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Meghalaya Governor Says Agnipath Scheme Is Against Interests Of Our Youth

Meghalaya

Satya Pal Malik, the governor of Meghalaya, pleaded with the government to reappraise the โ€œAgnipathโ€ scheme.

Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh: Satya Pal Malik, the governor of Meghalaya, claimed on Sunday that the โ€œAgnipathโ€ scheme is a โ€œfraudโ€ that is intended to deceive prospective soldiers. He also claimed that those who leave the military after four years of service without receiving a pension are unlikely to receive a marriage proposal.

Mr. Malik, who has also held the office of governor of Jammu and Kashmir, pleaded with the government to โ€œreconsiderโ€ the new scheme, which calls for the four-year recruitment of teenagers as soldiers.

โ€œFuture jawans will undergo six months of training before receiving six months off. When they return to their homes after three years of employment, they hardly ever receive a marriage proposal,โ€ in Baghpat, Mr. Malik spoke with reporters. โ€œThe Agnipath scheme is a swindle of aspiring soldiers and a betrayal of their ambitions.โ€  The governor of Meghalaya, a native of Baghpat, visited Khekra village to express his condolences to the family of his friend Gaje Singh Dhama, who passed away recently.

The governor claimed that he had previously brought up the subject of farmers during their demonstrations against the three farm laws that have now been overturned, and that he would now talk about the young and their issues.

Mr. Malik responded, โ€œHad I fallen into the โ€˜chakkarโ€™ (trap) of counsellors like you, I would not have been able to reach this level),โ€ when asked by journalists if he should have resigned as governor before bringing up these political issues. โ€œIf the person who appointed me (as a Governor) requests it, I will resign from my position immediately.โ€ In response to a question about his post-retirement plans, he stated that he has no desire to return to active politics or run for office. โ€œWherever necessary, I will fight for farmers and soldiers.โ€ After leaving office, the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir claimed he will publish a book about the border state of Kashmir.

When asked if his criticism of the government would get more intense once he retired, Mr. Malik responded, โ€œThe government is not at issue. If the concerns I express are taken into consideration, the government will benefit.โ€

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To stop lynchings, police provide WhatsApp helplines, rope in fact-checking sites

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Following the lynching of five men in Dhule district, Maharashtra police are taking several preventive steps, including publication of WhatsApp numbers of police control rooms where help can be sought.

Police are also roping in fact-checking websites to verify rumours on social media and debunk fake news.

โ€œWe have issued WhatsApp numbers where people can send messages to seek help (or to verify rumours),โ€ said Special Inspector General of Police (Cyber Crime) Brijesh Singh.

WhatsApp messages can be sent to following numbers: Maharashtra State Police Control Room 7506777100/ 7506888100, Navi Mumbai Police 8424820665, Thane City Police โ€“ 9769724127 / 9969365100, Thane Rural 7045100222, Palghar 9730811119 / 9730711119, Raigad 7057672227 / 7057362226, Mumbai Railway Police 9833312222.

Police are also taking the help of fact-checking websites such as SM HoaxSlayer, Boom Facts and Alt News to do a forensic analysis of viral rumours and debunk fake news, Singh said.

โ€œThe governmentโ€™s publicity department, in association with the Cyber Cell of police, is devising short messages for radio, television and social media platforms about how people should deal with rumours.

โ€œWe have put up 1,000 hoardings in the state, giving local WhatsApp numbers (of police control room),โ€ he said.

A massive awareness campaign has been launched, he said, adding that police officials have been holding press conferences at the district level about how to deal with viral rumours and situations involving angry mobs.

Superintendent of Police, Cyber Cell, Balsing Rajput said that anyone found spreading rumours on social media to create tension between two groups or communities can be booked under the stringent provisions of the IPC and Information Technology Act.

โ€œIf there is a lynching incident, as in Dhule, the accused will be charged for murder,โ€ he said.

If people find any suspicious-looking person, they should call police, he said.

โ€œCyber Cell personnel at the district level have been asked to go to villages, hold meetings with locals including prominent persons in the area and peace committee members, and tell them what they need to do in such situations,โ€ Rajput said.

Five members of a nomadic community were killed by a mob at the remote Rainpada village in Dhule on July 1. The attack was reportedly triggered by a rumour about a child-lifting gang being active in the area.

According to police, in the last one and a half months, 14 incidents of mob attacks fuelled by rumours were reported in the state, in which ten people were killed.

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