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A lawyer defending Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari,  the Hindu priest arrested and accused of sedition in Bangladesh, has been attacked, the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) has said. A court in Bangladesh is expected to hear the case on December 3. 

In a post on X, Radharaman Das, the spokesperson for ISKCON, said, "Please pray for Advocate Ramen Roy. His only 'fault' was defending Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in court. Islamists ransacked his home and brutally attacked him, leaving him in the ICU, fighting for his life".

Many lawyers in Bangladesh, however, have denied any such event.

Last month too, there were claims on social media and a few news outlets that a lawyer defending Chinmoy Krishna Das was killed. But investigations revealed that the murdered lawyer, Saiful Islam, was an assistant public prosecutor and he was not defending Chinmoy Das.

The post from Radharaman Das read: 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Please pray for Advocate Ramen Roy. His only 'fault' was defending Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in court. 
 
Islamists ransacked his home and brutally attacked him, leaving him in the ICU, fighting for his life.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveBangladeshiHindus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaveBangladeshiHindus</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreeChinmoyKrishnaPrabhu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreeChinmoyKrishnaPrabhu</a> <a href="https://t.co/uudpC10bpN">pic.twitter.com/uudpC10bpN</a>
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) <a href="https://twitter.com/RadharamnDas/status/1863593503609303469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2024</a></blockquote>

Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a prominent former leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh, was arrested in Dhaka last month after protests by the Hindu community in Rangpur, demanding stronger legal protections for minority groups. He has been accused of sedition and was denied bail by a Dhaka court on Tuesday.

Bangladesh has seen widespread political violence and protests over minority rights since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Amid attacks on minority Hindus in the neighbouring coutry, Radharaman Das had earlier posted on X that two disciples of Chinmoy Krishna Das have gone missing in Chattogram after a second Hindu monk, Shyam Das Prabhu, was arrested.

India has condemned the arrest and urged Bangladeshi authorities to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and other minorities. 

The arrest has also been strongly criticised by Indian religious leaders and members of the civil society.

Protest rallies have been held in West Bengal and several other staes that share border with Bangladesh.

In Tripura, the criticism has taken the form of boycott. Hotels and restaurants have decided not to accept bookings from tourists from Bangladesh, the top association of the travel sector has said.

Earlier today, more than 50 protesters allegedly entered the premises of the Bangladeshi mission in Tripura capital Agartala, leading to panic among the officials and staff at the complex. India has described the incident as "deeply regrettable".

