YEARS # 1 Indian American Weekly : Since 2006 VOL 15 ISSUE 13 ● NEW YORK / DALLAS ● MAR 26 - MAR 25 - APR 01, 2021 ● ENQUIRIES: 646-247-9458 ● [email protected] www.theindianpanorama.news THE INDIAN PANORAMA ADVT. FRIDAY MARCH 26, 2021 YEARS 02 We Wish Readers a Happy Holi YEARS # 1 Indian American Weekly : Since 2006 VOL 15 ISSUE 13 ● NEW YORK / DALLAS ● MAR 26 - MAR 25 - APR 01, 2021 ● ENQUIRIES: 646-247-9458 ● [email protected] www.theindianpanorama.news VAISAKHI SPECIAL EDITIONS Will Organize Summit of will bring out a special edition tomarkVAISAKHIon April 9. Democracies, says Biden Advertisementsmay please be booked by April 2, andarticles for publication may please besubmitted by March 30 to [email protected] "We've got to prove democracy works," he said. I.S. SALUJA First historic Mars WASHINGTON (TIP): President Joe Biden shared with media persons his helicopter flight on April 8: thoughts on a wide range of issues, and NASA also candidly answered their questions, March 25, at his first press conference The flight since assuming office on January model of NASA's 20.2021. Ingenuity During the press conference, Mr. Mars Biden remarked on and responded to Helicopter - questions regarding migrants at the Image: NASA / JPL U.S.-Mexico border, the COVID-19 contd on page 48 WASHINGTON (TIP): NASA will U.S. President Joe Biden holds his first formal attempt to fly Ingenuity mini << news conference as president in the East helicopter, currently attached to the Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., belly of Perseverance rover, on Mars March 25, 2021. - Photo /CNN on April 8, in first such attempt on another planet. Bill Gates says world should be However, before the 1.8- kg rotorcraft Farm unions mark 4-month anniversary attempts its first controlled flight, both back to normal by end-2022 of protest against agriculture laws it and its team back home must meet a due to vaccines: Polish media series of daunting milestones. The nation-wide bandh call urged that shops, malls, markets and "When NASA's Sojourner rover WARSAW (TIP): landed on Mars in 1997, it proved that The world should be institutions remain closed roving the Red Planet was possible and back to normal by the BENGALURU (TIP): Protesting farm unions under the banner of the Samyukt completely redefined our approach to end of 2022 thanks to Kisan Morcha have called for a day long Bharat Bandh on Friday, March 26 to mark how we explore Mars. Similarly, we COVID-19 vaccines, the four-month want to learn about the potential Bill Gates said in an anniversary of their Ingenuity has for the future of science interview for Polish agitation on the research," said Lori Glaze, director of Bill Gates - Twitter newspaper Gazeta borders of Delhi, and the Planetary Science Division at photo Wyborcza and to reiterate their NASA Headquarters. television broadcaster TVN24, says a demand to repeal three contd on page 48 Reuters report. contd on page 48 contentious farm laws. The strike is in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The nation-wide bandh call urged that shops, malls, markets and institutions remain closed. Activists and leaders of the Left parties and trade unions stage a Protestors intend to protest on the national highway at Maddilapalem in Visakhapatnam as part of the Bharat Bandh on Friday, March 26. - block road and rail Photo Courtesy / K.R. Deepak contd on page 42 Joe Biden eager to fix 'broken' immigration system, says White House - Read the story on page 12 THE INDIAN PANORAMA INDIANS ABROAD FRIDAY MARCH 26, 2021 YEARS 04 Indian -origin Oxford University student’s alleged cyber bullying probe begins NIRPAL S. SHERGILL eyes away from racism wherever it is" and that these developments will be monitored "very, very closely". LONDON (TIP): The University of Oxford on This resulted in a joint statement from the Oxford Tuesday, March 23, said a probe is underway and that it India Society, Oxford University Hindu Society and "investigates thoroughly" every complaint related to Oxford South Asian Society against what they branded harassment or equality, following allegations of cyber a "misleading narrative" being played out in India. bullying surrounding Rashmi Samant, the first Indian "We reiterate that these calls [Samant's resignation] woman to be elected President of the Oxford Student did not have anything to do with the fact that she is Union (SU) who was forced to resign amidst Indian or Hindu or a woman," the statement reads. controversy over some of her past social media posts. However, the groups agreed that the faculty member Some British Hindu groups have also raised concerns at the center of the controversial online comments around comments made online by a university staffer must apologize for his social media posts. from the history faculty with the local Thames Valley "We further strongly disapprove of the