NRI News ( Page 13 of 23 )

Indian told to go back to his own country in New Zealand March 07, 2017 10:31

Hate crimes and abusive comments have recently increased towards Indian communities not just in the United States, but also in New Zealand. According to media reports, yesterday an Indian national was subjected to racist comments and was told to go back to his own country during a road rage incident in Auckland, New Zealand. Narindervir Singh said that he was filming the incident from inside his vehicle, which took place last week. "I gave him a space... that lady gave me the finger. He was driving that car [pointing to a white Holden] and now he's trying to threaten me, giving me bad names," Singh says in a video which was being streamed live onto Facebook. When Singh said that he was going to upload the video live, the situation only got worse and he was abused, sworn and told to go back to his own country. Singh said the abuser simply pulled over to let him pass. Reportedly the man also made derogatory remarks about Punjabi people. "I don't know what to do; it really hurts my heart... The first thing in my mind was that he might hurt me with some weapon," Singh said. Singh assumed it was all over, but when he parked his vehicle on a nearby side street, the abuser pulled up once again and continued the racist rant, including the n word. In a similar incident, Indian-origin Bikramjit Singh, suffered similar abuse last week, as he left a Papatoetoe storage facility. Who said a man claimed that he (Bikramjit Singh) was speeding yelled at him, saying: "Go back to your country - slow down! You know what the speed limit is here." Bikramjit said that he was not speeding at all; he is a New Zealand citizen and has lived here for more than a decade. The man who hurled abuse on Bikramjit apologized in an email, blaming alcohol that he had consumed earlier that day. Donald Trump signs new executive order AMandeep

NRI divorced wife on WhatsApp March 04, 2017 10:05

An NRI husband divorced his wife by setting an image having the word “talaq” (divorce) written thrice as his Whatsapp profile picture. The woman’s parents said that her husband’s brother did same to his wife and it is a matter of serious concern as people are using misusing talaq. He sent the divorce notice to us and set his Whatsapp profile picture as talaq”, her mother said. The allegedly divorced woman said that she has been cheated by Md. Abdul Aqeel, who made false promises to keep her happy after their marriage and take her to the United States. “Instead, they used me as a maid along with the elder daughter-in-law of the family,” she said. A few days ago her husband sent her a text message on WhatsApp saying ‘talaq talaq talaq’. Upon getting the message, she informed her parents. Meanwhile, her in-laws sent her back to her parent’s house, saying that she does not have any right to stay in their house anymore.” “Talaq cannot be given in such a manner by any man. In order to give talaq, both the husband and wife should be present in front of each other and tell the world personally. And there should be a gap of 40 days between every utterance of talaq”, the woman’s mother said. “How can the father of the husband declare talaq and send my daughter back to our home”, she added. The police said that they have arrested the husband’s parents and booked them under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 354 (outraging the modesty). Punjab withdraws NRI quota from AYUSH Colleges AMandeep

Seven Indian-American students nominated for Truman Scholarship March 03, 2017 11:11

Seven Indian-American students have been selected for the prestigious Harry S Truman Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to college juniors for demonstrating leadership potential and a commitment to public service. The selected students will compete for the prestigious national awards, which provides up to 30,000 USD for graduate studies. The award is given to college students for demonstrating their leadership, public service and academic achievement. Every year only 60 students across the United States are awarded with Truman Scholarship. According to a release, the foundation reviewed 768 potential scholars from 315 institutions before setting the 199 students from 136 institutions. Shreya Ganeshan of the University of Georgia, Anjali Misra of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Samarth Gupta of Harvard University, Megan Patel of Georgetown University, Maya Durvasula of Duke University, Manju Bangalore of the University of Oregon, and Anjana Murali of the University of Pittsburgh were among the finalists. The finalists will be interviewed from March 3 to April 7 by a foundation regional review panel and the scholars will be announced on April 21st. In 1975 the Congress established The Truman Scholarship Foundation as the federal memorial to President Harry S Truman. Every year, a selection committee reviews applications from over 600 nominees for the Truman Foundation in Washington D.C. Indian-origin cartoonist asked to shut design school AMandeep

Indian-origin man gets three life sentences for killing wife, kids March 02, 2017 09:56

