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The battle for control: How Pak military establishment is targeting digital dissent (IANS Analysis)

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The battle for control: How Pak military establishment is targeting digital dissent (IANS Analysis)

New Delhi: On February 18, Asad Ali Toor, an independent Pakistani journalist, quote-posted a news item on his X account (@AsadAToor) detailing allegations of systematic voting manipulation by a senior Pakistani bureaucrat.

In his post, Toor questioned whether the country’s Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa would “dare to take suo moto notice and probe this election rigging?”

Persisting in his queries about the systematic abuse of the election process, Toor highlighted the laxity of Pakistan’s courts in addressing electoral malpractices nationwide. Consequently, Toor was arrested by the police on February 26 for, what they called, undermining the country’s judicial institutions.

The arrest was part of a broader campaign against nearly four dozen Pakistani journalists, who mostly covered courts, and hundreds of activists to force them into silence and against raising the issue of election rigging.

Since then, the Pakistani government has maintained strict control over digital content and invoked both executive and legislative measures to regulate the country’s internet landscape.

Pakistan held its controversial elections on February 8, following months of political gerrymandering by the military establishment to ensure a favourable electoral outcome.

Despite brazen attempts, including an outright ban on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) of its jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Army failed to manufacture a decisive electoral verdict for its favoured political parties and instead was exposed for its malfeasance, leading to its further public delegitimisation, thereby denting its decades of carefully curated holier than thou image.

The Pakistani government had blocked internet on February 8, the election day, citing “pre-emptive measures” to ensure the security of the election centres.

Even as basic internet services were restored subsequently, access to social media platforms, however, was restricted as hundreds of videos of military establishment’s brazen electoral rigging made their way to the internet, leading to widespread protests in the country.

The overwhelming evidence demonstrated that the military establishment effectively stole the election mandate from PTI in favour of the Sharif family-led Pakistan Muslim-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Bhuttoo-Zardari family-led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

While the Pakistani government claimed to have restored internet fully, the global internet watchdogs reported that the access to social media sites, particularly X (formerly Twitter), was severely curtailed.

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Subsequently, multiple reports claimed that the X platform was formally banned in the country, even as the Pakistani establishment continued to claim otherwise.

Interestingly, the military-dominated establishment was left exposed on March 20 when the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) buried an information in its submission to the Sindh High Court, stating that a notification from the Interior Ministry on February 17 directed the authority to ban X.

Despite this self-expose before the Sindh High Court, it took the Pakistan government two months to formally acknowledge its ban on X when the Interior Ministry made a written submission to the Islamabad High Court on April 17.

The ministry cited “upholding national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation” to justify the ban even as it has continued to claim that X promoted digital terrorism in Pakistan and was a prime medium for delegitimising the integrity of the state and its institutions, especially Pakistan Army.

More than concerns about national security and integrity, the Pakistani government’s efforts to control the digital landscape are primarily aimed at suppressing the exposure of the military establishment’s brazen political machinations.

Since the February 8 elections, social media has become a prime medium for popular resentment, as all other forms and fora for protest have been criminalised in the country.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, led by the incarcerated Imran Khan, has effectively undermined the military establishment’s narrative of transparent elections by providing explicit evidence of electoral malfeasance. This has significantly unsettled those in power.

Beyond political dissent from opposition parties, social media has become a lifeline for ethnic and sectarian minorities in exposing rights violations by Pakistan’s armed forces and the majoritarian community.

For instance, Baloch rights activists have used social media platforms to highlight the persistent and severe human rights violations committed by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan.

The military has historically justified its abhorrent conduct, including abductions and extrajudicial killings of Baloch people, under the guise of a national security narrative aimed at fighting terrorism, thereby avoiding accountability.

For a long period, Pakistan Army’s narrative went unchallenged with its actions finding support from the dominant Punjab province. However, social media has enabled Baloch rights activists, particularly women activists, to bring these abuses to the attention of not just Pakistani citizens, who earlier doubted Baloch claims, but also to the international audience.

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As such, the reach of social media has amplified the voices of activists like Mahrang Baloch of the Baloch Yechjehti Committee and Semi Deen Baloch of Voices for Baloch Missing Persons.

These activists, who are also lead organisers of the forthcoming ‘March against Baloch Genocide’ (Baloch Long March) on July 28 in the port city of Gwadar, have succeeded in making their plight heard beyond Balochistan, echoing across Pakistan and the world.