actions of Dr Police, urging an investigation into a possible hate University of Oxford said it had initiated a probe into Abhijit Sarkar, Postdoctoral History Researcher at New allegations of cyber bullying surrounding Rashmi Samant crime. College. Dr Sarkar's social media posts about Ms The police force confirmed that it has "received a course in Energy Systems at the university remotely Samant's parents and their religious beliefs had no report of an alleged hate incident". from her hometown in Udupi, after she flew back to place in a conversation about Ms Samant's The comments under scrutiny, posted with an image India in the wake of her resignation. reprehensible actions… It is imperative that Dr Sarkar of Samant's family on Instagram by Dr Abhijit Sarkar, She said the continued "cyber bullying" makes it take responsibility for his words and apologize to Ms made references to their Hindu faith and also difficult for her to consider returning to the university Samant," the statement adds. categorized their home state of Karnataka as a "bastion at this stage. Earlier this month, the online remarks of the staffer of Islamophobic forces". "I'm just very glad that the university and the police were raised by a former Oxford University alumnus and "An investigation into these online comments is have launched an investigation into my complaint, and British Indian entrepreneur Alpesh Patel, who had ongoing and we must allow time for this formal process I look forward to resolving it in the best manner issued a formal complaint to the Vice-Chancellor's to be followed. In cases such as these, student support is possible," said Samant, in a statement from India. office. provided through their college and department," an "I think it's a long road for me to feel safe about the "This matter deserves a police investigation into the Oxford University spokesperson said. prospect of coming back and getting respite from the bullies on incitement to racial hatred," said Alpesh "The university is fully committed to creating an cyber bullying," she said, adding that the Indian Patel, Chair of the City Hindus Network (CHN). environment where people of all backgrounds, community in the UK had been "super supportive" Satish K Sharma, Senior Managing Director of the including our Hindu students and staff, can feel through the course of the incident since last month. Global Hindu Federation, has taken up the matter of welcome, valued and respected," the university said, The issue even found its way to the Indian Parliament following up on the police complaint and accused the adding that it has strong policies in place to protect staff last week, when BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnav raised it as faculty member of "unlawful conduct and inexcusable and students against "all forms of harassment, a question of "racial discrimination" in the Rajya bigotry". "Rest assured that the British Hindu including online harassment". Sabha. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had community will persist until a just conclusion has been Samant has been working on completing her MSc responded to say that India would "never ever turn our reached," he said. Indians abroad studying at London universities Indian- origin Deepanshu Kher register ‘astonishing’ growth sentenced to 2 years for deleting company's 1,200 user accounts NIRPAL S. SHERGILL London, they are choosing a LONDON (TIP): The UK first-class education and a WASHINGTON (TIP): capital is by far the most cultural experience like no An Indian - origin has been attractive destination of choice other," she added. sentenced by a US court in for Indian students coming to China maintained its first California to two years in study at British universities, place in the ranking with 29,940 prison, who after being rising from third place in 2018- students, while the US dropped fired by his company 19 to become the second-largest to third with 7,245. accessed its server and international student market For India, the 2019-20 figures deleted over 1,200 Microsoft for London in 2019-20. demonstrate an user accounts, according to According to new data released by the Higher "unprecedented" 152 per cent increase on 2017-18 a statement. In pronouncing the sentence, US District Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 13,435 Indian levels. Deepanshu Kher was Court Judge Marilyn Huff noted that students are enrolled at London universities, up a "Applications by Indian students may have been arrested when he flew from Deepanshu Kher perpetrated a significant and sophisticated attack on the company, an massive 87 per cent on the previous year's 7,185 encouraged by the reintroduction of the two-year India to the United States attack which was planned and clearly students. post-study visa for international students by the on January 11, 2021, intended as revenge.