An Indian-origin man in South Africa has been sentenced to three life terms in jail for brutally murdering his wife and two children with a mace. Mogamberry Rajan Kandasamy is from sprawling Indian township of Chatsworth near Durban. Rajan managed to escape death penalty only because it has been outlawed constitutionally in the post-apartheid democratic order. The 41-year-old was sentenced three life sentences for killing his wife, 41 year-old Versham his son 17-year-old Megandran and 18-year-old daughter Melarisa. In 2013 Rajan attacked the family, when he came to know that his wife wanted a divorce to marry another man. At the trail Rajan confessed during the trial that the murdered his wife and two children with a mace. "While she was on the floor, I hit her twice with the Hanuman stick on her head. On the third strike the stick broke,” he said. Captain Sathisiven Naidu said Rajan had made the confession of his own accord, although he claimed he had been coerced into doing this. "I'm here to tell you what I did. I want to tell you the truth and come clean, it is eating me inside," Rajan told to the police two days after the incident. Rajan initially pleaded that he was not guilty, by claiming that he had no memory of the attack or evidence by a state witness, Ashley Ganesh. Ganesh found Rajan wandering in a park nearby the family home. After observation at a mental health institution following Rajan’s amnesia claim, he was declared fit to stand trial. Earlier in the investigation Police ruled out any possibility of the murders resulted due to an attempted robbery at the house, as alleged by Rajan, who also claimed that he might have been drugged by the robbers. Donald Trump breaks his silence on Kansas shooting AMandeep

NRI executive at Uber asked to quit March 01, 2017 10:20

An Indian born high executive at the ride hailing company ‘Uber’ was asked to leave after the company found that he did not disclose that he had left his former job at Google after a sexual harassment complaint. Amit Singhal joined Uber in January this year as a senior vice president of engineering after working for 15 years at Google, where he overlooked the company’s search efforts. According to a report Uber CEO Travis Kalanick asked Singhal to resign on Monday (27th Feb) after it was found that Singhal did not disclose that he had left the Internet search giants a year earlier after an allegation against him of sexual harassment. Google had deemed the employee's claim of sexual harassment against Singhal "credible" in an investigation. The report said that Singhal, "a highly regarded engineer in Silicon Valley", had disputed the allegation to Google executives at the time and denied the allegations again. According to the report Google was ready to fire Singhal over the sexual allegations after the probe, but it did not have to do so, as he resigned. The employee who filed the complaint did not work for Singhal directly, but she worked closely with the search team. Singhal said that “Harassment is unacceptable in any setting. I certainly want everyone to know that I do not condone and have not committed such behavior”. He also said that in his 20-year-career, he has never been accused of anything like that before and the decision to leave Google was his own.Singhal’s departure comes at a time, when Uber is facing scrutiny following allegations of sexual harassment by a previous employee against her manager. The former employee said in a blog last week that her manager sent inappropriate messages to her and the company’s HR department were not supportive. Kansas City held a peace march for deceased Indian techie AMandeep

Indian-origin authors joins anti-travel ban February 23, 2017 10:35

Indian-origin authors Jhumpa Lahiri and Anish Kapoor joined scores of other writers to oppose the executive order signed by US President Donald Trump, asking him to “rescind” his last month’s travel ban. "In barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US for 90 days, barring all refugees from entering the country for 120 days, and blocking migration from Syria indefinitely, your January Executive Order caused the chaos and hardship of families divided, lives disrupted, and law-abiding faced with handcuffs, detention, and deportation," about 70 eminent American writers and artists wrote to Trump. The artists and writers said in a letter, the executive order hindered the free flow of artists and at the time when vibrant, open intercultural dialogue is indispensable in the fight against terror and oppression. The top US artists and the authors under the banner of PEN America said that the travel ban is inconsistent with the cause of the US and the freedoms for which it stands. Chimamanda Adichiem, Margaret Atwood, Rita Dove, Jonathan Frazen, Khaled Hosseini, Azar Nafisi and George Packer, were among the notable signatories to the letter. The negative impact of the original immigration ban was felt immediately creating stress and uncertainty for artists and writers of global renown and disrupting major American cultural events. "Oscar-nominated director Asghar Farhadi, who is from Iran, expecting to be unable to travel to the Academy Awards ceremony in late February, announced that he will not attend," it said. According to the letter preventing international artists from contributing to the American culture will not make America safe. But, it will damage its international prestige and influence. They warned such policy will not only prevent great artists from performing, but it will also constrict the interchange of important ideas. The policy will isolate US politically and culturally. Reciprocal actions taken against US citizens, such as those that have already taken by the governments of Iraq and Iran, will limit the ability of US artists to move freely. In their letter, the writers and artists said that they strongly believe that the immediate and long-term consequences of his original Executive Order are entirely at odds with the national interests of the US. The letter also said “As you contemplate any potential fresh measures we respectfully urge you to tailor them narrowly to address only legitimate and substantiated threats and to avoid imposing broad bans that affect millions of people, including the writers, artists and thinkers whose voices and presence help foster international understanding.” Microsoft launches new products made in India for India AMandeep