This increased visibility has drawn significant attention to the ongoing human rights violations in the region by the Pakistan Army and its agencies. That the Pakistan Army’s treatment of Imran Khan, his PTI cadre, and anti-government protesters of May 9, 2023, has further facilitated a conversation about military excesses in the hinterland.

Similarly, as the Pakistan Army continues its human rights violations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, especially in the tribal belt of Waziristan, social media has become a crucial tool for common Pakhtun people to expose these abuses.

The oppression and excesses in KPK and Balochistan, coupled with the military’s heavy-handed approach towards political dissent, particularly against PTI members, and brazen electoral rigging, have left the Pakistani state, especially the military establishment, exposed and delegitimised in the eyes of the people.

Importantly, despite its might, the state has been unable to discredit the narrative of political opposition, as the pro-Imran Khan, anti-army, and anti-government political-cum-civil rights narrative continues to dominate the country’s digital space.

This is more so significant as despite the Pakistani military establishment banning news media channels from broadcasting photos or videos of Imran Khan since March 2023, his anti-establishment narrative remains prevalent.

It is social media that has ensured his messages and the critique of the military establishment continue to reach a broad audience, undermining the state’s efforts to control the popular narrative. The recent labelling of internet activists and more so the PTI cadre by the Pakistan Army spokesman as ‘digital terrorists’ should be seen in the light of this failure.

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It is this defeat in the digital landscape and the ongoing decline in popular legitimacy that has prompted the establishment to undertake multifaceted efforts, both executive and legislative, to increase its overarching control of the country’s internet landscape.

As part of these measures, on June 30, the Pakistan government acknowledged its ongoing process of the installation of a national digital firewall, claiming it was necessary to filter and block “propaganda and unwanted content”.

It is noteworthy that Pakistan’s national telecom regulatory body, the PTA, already possesses the technology to block access to the internet. However, this national firewall, procured from China — a global emblem of internet censorship and digital authoritarianism — will significantly enhance the PTA’s capability to monitor and control Pakistan’s internet landscape on a much larger scale.

This means the government will have direct control over access to all social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X, as well as the means to monitor content usage and identify IP addresses that it perceives are pushing ‘anti-state propaganda’.

Additionally, the Pakistani government is reportedly preparing a framework to regulate virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow users to circumvent national censors to access prohibited sites while shielding their identity and masking their locations.

Under this directive, it has been speculated that the government will require people to inform the Pakistan Telecom Authority about their use of VPNs, with criminal proceedings possible for non-compliance. This represents nothing but a means of using technology to curb every ounce of dissent in the country.

Therefore, instead of withdrawing from the political scene to allow the country to return to a semblance of political stability, Pakistan’s military-controlled establishment, aided by the civilian facade of Shehbaz Sharif’s government, is gradually extending its extensive physical surveillance to the digital landscape, moving towards fully transforming the country into a surveillance state.

It has put Pakistan on the path of transformation to a real dystopian surveillance state, with common Pakistanis appearing destined to be pushed into an unknown territory of darkness.

–IANS

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PM Modi to give certificates to 11 lakh Lakhpati Didis; roll out Rs 2,500 crore fund

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PM Modi to give certificates to 11 lakh Lakhpati Didis; roll out Rs 2,500 crore fund

PM Modi to give certificates to 11 lakh Lakhpati Didis; roll out Rs 2,500 crore fund

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give certificates to 11 lakh new ‘Lakhpati Didis’ at a special function to be held at Jalgaon in Maharashtra on August 25 (Sunday).

The programme will have nationwide participation through the virtual mode.

The Prime Minister will release a revolving Community Investment Fund of Rs 2,500 crore, which will benefit about 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh women Self Help Groups (SHGs), Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

PM Modi will also release a bank loan of Rs 5,000 crore, which will benefit 25.8 lakh members of 2,35,400 Self Help Groups (SHGs).

Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that people from about 30,000 places across 34 states and union territories including state capitals and district headquarters will join this program through the virtual route.

He said that Lakhpati Didis are women who earn Rs 1 lakh or more per annum. These Lakhpati Didis have not only pulled their families out of poverty but are also becoming role models for the rest of society, the Union Minister said.

