'I don't do reference checks. Especially not in Indian companies", adding, "Indian work culture has a serious problem with handling exits. Too many folks treat exits like betrayal.' He argued that reference checks, rather than providing objective feedback, are often tainted by personal grudges. According to him, ex-managers frequently let their egos get in the way when an employee chooses to leave. 'I've seen too many good folks get dragged down because a previous boss took their departure personally,' Sudhir said, pointing to how even high-performing employees can be unfairly discredited. He shared about his ordeal of being sabotaged by ex-managers. 'One CEO blocked me on every single platform the day I resigned (still not sure why). Another gave me a slanderous reference… even though we parted on a handshake, after 3 rounds of polite negotiations,' the founder recalled. His takeaway? 'Guess it's high time we gotta start trusting people for who they are today, not who someone else claims they were.' Rejecting the tradition of checking with former managers, he concluded, 'I don't care what your ex-manager thinks cause I don't need their bruised ego dressed up as feedback. Especially in the Indian SaaS ecosystem — it's rotten beyond repair.' AI Startup founder's post One of the users said, 'Even with ref checks in place, Indian companies have a critical problem with just asking people what happened in those orgs that gave them bad references. Guess it's a crowd mindset problem that we have left unchecked for a long time.' Another commented, 'Glad this is finally being talked about! The exit stage is where the chaos really shines!!' "Only SAAS ??? Entire system across Industries is rotten. Courtesy "Office Politics"," wrote the third user. 'This is so true! The funny part is that if you ask recruiters why the last person left the role, or why it's been open for a long while, they get defensive,' remarked the fourth.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
As EC's Bihar deadline looms, migrants scramble to fill forms, many may miss it
In Patna district's Koriyawagarh village, there are about 150 households comprising people from the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs). The villagers mostly include small farmers, daily wagers and those who have migrated for work to states like Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Karnataka. At least 30 per cent of these household are said to be dependant on 'migrant remittances'. The village falls under the Masaurhi Assembly constituency, held currently by the RJD's Rekha Paswan. Sudhir Kumar, 31, who works in a Surat cloth factory, recently returned to Koriyawagarh following frantic calls from his family, which asked him to come home to fill up the enumeration forms ahead of the July 25 deadline for the Election Commission (EC)'s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls of poll-bound Bihar. 'I want to remain an elector in Bihar at all costs as I live 6-8 months in Surat. If I continue to be a voter here, I will retain my Bihar identity and will remain entitled to the benefits of various welfare schemes of the Bihar government,' says Sudhir, who reached out to his booth level officer (BLO) to fill up his form. 'I also submitted my residential (domicile) certificate to ensure that I do not have to submit the documents being sought by the EC at a later stage,' he says, underlining that 'I am not comfortable with online form submission'. In its June 24 order, the EC has said that all 7.8 crore registered electors of Bihar would be required to submit enumeration forms by July 25 to make it to the draft roll to be published on August 1. Those voters who were not registered in the 2003 state rolls will also have to submit one of the 11 documents to determine their citizenship. Three other members of Sudhir's family have also submitted their enumeration forms. They have just heard the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government's decision to provide 125 unit free electricity to all households in the state. 'If one does not have a voter identity card, who knows one may be deprived of such benefits,'says Sudhir. He says he was among several underprivileged Bihari migrants, who have returned home to be part of the SIR exercise. Suraj Kumar, 21, who is also from Koriyawagarh village and works in a Surat cloth factory, says: 'There was no need to prepare a fresh voters' list. In fact, new electors should have been added. Anyways, I came back to village to ensure that all three members of my family continue to be voters. We have been hearing instances of people's names getting dropped (being put in the permanently shifted category). When BLOs have not been going house to house, how do they know whether people have shifted permanently or just temporarily for work. I am happy that I could come back to join the SIR process. But I am concerned about many other Bihari migrants, who could not return homes to fill up their forms.' Both Sudhir and Suraj belong to the OBC groups. Munna Saw, who is from the EBC, runs a confectionary shop in Masaurhi's Pitwans. 'My brother's name would be dropped from voters' list as he has not submitted his form. He is a worker in Delhi,' he says. Asked if the booth level agents (BLAs) of any political party had approached locals so far to create awareness about the SIR, Munna says: 'No one has come here so far, even though we have filled up our forms'. Pitwans has several tales of migrant woes, with Munna claiming that 'In our booth, 15 to 20 per cent names may be dropped as many migrants who left behind their families to work in other states could not return'. He also says, 'It could make an impact in the upcoming Assembly elections. But the NDA government appears to be reaching out to its constituency by distributing doles,' adding that his wife Ritu Devi has been talking about 125 unit free power and the Nitish government's earlier move to raise the social security pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 per month. RJD leader and