Advocate Defending Hindu Priest In Bangladesh Attacked, Says ISKCON

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Indian passengers At Kuwait Airport: कुवैत एयरपोर्ट पर भारतीय यात्री फंसे हुए हैं. मुंबई से मैनचेस्टर जा रही गल्फ एयर की फ्लाइट को तकनीकी खराबी के कारण कुवैत इंटरनेशनल एयरपोर्ट पर इमरजेंसी लैंडिंग करनी पड़ी. फ्लाइट के इंजन से धुआं निकलने की सूचना के बाद यह कदम उठाया गया. हालांकि, यात्रियों को वहां कोई मदद नहीं मिल रही है, जिससे वे 23 घंटे से ज्यादा समय से बिना &nbsp;खाना-पानी &nbsp;के एयरपोर्ट पर फंसे हुए हैं. दरअसल, मुंबई से मैनचेस्टर जा रही फ्लाइट के इंजन में खराबी के कारण कुवैत एयरपोर्ट पर इमरजेंसी लैंडिंग की गई. फ्लाइट में धुआं देखने के बाद यह निर्णय लिया. 60 भारतीय यात्री 23 घंटे से एयरपोर्ट पर इंतजार कर रहे हैं. उन्हें न तो बैठने की पर्याप्त जगह दी गई है और न ही भोजन-पानी उपलब्ध कराया गया है. सोशल मीडिया पर यात्रियों की शिकायतें
सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हो रहे वीडियो में यात्री कुवैत एयरपोर्ट अधिकारियों के साथ बहस करते दिख रहे हैं. यात्रियों ने आरोप लगाया है कि भारतीय यात्रियों के साथ जानबूझकर गलत व्यवहार किया जा रहा है. वहीं, अब तक गल्फ एयर की ओर से यात्रियों की मदद या समस्या के समाधान को लेकर कोई ठोस बयान नहीं आया है.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Embassy has been informed by Gulf Air that the flight for stranded passengers from Kuwait to Manchester is tentatively scheduled at 3.30 am on 2 Dec. This is being conveyed to all passengers by the Embassy team at the airport. <a href="https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrSJaishankar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PMOIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MEAIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KVSinghMPGonda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KVSinghMPGonda</a>
&mdash; India in Kuwait (@indembkwt) <a href="https://twitter.com/indembkwt/status/1863258309878267989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>
दूतावास ने लाउंज में किया ठहराने की व्यवस्था
कुवैत में भारतीय वीजा ऑन अराइवल (VoA) के लिए पात्र नहीं हैं, इसलिए वे एयरपोर्ट से बाहर नहीं निकल पा रहे हैं हालांकि वहां भारतीय दूतावास उनकी सहायता करने की कोशिश कर रहा है. फंसे हुए भारतीयों की परेशानी और बढ़ गई है क्योंकि कुवैत में खाड़ी सहयोग परिषद (GCC) की बैठक के कारण एयरपोर्ट होटल उपलब्ध नहीं है. दूतावास ने उन्हें एयरपोर्ट लाउंज में ठहराने का प्रबंध किया है.
भारतीय दूतावास की प्रतिक्रिया
कुवैत में भारतीय दूतावास ने रविवार रात को एक्स पर कहा "दूतावास को गल्फ एयर की ओर से बताया गया है कि कुवैत से मैनचेस्टर के लिए फंसे हुए यात्रियों के लिए उड़ान 2 दिसंबर को सुबह 3.30 बजे निर्धारित है. हवाई अड्डे पर दूतावास की टीम &nbsp;सभी यात्रियों को यह जानकारी दे रही है. लाउंज में फंसे यात्रियों के लिए भोजन और पानी उपलब्ध है"
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reading WHY BHARAT MATTERS while getting stuck in Kuwait without any help All British Passport holders got their hotels sorted with On-arrival visa while <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianPassport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndianPassport</a> holders have been left stranded without any info, food, or any kind of help. <a href="https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrSJaishankar</a><a href="https://twitter.com/GulfAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GulfAir</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GF5?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GF5</a> <a href="https://t.co/5qUNEP8rMO">pic.twitter.com/5qUNEP8rMO</a>
&mdash; Shivansh (@shiv4nsh) <a href="https://twitter.com/shiv4nsh/status/1863117612411994509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>
फंसे हुए यात्रियों में से एक सॉफ्टवेयर इंजीनियर शिवांश ने एक्स हैंडल @shiv4nsh से लिखा &ldquo;बिना किसी मदद के कुवैत में फंसे रहने के दौरान (विदेश मंत्री एस जयशंकर की) Why Bharat Matters पढ़ रहा हूं. सभी ब्रिटिश पासपोर्ट धारकों को VoA के साथ अपने होटल की व्यवस्था कर दी गई, जबकि भारतीय पासपोर्ट धारक बिना किसी जानकारी, भोजन या किसी भी तरह की मदद के फंसे रह गए.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
01.12.2024 at 2.50 - I was traveling on a Gulf Air flight with other 268 passengers last night when the left engine caught fire mid air when we are cruising at 15000 meters attitude, leading to an emergency landing in Kuwait City. 💤💤<a href="https://twitter.com/GulfAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gulfair</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thankyou?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thankyou</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fire?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fire</a> <a href="https://t.co/KnA3h4Z6c1">pic.twitter.com/KnA3h4Z6c1</a>
&mdash; Sai Samrat Anandapu (@SamratChintu) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamratChintu/status/1863229575431332048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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एक अन्य यात्री साई सम्राट आनंदपु ने अपने हैंडल @SamratChintu से ट्वीट किया "मैं बहरीन में ट्रांजिट के साथ हैदराबाद से मैनचेस्टर जा रहा था. हमारी उड़ान सुबह 2.10 बजे शुरू हुई, लेकिन 1.5 घंटे बाद बाएं इंजन में आग लग गई, जिससे कुवैत सिटी में आपातकालीन लैंडिंग हुई. हम 6 घंटे से अधिक समय से मदद का इंतजार कर रहे हैं, लेकिन केवल ब्रिटिश नागरिकों और जीसीसी निवासियों को ही जगह दी गई है, जिससे हम भारतीयों को मदद नहीं मिल पा रही है. हमारे बीच बच्चे और बुजुर्ग भी हैं, जिन्हें मैनचेस्टर के लिए हमारी उड़ान के बारे में कुछ नहीं बताया गया है. कृपया हमें ठहरने के लिएआवास प्रदान करें, क्योंकि हमें फ्रेश होने हैं."
</div>
ये भी पढ़ें:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abplive.com/states/delhi-ncr/arvind-kejriwal-said-delhi-is-captured-by-gangsters-in-press-conference-after-arrest-of-aap-mla-naresh-balyan-2834058">'नरेश बाल्यान खुद पीड़ित, उन्हें मिल रही धमकी', AAP विधायक की गिरफ्तारी पर बोले अरविंद केजरीवाल</a>