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“The Rural Development Ministry has already created 1 crore Lakhpati Didis. Now our target is to create 3 crore Lakhpati Didis in the next 3 years. It is heartening to note that one of these community resource persons has created 95 Lakhpati Didis,” Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

He further explained that the Ministry has adopted a structured process to enable the SHG families to earn an annual income of Rs 1 lakh or more.

This includes capacitating National Resource Persons and developing Master Trainers in each state.

These Master Trainers further train the Community Resource Persons on business planning, financing and convergence process.

The cadre of 3 lakh Community Resource Persons, who have been specially trained in business planning and the skilling of SHG members, are doing a great service in this regard, the minister added.

Some of these community resource persons will also be facilitated.

As of now, the Ministry of Rural Development has formed 15 lakh Lakhpati Didis during the first 100 days which has succeeded the 11 lakh target for the period, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

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–IANS

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Tripura flood death toll rises to 12, more NDRF teams deployed (Lead)

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Tripura flood death toll rises to 12, more NDRF teams deployed (Lead)

Tripura flood death toll rises to 12, more NDRF teams deployed (Lead)

Agartala, Aug 22 (IANS) The flood situation in Tripura, which has been lashed by heavy rains for the last four days, remained grim on Thursday and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) retained its ‘Red alert’ for all eight districts, officials said.

They added that more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed as the rains and floods continue to play havoc.

Till Thursday, 12 deaths, including that of a 12-year-old girl and a woman were reported from South Tripura, Gomati, and Khowai districts and two persons were also said to be missing.

A Disaster Management Department official said that two more fresh casualties due to the floods were reported from south Tripura and Gomati districts, while around 65,500 people are taking shelter in 450 relief camps in all eight districts.

He said that 17 lakh people were affected in the entire state, which witnessed the monsoon flood in such a catastrophic manner for the first time in several decades.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is supervising the disaster management work, spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the second day on Thursday and apprised him of the prevailing scenario.

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Home Minister Shah said in a post on X, “Spoke with CM Tripura, Dr Manik Saha, and took stock of the flood situation in the state. The Centre is rushing teams of NDRF, apart from boats and helicopters, to the state to assist the local government in relief and rescue operations. Assured of all possible assistance from the Centre as and when required. The Modi government firmly stands with our sisters and brothers in Tripura during this hour of crisis.”

Later, the Chief Minister while expressing gratitude to the Home Minister said that HM Shah informed him that 11 NDRF teams would be sent to Tripura from different locations in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

He said arrangements would also be made for choppers to airlift stranded people in the flood-affected areas.

“More number of boats would also be sent along with the NDRF teams. The entire state government machinery has been working round the clock to tackle the unprecedented natural calamity. I thank public representatives, social workers and the people at large for cooperating with the state government in this hour of crisis,” CM Saha said.

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The central government has provided two helicopters for airlifting stranded people in Gomati and South Tripura districts.

Following the directions of the state government, due to the heavy rain and flooding, all educational institutions remained closed.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said that though a ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall alert has been continued and a ‘Red alert’ has been sounded in all eight districts, the rain is likely to reduce slightly from Thursday evening.

“The low pressure area over north Bangladesh and neighbourhood persisted over the same region on Thursday. The associated cyclonic circulation now extends up to 9.4 km above mean sea level. It is likely to move nearly westwards across West Bengal during the next 48 hours. Additionally, a cyclonic circulation is likely to form over North Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood on August 24,” the official said.

The IMD recorded 233 mm rainfall in Agartala from 8.30 A.M. on August 21 to till 8.30 A.M. on Thursday.

According to Disaster Management Department officials over 1,055 houses were damaged either fully or partially and hundreds of trees were uprooted blocking many important highways.

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Landslides occurred in 2,032 places across the state, out of which 1,789 locations were cleared by Thursday evening.

As per preliminary estimates, around 5,000 hectares of vegetable farms and 1.20 lakh hectares of other crop lands are still submerged.

Water Resource Department officials said that most of the prominent rivers in Tripura were either flowing above ‘critical’ or ‘danger’ levels while the state’s main river Gomati has crossed the ‘extreme danger’ level in many places of Gomati and Sepahijala districts, as rainfall has continued.

The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has cancelled 10 local trains in Tripura.

