Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja's hate speech video goes viral
Belthangady: A video of Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja delivering a hate speech against Muslims during a religious event has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage. The speech was made from the stage of the Brahmakalashotsava ceremony at the Thekkaru Sri Gopalakrishna Temple on Saturday night.
In the video, the MLA can be heard accusing the local Muslim community of vandalism and theft. He alleged that "country Bearys of Thekkaru" broke tube lights installed for the temple event and stole diesel. His remarks have been widely condemned as inflammatory and communal in nature.
"You (Hindus) are only 150 families in Thekkaru. The Muslim community has 1,200 families. In another ten years, their numbers won’t drop to 600. Instead, the number of Bearys will grow from 5,000 to 10,000. Regardless of their numbers, we must unite, rise above caste differences, and work towards the development of the temple," he said.
MLA Poonja also made unsubstantiated claims that the Muslim community is divided into 70 to 74 castes and questioned why invitations for the Brahmakalashotsava were extended to local mosques.
"Why did Thekkaru villagers send temple invitations to mosques? There is no connection between them and us. It is because of these invitations that they broke the tube lights," he alleged.
Contrary to his remarks, local Muslims had participated in the spirit of harmony by putting up congratulatory banners for the temple celebration after receiving invitations.
The speech has drawn criticism from various quarters, with many accusing the MLA of attempting to incite communal disharmony at a sensitive time.
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TCS orders probe, engages external experts in Nashik Case
Mumbai: Tata Consultancy Services on Friday said it has initiated a formal internal investigation into allegations linked to its Nashik unit and engaged independent external experts to ensure transparency in the process.
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director K Krithivasan was quoted by The Observer Post as saying that the company has appointed Deloitte and Trilegal as independent counsel to support the probe. The internal investigation is being led by Aarthi Subramanian.
The company has constituted a supervisory committee chaired by independent director Keki Mistry, which will oversee the process. The committee will also review findings and monitor the implementation of recommendations.
Krithivasan said a preliminary review of the company’s internal systems and records had not revealed any complaints of the nature being alleged through its ethics or POSH channels.
He also clarified that an employee named in media reports, Nida Khan, was not part of the human resources function and did not hold any leadership role. He informed that she worked as a process associate.
The company has also rejected reports suggesting that operations at the Nashik facility had been suspended. It asserted that the unit continues to function without disruption with a zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct.