Indian-origin Surgeon suspended after writing love letter to patient February 16, 2017 10:29

The United Kingdom tribunal has banned an Indian-origin surgeon from practicing medicine, after he was found guilty of abusing his professional position by writing a love letter to a female patient. 59-year-old Dr Sachiendra Amaragiri was removed from the UK’s medical practitioners’ register, after a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing was reported that the Dr Amaragiri was infatuated with a lady he treated for a stomach complaint, the identity of the woman has not been disclosed. Dr Amaragiri wrote in the letter “You twanged some distant cord which had laid dormant in me for so many years. When you stepped into my clinic for the first time, I was suddenly stunned and taken aback by your presence.” According to a report, after receiving the letter the woman called the police and complained that she was very distressed. Dr. Amaragiri, who was not present at the MPTS hearing, has insisted he had not taken advantage of Patient A and described that his letter to her, which also invited her out for a coffee, as a “moment of madness”. Since then the doctor has apologized to the woman and his colleagues at the Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley in the West Midlands region of England, where he worked as a consultant. Dr. Amaragiri said that he intends to appeal the tribunal’s decision to suspend his medical registration. Indian-origin NASA employee detained at Airport AMandeep

INOC wants to ban funds to Hindu groups February 16, 2017 10:22

The Indian National Overseas Congrees (INOC) in the United States is seeking an action against Hindutva groups that raise funds in the Country, after an independent bipartisian American group asked President Trump’s administration to ban such groups in the United States. The Chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress George Abraham said in a statement that it was unfortunate that last two years have witnessed a steady deterioration of religious freedom and current rights in India, especially that of the minorities and the current administration cannot shirk their responsibility in that regard. US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in their latest report by a Pakistan-origin author mentioned that the religious minority groups and low caste people face discrimination and persecution in India, where hate crimes, social boycotts and forced conversion have escalated dramatically since last two years. The report urged India to immediately lift sanctions against NGOs that are working for the welfare of the minorities in India. The report also pointed out that FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) is an escalating tool used to shut down foreign-funded minority NGOs., according to INOC. "INOC, the United States had urged the growing Indian community in the country to refrain from funding these organizations that promote hatred and bigotry against the minorities in India," it said. More than ever, as minorities in the United States, it is incumbent upon us to uphold the democratic and pluralistic values that are a hallmark of this country and it is in our own 'vested interests' to see that those values preserved and protected," it said. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) slammed the report and said it was outsourced exclusively to activist Iqtidar Karamat Cheema, who is a Pakistan-origin author, HAF raised serious questions about the Commission's credibility and transparency. The senior director of HAF Samir Kalra said "USCIRF has failed to justify its intentions of this report on the India prima face based on the sources cited and findings presented." "Though the previous reports that were published by USCIRF on religious extremism within Pakistan's textbooks have been deemed insightful by the leaders of HAF, this recent report does not meet the standard of those reports and in the context of India's pluralistic democracy, the report's author simply cites what have become known as 'alternative facts'," he said. HAF criticized USCIRF over anti-India report AMandeep

NRI couple charged in murder conspiracy of adopted son February 15, 2017 10:12

In a devastating incident an NRI couple have hired engaged killers to finish of their adopted son. An Nri couple has been charged for allegedly being part of the murder of their adopted son so the couple could pocket the insurance amount of 1.2crore rupees, which they had taken as a cover for the latter’s life, police said. Police lodged an FIR against the couple, Kanwaljitsinh Raijada and his wife Arti Loknath for allegedly being part of the conspiracy to murder 13-year-old Gopal, said Keshod police inspector Ashok Tilva. Arti and Kanwaljitsinh conspired with Nitish Mund to adopt Gopal and get him insured and then murder him, so they could cover the insurance money. Nitish also lived in London before shifting back to India after his visa got expired. He planned along with the couple to kill Gopal since 2015, Mr. Tilva said. After police officers arrested Nitish on Monday in connection with the murder, the involvement of the couple was revealed. The boy was stabbed by unknown accused riding tow motorbikes on the night of 8th February in Keshod, Junagadh district, the body stopped breathing on Monday at a Rajkot hospital on Monday. Gopal was returning back to his home town Maliya from Rajkot, he was accompanied with Nitish, Haruskh Patel and Mahadev, Mr. Tilva said. Gopal was living with Nitish who planned the crime by hiring two local goons for 500,000 rupees each, Mr. Tilva said. Indian-origin charged for helping gangsters AMandeep