An NFR spokesman said that due to heavy rain railway tracks were damaged in Gomati district, forcing the authorities to cancel these trains.

A Defence spokesman said that following the requisition from state administrations, four columns of Assam Rifles were deployed in different districts and they were working in close coordination with the civil administration to rescue civilians stranded due to floods.

First aid and essential items have been distributed by the Assam Rifles to hundreds of stranded people and those in relief camps.

–IANS

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Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional, undemocratic & unfair: Maulana Madani

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Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional, undemocratic & unfair: Maulana Madani

Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional, undemocratic & unfair: Maulana Madani

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The Muslim organisation on Thursday criticised the Union government over the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, calling it unconstitutional, undemocratic and unfair as it goes against the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution.

“Amendment bill being brought to Waqf is unconstitutional, undemocratic and unfair. The proposed amendments to the Waqf Act are also against the freedom of religion provided by the Constitution and also violates articles 14-15 and 25 of the Constitution,” said Jamiat-i-Ulama Hind, President, Maulana Arshad Madani while addressing a joint press conference of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Muslim Personal Law Board at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.

He added that the amendment bill is also the government’s interference in religious matters which Muslims will not accept.

“Under the guise of the amending bill, an attempt is being made to deprive the Muslims of this great country and of its heritage which our forefathers have left in the form of Waqf for the betterment of the poor, destitute and needy people of the country,” said Maulana Arshad Madani.

He said that amendments have been made in the bill without consulting the Muslim religious figures and taking the Muslims into confidence while Waqf is a purely religious and Shariah matter because once the Waqf is applied.

“The donor does not remain the owner of the property rather that property is transferred to the ownership of Allah,” he explained.

Maulana Madani said that while presenting the Amendment Bill in the parliament, it was claimed that it would bring transparency to the work and would benefit the weak and needy people of the Muslim society.

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“This bill is proof of the malicious intent of the government and its dangerous plans. If this bill is passed not only the protection of Waqf properties across the country may be in danger but also a door of new conflicts will be opened and the status of those mosques, tombs, buildings, imam badas and lands which are Waqf properties or which are located on Waqf land will be made doubtful,” Maulana Madani said.

He added that instead of the Waqf Tribunal and Waqf Commissioners, all powers under this bill will be transferred to District Collectors.

“By increasing the number of members of the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, their status is also being changed and the door is being opened to appoint non-Muslims in it as well. This bill will also remove the requirement of being Muslim for officers and members,” he said.

Maulana Madani said that this is not a Hindu-Muslim issue but a constitutional problem and this bill is also against Muslim religious freedom.

He said that the Shrine Board, which was formed for the maintenance and protection of Hindu religious places, had a clear explanation that Jains, Sikhs or Buddhists would not be its members.

He questioned that if Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists cannot be members of the Shrine Board, how can the nomination and appointment of non-Muslims be justified in the Waqf Board?

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“While Jainism and Buddhism are not considered separate from Hinduism, they are considered a separate sect. If they cannot participate in the shrine board even if they are Hindus on the basis of being a sect, then why is the nomination and appointment of non-Muslims in the Waqf boards made mandatory?” Maulana Madani asked.

He said that there are laws in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh etc. that those who manage the affairs of the Hindu religion’s property must be Hindus.

“Just as no other religious group can interfere in the religious affairs of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in the same way, the management of Waqf properties should also be done only by Muslims. We do not accept any such proposal in the endowment system,” he added.

He said that it is clear that the intention of the government is not pure and through this bill, its purpose is not to bring transparency in the work and to benefit the Muslim community but to deprive Muslims of their Waqf properties and to weaken the claim of Muslims from the Waqf properties.

Maulana Madani said that an endless series of new conflicts can start in this way and taking advantage of the weak legal status of Muslims in the amendment bill may make it easier to occupy Waqf properties.

He added that we are not talking about one or two amendments but most of the amendments in the bill are unconstitutional and dangerous and destructive for the Waqf.

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“This bill is also an attack on the constitutional powers given to Muslims. If the Constitution has given religious freedom and equal rights to every citizen then some special powers have also been given to the minorities living in the country. And the amendment bill negates all these powers completely,” he said.

Maulana Madani added that under the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, it has been suggested that Section 40 of the current Act should be removed while the 2006 Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf and Justice Sachar Committee reported that a large number of Waqf properties are illegally occupied while the incumbent government is also referring to the same Sachar Committee report.