कुवैत में करानी पड़ी फ्लाइट की इमरजेंसी लैंडिंग, 23 घंटों से एयरपोर्ट पर ही फंसे कई भारतीय

Vodafone Idea is in exploratory talks with various satellite communication providers, including Starlink, the company said on Wednesday, a week after the Indian telecom firm's rivals signed deals with Elon Musk's company.

The mobile operator made the disclosure after Indian stock exchanges sought a clarification on its stock move and a report by local financial news website Moneycontrol earlier in the day.

Shares of Vodafone Idea rose nearly 5% on Wednesday.

"Our strategy is to provide services -- whether fixed or mobile -- in uncovered areas, where satellite makes perfect sense," Vodafone Idea Chief Technology Officer Jagbir Singh told Moneycontrol, as per the report.

"The other (strategy) is to provide fixed wireless broadband in rural areas and smaller towns, where it is expensive to roll out such services."

Last week, Elon Musk's SpaceX signed deals with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio to bring Starlink's internet services to India.

As part of the deals, the Indian operators will stock Starlink's equipment in their retail stores, giving the US-based satellite communication firm a direct distribution point in thousands of such outlets across the country.

The deals will be conditional on Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Vodafone Idea In Talks With Elon Musk's Starlink, Other Satcom Providers

Four months after Ukraine's offensive on the Russian region of Kursk, text messages from soldiers the <a class="sp_lnk2" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4x9gz4ylwo" rel="noindex,nofollow">BBC</a> has been receiving, paints a bleak picture.

The soldiers are encumbered with fatigue and strained with sleeplessness because of terrifying 3,000 kg glide bombs. And now, as the winter stings, the only silver lining they can see amidst the grey - Donald Trump's inauguration.

The Ukrainian soldiers have lost their morale and the war isn't even about capturing anymore. It is about holding, and the soldiers say, "we're struggling a bit with that."

While both Russia and Ukraine await the president-elect Trump taking office, the latter is trying to hold maximum territory until Trump's inauguration. "The main task facing us is to hold the maximum territory until Trump's inauguration and the start of negotiations," Dmytro said. "In order to exchange it for something later. No-one knows what."

The one thing that remains constant apart from the immense pressure from the enemy is the loss of motivation.

With the war having been escalated, now the US, UK and France have all permitted Ukraine to use long-range weapons inside Russia, but that didn't do much for their spirits. "We live and fight here and now. And missiles fly somewhere else", Dmytro added.

The soldiers said that even if Atacms and Storm Shadow missiles proved effective somewhere, these successes hardly mean anything in the trenches. "We don't talk about missiles. In the bunkers we talk about family and rotation. About simple things", Marko said.

Regarding the North Korean troops set to join the Russian side, the soldiers BBC spoke with seemed to have no contact with. "I haven't seen or heard anything about Koreans, alive or dead," Andriy said. 

The soldiers have been told to capture at least one North Korean soldier with documents. Apparently, there are rewards such as drones and leaves for anyone who successfully captures a North Korean soldier.

Ukrainian soldiers will hold out at Kursk for "as long as it is feasible from the military point of view", since it is reaping military and political rewards for them and also since the situation in Kursk and heavy losses for Russia "annoys Putin".