Masaurhi MLA Rekha Paswan told The Indian Express: 'I have been touring the constituency with my workers to urge the people to fill up the SIR forms. But several local residents, who are working outside the state, have not been able to do so. The awareness level is still low in rural areas. Our BLAs have been working hard, but it has been a tough task.' The RJD's Dhanarua block president Sanjay Kumar says: 'The process of filling enumeration forms in our area is almost done. Many poor people, who have shifted temporarily for work, may not remain voters, which is a matter of concern. Majdoor kahan se online bharega (how would a labourer fill up online forms?).' The situation seems to be the same in the adjoining Bikram Assembly seat in Patna district, represented by the BJP's Siddharth Saurav (he had won it in the 2020 polls as a Congress nominee). In Bikram too, the migration of many residents for livelihood cuts across various communities including the upper castes, EBCs and SCs. A marginal farmer from Bikram's Sona village, Kaushlendra, an OBC, says: 'My village, like most villages, has 15-20 per cent people working outside Bihar. While I see some people among EBCs and Dalits getting forms of their migrant family members signed even through WhatsApp, I do not see the same degree of alarm among upper caste voters… This revision of voters' list is an unnecessary exercise, especially so close to Assembly polls (slated for October-November this year).' The EC said Monday that it has received so far about 7.16 crore forms (90.67% of Bihar's electors) and that over 43.92 lakh electors have not been found at their addresses so far, which include 'reported' deceased, permanently shifted, enrolled at multiple places and 'not traceable'. As per the 2011 Census data, there were altogether 74.54 lakh migrants from Bihar across the country, accounting for 7.2% of the state's then 10.41 crore population.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Yamunanagar faces pollution crisis: 8 formaldehyde plants under scrutiny of pollution board
Yamunanagar: As the 15-day deadline given to eight formaldehyde manufacturing units in Yamunanagar by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), it raises serious questions about the next course of action by the district administration. These units were and are still operating without mandatory environmental clearances and in violation of the Water Act and Air Act and the order of the Supreme Court. As per Sudhir Mohan, Executive Regional Officer (ERO) of the Yamunanagar of HSPCB, plant owners were issued notices on June 21 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. They were asked to show cause why prosecution, closure orders, and environmental compensation should not be initiated against them. These eight units are established in different parts of Yamunanagar district including Yamunanagar, Jathlana, Jagadhri, Chhachhrauli, Radaur and others. ERO Sudhir said these units have submitted their replies after the notices, which are currently under scrutiny. He said after the scrutiny the report will be sent to the HSPCB headquarters for further action. The HSPCB in its notices warned that if they fail to meet the required environmental standards and secure Environmental Clearance (EC), closure notices will be issued. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Don't Pay Full Price for 2025's Top Games! Shop Now Undo The fate of these formaldehyde units could have a ripple effect on the local plywood industry. Formaldehyde is an essential chemical used in the production of resin, which binds plywood layers together. Without it, the industry cannot function. This chemical's pollution has cancer causing substances, said Yamunanagar deputy civil surgeon. According to JK Bihani, District President of the Plywood Factory Association, 'Formaldehyde is the backbone of the plywood industry. If these plants shut down, over 160 active plywood units could follow, especially when 190 have already closed due to recession.' Formaldehyde is classified as a hazardous chemical known to cause health issues like cancer, respiratory irritation, allergies, and skin problems. Its industrial use, especially in adhesive resins, requires strict regulation and environmental approval, which many of the plants had reportedly bypassed for years. Officials say a final decision on enforcement actions, including possible shutdowns, will be made after examining the responses submitted by the plant operators. As scrutiny continues, the region's critical plywood manufacturing economy hangs in the balance. Yamunanagar deputy civil surgeon Dr Divya Mangla said, 'When formaldehyde is dissolved in water, it is very hazardous for the human body. It can lead to irritation, respiratory problems and even can lead to cancer. It is very important to stop pollution from this chemical and protect air, water and the environment for better human health.' With the deadline now passed and the stakes high, the coming days will be crucial for Yamunanagar's environment and economy alike.
India Today
05-07-2025
- India Today
Fraudsters posing as CBI rob ex-scientist of 1.29 crores, arrested by UP police
The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police have busted a digital fraud racket and arrested four people from Lucknow for cheating and scamming people under the purview of digital arrest. According to police, the four men, Shayam, Sudhir, Rajnish and Mahendra used to pose as CBI officials and threaten people with digital arrest and cheat them of their money. advertisementThe accused defrauded Rs 1.29 crores from a retired scientist of the Veterinary Research Institute named Shukdev Nandi by digitally arresting him. The fraudsters allegedly kept him under digital arrest for three days. On realizing the fraud, the retired scientist filed a complaint with Bareilly's cyber police station and an investigation was launched into the incident. During the investigation, police tracked down the four accused and finally arrested them on Saturday. - EndsTrending Reel