“Despite this, it has been suggested in the 2024 bill that the State Waqf Board shall not be empowered to identify properties which are illegally occupied and to try to recover them. This proposal of the government is very harmful to the existence of endowments,” he said.

He added that during the last ten years, the minorities of the country, especially the Muslims, were put on the margins, and to make them believe that now, as citizens, they have no rights and powers, many laws have been forcibly brought and implemented.

“This Waqf Amendment Bill is also one of them by passing it in any way there is a conspiracy to forcefully apply it on Muslims, which we cannot accept,” he said.

–IANS

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Calcutta HC questions Bengal govt's 'late realisation' to probe financial irregularities at RG Kar

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Calcutta HC questions Bengal govt's 'late realisation' to probe financial irregularities at RG Kar

Calcutta HC questions Bengal govt's 'late realisation' to probe financial irregularities at RG Kar

Kolkata, Aug 22 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the decision of the West Bengal government to set up a special investigation team to probe the alleged financial irregularities at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata when the controversial former principal Sandip Ghosh was in charge of the institution, even as the state health department was informed about the irregularities last year.

A single-judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj made this observation while hearing a petition by the whistle-blower in the matter — former deputy medical superintendent of RG Kar — Akhtar Ali, who had sought the High Court’s intervention to seek protection in anticipation of security threat for being vocal against Sandip Ghosh.

On Wednesday, Ali also filed a public interest litigation seeking a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar.

During the hearing, Justice Bhardwaj observed that “from the inclusion of senior police officers in the special investigation team, it is evident that the matter is serious, and wondered why the team was constituted a year after the matter was brought to the notice of the state government”.

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The state government counsel argued that the petition has been deliberately filed at this moment amid the recent incident of the rape and murder of a woman doctor in the R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.

The state government counsel also questioned why the petitioner remained silent for one year after the complaint was not acted upon as claimed by him.

The Calcutta High Court also directed the state government counsel to present a detailed argument on the formation of SIT on Friday.

The West Bengal government earlier this week announced the formation of a special investigation team comprising four senior IPS officers and headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police to prove the allegation of financial irregularities at RG Kar since 2021, when Sandip Ghosh was the principal there.

Opposition parties have already claimed that the formation of SIT by the state government was nothing but an eyewash, and it had been created not with the intention of revealing the truth behind the financial irregularities, but rather with the motive of destroying evidence in the matter.

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–IANS

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Odisha: RDC-level probe to be launched soon into spurious liquor deaths

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Odisha: RDC-level probe to be launched soon into spurious liquor deaths

Odisha: RDC-level probe to be launched soon into spurious liquor deaths

Bhubaneswar, Aug 22 (IANS) Amid the furore over two deaths caused by the consumption of spurious liquor in Ganjam district, Odisha Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan announced on Thursday that a probe by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner into the hooch tragedy will be initiated soon.

At least 23 persons from Moundpur, Jenapur, and Karabalua in Chikiti block had consumed country liquor from an unlicensed shop on Monday evening. They later fell ill and were admitted to a nearby hospital, where two of them died during treatment on Wednesday, prompting Harichandan to direct the officials to take all necessary steps to stop the illegal trade of liquor in the state.

Speaking to mediapersons, Harichandan said, “An RDC-level probe will be launched in this matter within the next couple of days. Action will be taken based on its report which will be submitted within two months. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will soon take the decision in this regard.”

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He also vowed that the network of illegal liquor trade in the state will be completely destroyed within a year.

“As many as 217 illegal liquor manufacturing units have been identified in the state which will be demolished soon. Instructions have already been issued in this regard. Around 117 persons have so far been arrested following raids in different districts,” Harichandan.

He also assured the people that no illegal liquor unit will remain in existence in the state.

The Minister said the Excise Superintendent in Berhampur, Pradip Panigrahi, has been transferred for negligence in duty on Wednesday, while the government has also suspended Excise Inspector Ramesh Chandara Mohanty and Sub-inspector Prasanna Kumar Jali for similar lapses.

The deceased have been identified as Jura Behera and Lokanath Behera from Jenapur village, who died at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.

The opposition BJD has also the issue in the state Assembly on Thursday, demanding resignation of the Excise Minister.

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–IANS

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