The names in this article are not real.

Exhausted Ukrainian Troops Wait For Trump While Struggling To Hold Kursk

Eight years before the Boeing Starliner suffered glitches, ensuring an extended stay on the International Space Station for nine months, NDTV had spoken to Sunita Williams and asked whether she thought flying on a privately built spacecraft could be risky. The Indian-origin astronaut, who had already begun collaborating with Boeing at the time, had said that while there were bumps and even a few heated discussions, she was confident that the spacecraft would be safe when people flew in it.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV during a visit to India in 2016, Ms Williams also spoke about being the first astronaut to have samosas on the International Space Station (ISS) and how she intended to carry an idol of Lord Ganesh, whom she called her "good-luck charm", on her next spaceflight. <a class="sp_lnk2" href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/sunita-williams-butch-wilmore-elon-musk-spacex-crew-9-earth-international-space-station-nasa-stranded-astronauts-return-journey-to-begin-shortly-7948251" target="_blank">Follow Sunita Williams Homecoming Live Updates Here</a>

Responding to a question on whether she thought she was taking a big risk by being one of the first astronauts on a private sector spacecraft, Ms Williams, who is vastly experienced and also held the record for the maximum hours of spacewalks by a woman, said the collaboration with Boeing and SpaceX had been really good and the companies had allowed them to participate in the development of the craft.

"We are working hand in hand with our commercial partners. And I think it's a really good collaboration, a really good partnership where, particularly the first four of us who are going to more than likely fly on their spacecraft, they have allowed us into their companies to take a look at what their engineers are doing and understand from the grassroots part of development of the spacecraft, how it is being made. What's interesting and nice about that, I think they are open to that because both of these companies only have a limited number of people who have flown in space," she had said.

Ms Williams said the companies understood that the astronauts were trying to ensure they would be successful and their expertise would help them.

"At the same time, we are not doing things the way we have always done them. We are letting the companies come up with new ideas. And so we are having this dialogue back and forth, a little bit of a debate, like, how come you think this process is correct? And then they have to defend it a little bit. We have to defend our ideas of why we think things should go a (certain) way. And then we could come to the best solution," she said.

"So, of course, we are going to run into bumps and have a little heated discussion on some of these things. But I think we will iron it all out and we will figure it all out. And I think by the time we put the people on the spacecraft, we will have a very safe spacecraft," she asserted.

Ms Williams was assigned to the Starliner project in 2018 and played a key role in the development of the spacecraft, which carried her and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station in June last year.

Indian Connection

Sunita Williams' father, Deepak Pandya, is from Jhulasan village in Gujarat's Mehsana and left for the United States in 1957. The Indian connection was clearly very much on her mind when NDTV asked her why she ate samosas at the ISS and said she had asked for some "special things that reminded her of home".

"I think my answer to a lot of things is, why not? If you have the opportunity, take it. I love samosas. I had asked for some special things that reminded me of home, and one of those things was samosas. And so my family was somehow able to work with NASA - we get some care packages when we are up in space for a long time, and so they put the samosas in there, and it was a nice surprise," she said.

The astronaut had carried the Gita into space in an earlier mission and to a question on what she intended to take with her next, she said it would probably be a Ganesh idol.

"Something for my niece and nephew, who are both Indian. I will probably bring something for them, some Indian toys as well as probably another Ganesh, because Ganesh is my good luck charm... I'm more of a just a spiritual person. I just know he's there with me, guiding (me)," she said.

Ms Williams also said she had been good friends with fellow Indian-origin astronaut Kalpana Chawla since she had met her after joining NASA.

"We did a lot of things together. Did a lot of nature walks, went bike riding quite a bit, just talked a lot. She's just the type of person that you would automatically connect with. And probably our similar backgrounds, just having Indian parents, you know, lent itself to that," she said.

Calculated Risks

When she was asked whether Ms Chawla's death - when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere in 2003 - worried her sometimes, Ms Williams said, "Yes and no. I mean, we understood, I knew we would come to the conclusion and understand exactly what happened to Space Shuttle Columbia. And we would fix that problem. And moving on from there, I think all of the Columbia crew, all the members there, were all good friends of ours in the astronaut office. And I think what their dream, their vision, was just to continue and to explore.