Indian-origin woman killed by Tree Fall February 13, 2017 15:17

An Indian-origin woman died after being hit by a falling tembusu tree at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Saturday 11th February. Her husband a French nationalist Jerome Rouch-Sirech, 39-year-old and their two children were also injured in the incident. 39-year-old Radhika Angara was the chief marketing and strategy officer at ‘Fastcash’ a global social and mobile payment platform. She moved to Singapore with her family in January 2013. She was previously the vice-president of marketing at Myntra Designs an online fashion online in Bangalore, India. Ms Angara, studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Ithaca College in the United States, she had also held positions at France-based electronic payment company Ingenico and international food company General Mills. Last year she left her job at Fastcash and joined as digital marketing regional head of Asia Pacific for Mastercard. CEO of Fastcash Mark Carter said in a message that Radhika was a pivotal member of the company’s management team and an inspirational leader, who garnered huge respect from all the persons who knew her. He said Radhika was always available to support her colleagues through the journey in Fastcash and she will be deeply missed. Condolences and deepest sympathies go to her family at this sad time, he said. Mr Rocuh was discharged from the National University Hospital on Saturday night. According to his Linkedin profile he heads retails at Puma South East Asia. In the incident a 26-year-old Singaporean woman was also injured, the incident took place at least 50m away from the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage. Ms Tay Pei Lei and that she too have been discharged from NUH. National Parks Board, which manages the Gardens, said it is investigating why the tree fell. Telangana student shot dead in California AMandeep

NRI visits India for pet surgery February 11, 2017 10:46

Sanjeev Jangwal a Punjabi NRI, who has settled in Paris have come to Ludhiana, India for the surgery of his pet dog Eva, three-year-old Bull Terrier. Eva was treated in ‘THE VETERINARY surgery department of state-owned Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University’ The surgery for cruciate ligament of the leg that left her lame and limping would have cost around 4,500 Euros (Rs 3.2 lakh) in Paris. Surgery was conducted on January 31st after that Eva is perfectly back on her feet; it costs only Rs 800 for surgery about 11 Euros. Even after including the cost of tests and medicines, the total expenses were Rs 800. A specialized fish line thread that was used in surgery cost 92 pounds approximately (Rs 7,740) was delivered from London. Jangwal said that even if he included the cost of Eva’s flight ticket, the price he would have spent was less than Rs 1 lakh on her treatment. He said the cost of surgery alone is Paris was Rs. 3.5 lakh. So Jangwal headed to India for Eva’s surgery and he ordered threads from London as GADVASU doctors said its result would be better. According to vets like Jangwal many other NRIs get their pets treated in India. The trend is giving rise to vet medical tourism in India, which is a growing field. “It was an extremely critical condition that Eva was in. It is not a rare surgery, but a specialized one in which the knee joint is opened and in European countries if the condition worsens, vets even suggest euthanasia. Dr Arun Anand, associate professor, veterinary surgery at GADVASU, said surgery being too costly in Europe, many opt for euthanasia, but with growing vet medical tourism, NRIs were landing in India to get their pets treated.” He added, a hole was drilled and the thread was installed to stabilize the knee joint. Eva is back to playing and eating. Harmeet Grewal is an NRI from Canada who is going to get her Pomeranian Cultural dog treated at Vets for Pets in Ludhiana, said, “Cost effectiveness is a major factor. Treatment, medicines and even pet food, everything are just too expensive abroad. My dog Murphy had a severe stomach infection and eczema on the legs.” Vipan Puri, whose daughter before shifting to the US from Singapore left their Australian Silky Terrier dog Mocha with him said that treatment for pets in India were way cheaper with almost the same facilities available abroad. But, few cases, ticket are too costly,” Dr Jaspreet Singh from Vets for Pets said “Maybe NRIs are saving their money, but it is a win-win situation for India as vet tourism holds major potential,” said Shawna Pandya clarifies not listed for NASA AMandeep