Rahul Gandhi sits in 2nd last row during Independence Day celebrations, sparks social media debate
New Delhi: For the first time in a decade, the Leader of the Opposition attended the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi present at the event on Thursday. However, his seating arrangement, positioned in the second last row alongside Olympic medallists, sparked debate on social media.
Rahul Gandhi was seen seated next to India's hockey team forward Gurjant Singh. Olympic medallists such as Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh and members of the bronze-winning hockey team, including captain Harmanpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh were seated ahead of Rahul Gandhi. The front row was occupied by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Shah, and S. Jaishankar.
According to a report by India Today, sources from the Ministry of Defence, which organises the Independence Day event and makes the seating plans, stated that Gandhi's placement in the second row was due to the front rows being reserved for Olympic medal winners. “Sources said the LoP is normally given a seat in the first few rows as per protocol,” added the news outlet.
The Leader of the Opposition, whose rank is equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister, is typically assigned a seat in the front row according to protocol. During the BJP regime under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sonia Gandhi, the then Leader of the Opposition, was consistently allocated a seat in the front row.
Several users expressed their opinions on X (formerly called Twitter), criticising the seating arrangements. One user remarked, "Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, sitting in the back row, even behind Olympic medalists, demonstrates the qualities of a true leader who never misuses his identity or constitutional position." Another user commented that the BJP has engaged in its usual cheap politics here as well, noting that despite Rahul Gandhi being the prominent voice of the opposition and holding the position of Leader of the Opposition, he was seated in the second row while other ministers occupied the front row.
Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, sitting in the back row, even behind Olympic medalists, demonstrates the qualities of a true Leader who never misuses his identity or his constitutional position. 💙🫶🏼🇮🇳#HappyIndependenceDay#HappyIndependenceDay2024#स्वतंत्रता_दिवस pic.twitter.com/CuZB2Qby3b
— S S Kabir (@CitizenKabir) August 15, 2024
Shame 🚨
— Harsh Tiwari (@harsht2024) August 15, 2024
Rahul Gandhi is the biggest voice of the strong opposition, he is the LOP but he has been made to sit on the last seat of the second row, while other Ministers are in the first row.
The day is not far when RG will become the PM, BJP has done its cheap politics here… pic.twitter.com/ZjXTMgBKaX
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