"And, so, it worries us all. I think every time we or any of our friends from the office get on a rocket, it's a big explosion essentially that you're sitting on. But those are calculated risks," she asserted.

Samosas And The Risk Of Private Spacecraft: What Sunita Williams Had Told NDTV

Teleperformance, the world's biggest call centre operator is using artificial intelligence (AI) to '"neutralise" Indian accents for Western customers, according to a report in <a class="sp_lnk2" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/01/biggest-call-centre-operator-uses-ai-remove-indian-accent/#:~:text=The%20world's%20biggest%20call%20centre,two%20people%20on%20the%20phone." rel="noindex,nofollow">The Telegraph</a>. The company said it was applying real-time AI software on phone calls to remove the accents of English-speaking Indian customer service agents that will enhance clarity and improve customer interactions.

The French company has around 90,000 employees in India and tens of thousands in other countries which serve customers in the UK including the government, the NHS, Vodafone and eBay. The AI-driven solution has been developed by Palo Alto-based startup Sanas which also includes background noise cancellation technology that filters out disruptive sounds such as office chatter, sirens, or even crowing roosters to improve call quality.

"It's a technology that allows [us] to neutralise accents in real time without any data storage," Teleperformance's Markus Schmitt told investors last week.

"You have obviously the issue we talked about human connection, human empathy. We have first implemented Sanas with clients in India. And sometimes, there is a difficulty people in India talking and vice versa with clients from the US."

Sanas, which claims to be at the forefront of AI innovations that blur the line between machine-generated enhancements and human interactions, claimed that its product has been developed with the goal of "reducing accent-based discrimination".

Notably, Teleperformance has taken a stake in the US-based company which will see Teleperformance's calls used to train the company's accent software.

"In a world that is ubiquitous with AI, the element of the human ... will be also equally important because it's about building human connection and having this element of human empathy, connectivity will be something that will be equally valuable in the future," said Teleperformance's chief executive Thomas Mackenbrock.

<a class="sp_lnk2" href="https://www.ndtv.com/feature/sir-isaac-newton-used-beer-to-pen-his-revolutionary-theories-study-claims-7823586" rel="noindex,nofollow">Also Read | Sir Isaac Newton Used Beer To Pen His Revolutionary Theories, Study Claims</a>

<h3>Social media reacts</h3>

As the news went viral, social media users had varied reactions to the implementation of the accent-changing AI-software.

"I don't mind Indian accents. I'm just glad to be talking to a real person who wants to help, and usually can," said one user, while another added: "I don't know if it solves any problem. I just don't want to be scammed."

A third commented: "I'd honestly like to talk to the real person with the real accent."

Amid the rise in AI chatbots that can handle several customer queries simultaneously, call centre companies have been under pressure to evolve.

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Advocate Defending Hindu Priest In Bangladesh Attacked, Says ISKCON

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Advocate Defending Hindu Priest In Bangladesh Attacked, Says ISKCON

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Vodafone Idea In Talks With Elon Musk's Starlink, Other Satcom Providers

Advocate Defending Hindu Priest In Bangladesh Attacked, Says ISKCON

कुवैत में करानी पड़ी फ्लाइट की इमरजेंसी लैंडिंग, 23 घंटों से एयरपोर्ट पर ही फंसे कई भारतीय

Vodafone Idea In Talks With Elon Musk's Starlink, Other Satcom Providers

Exhausted Ukrainian Troops Wait For Trump While Struggling To Hold Kursk

Samosas And The Risk Of Private Spacecraft: What Sunita Williams Had Told NDTV

Advocate Defending Hindu Priest In Bangladesh Attacked, Says ISKCON

कुवैत में करानी पड़ी फ्लाइट की इमरजेंसी लैंडिंग, 23 घंटों से एयरपोर्ट पर ही फंसे कई भारतीय

Vodafone Idea In Talks With Elon Musk's Starlink, Other Satcom Providers

Exhausted Ukrainian Troops Wait For Trump While Struggling To Hold Kursk

Samosas And The Risk Of Private Spacecraft: What Sunita Williams Had Told NDTV

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