Guwahati:

Financial influencer Abhishek Kar, who has nearly 3 million followers on Instagram, has posted a public apology over his remarks on “tantric practices” in Assam. His apology followed a call for action by the Assam Chief Minister’s Office for making “unacceptable comments” about the state in a podcast.

“A video from a YouTube channel, named Riya Upreti, is in circulation where an individual named Abhishek Kar is seen making unacceptable comments on Assam’s history and traditions. Appropriate action may be initiated against the said individual for spreading misinformation,” said the CMO sharing an image of Mr Kar.

GP Singh, the Director General of Police, replied within minutes: “Noted Sir. Lawful action shall be taken.”

Within hours, Mr Kar posted his video apology below the CMO’s post and said he had asked the podcaster to remove that particular clip that has offended people.

Apologies to people, @CMOfficeAssam, @gpsinghips and every concerned party who was hurt. The intent wasn’t to hurt anyone and it will be kept in mind going forward that such incidents dont happen again pic.twitter.com/KUFIkele1o

— Abhishek Kar (@Abhishekkar_) January 10, 2025

“Apologies to people, @CMOfficeAssam, @gpsinghips and every concerned party who was hurt. The intent wasn’t to hurt anyone and it will be kept in mind going forward that such incidents don’t happen again,” he wrote alongside.

In the video, Mr Kar was seen with folded hands, saying that he owes an apology for a recent podcast that has hurt the sentiments of the people. “I did not do it intentionally, neither wanted to create chaos, but that is how it panned out. I am so sorry if anyone got hurt,” he added.

He said he would be more careful while depending on secondary sources of data before speaking on public platforms.

Mr Kar is a popular financial influencer, or finfluencer, who often speaks about investment and startup-related topics on various podcasts. He has nearly 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel while his Instagram page boasts nearly 3 million followers.

On a podcast by entrepreneur Riya Upreti earlier this week, Mr Kar claimed that some women in Assam’s Mayong could turn a human into a goat using supernatural powers. They could also turn it back into a human and have sex as part of tantric practices, he had claimed.

New Delhi:

Answering a question on handling anxiety during a podcast with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Godhra train burning incident in February 2002 – in which 59 people were killed – which took place just three days after he became an MLA for the first time. 

PM Modi recalled how only a single-engine helicopter was available and his security team did not want him to fly on it. He also spoke about the emotions he felt when he visited the site and how he controlled them. 

The Prime Minister said he became an MLA for the first time on February 24, 2002. He went to the Assembly for the first time three days later, on February 27, and that’s when he heard of the incident. 

“I had been an MLA for only three days. And, suddenly, I came to know about that big incident in Godhra. There was a fire on the train. I came to know, gradually, that people were dead. I was obviously very restless, I was worried. As soon as I came out of the Assembly, I said that I wanted to go to Godhra. So, I told them that we would go to Vadodara and take a helicopter from there. They said that there was no helicopter. I told them to arrange it from somewhere. I guess ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) had one. It was a single-engine helicopter. They said they could not take a VIP. I said, ‘I am not a VIP. I am a common man. I will go’,” he said in Hindi.

This, the PM said, led to a big argument and that’s when he offered to give in writing that whatever happened would be his responsibility. 

“And I reached Godhra. Now, with that painful sight… several bodies… you can imagine… I am also a human being, I also felt things. But I was aware that, being in this post… I have to stay detached from my emotions, my natural tendency as a human being. I have to rise above it all. And I did whatever I could to handle myself,” he recalled.

Responding to the anxiety question, the PM also spoke about the Gujarat elections held later that same year. 

“In 2002, there were elections in Gujarat. It was the biggest challenge of my life… I never watched TV and didn’t check the results,” the PM said.

“At 11:00 am or noon, I heard the beat of drums outside the chief minister’s bungalow. I had told everyone not to inform me till 12 pm. Then our operator sent me a letter saying I was leading with a two-thirds majority. So, I don’t believe that nothing affected me that day, but I had a thought to overpower that feeling,” he explained. 

An Australian adult star has claimed her ex-boyfriend pretended to have cancer so that he could cheat on her, the New York Post reported. Speaking on a podcast, Hayley Davies said the man even shaved his head to make his lie more convincing. ”My ex lied about having cancer so he could have a whole other girlfriend and multiple side girlfriends,” she said during a recent episode of an adult entertainment interview podcast. 

The model who was born in New Zealand but grew up in Australia, revealed that at first, her ex claimed to have bone cancer, but then changed his story, claiming that it was skin cancer. She further grew even more suspicious when her ex stopped sending her regular video updates of his various activities, which he used to do before. When she asked him what he was up to, he claimed he was with a friend.

When she looked at the camera roll on his phone, she found pictures of him from the night before. ”I see the photos of him that night with another girl. Then I saw a message come through, so I opened it and it’s, like, ‘I love you, babe.’” And I reply and I’m, like, ‘Who are you?’ and she’s, like, ‘What?’ because I’m replying from his phone,” Ms Davies said.

The other woman immediately called her up and the two talked about how their boyfriend was lying to them. ”She had no idea he had cancer. They had been together longer, and she was the main one – the one that had met the family and all that,” she said.

After she put the phone down, Ms Davies broke up with the man on the spot.

However, the adult star, who makes around $30,000 a month from an adult modelling subscription site, said that her jealous ex recently messaged her on TikTok demanding money. He claimed she wouldn’t be successful if it weren’t for a ”viral TikT” video they’d made together.

She refused his demands and commented that when they had been together, he had told her that he was really rich, and owned multiple properties.