Former Prime Minister and veteran leader of Congress, Late P V Narasimha Rao will be conferred with the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday.
Taking to X, PM Modi said that as a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao served India extensively in various capacities.
“Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao Garu, will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna. As a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao Garu served India extensively in various capacities. He is equally remembered for the work he did as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister, and as a Member of Parliament and Legislative Assembly for many years. His visionary leadership was instrumental in making India economically advanced, laying a solid foundation for the country’s prosperity and growth,” the PM said.
“Narasimha Rao Garu’s tenure as Prime Minister was marked by significant measures that opened India to global markets, fostering a new era of economic development. Furthermore, his contributions to India’s foreign policy, language and education sectors underscore his multifaceted legacy as a leader who not only steered India through critical transformations but also enriched its cultural and intellectual heritage,” he added.
Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, Shri PV Narasimha Rao Garu, will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna.
As a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao Garu served India extensively in various capacities. He is equally remembered for the work he did as… pic.twitter.com/lihdk2BzDU
Born on June 28, 1921, in Karimnagar, Telangana, being an agriculturist and an advocate, Narsimha Rao joined politics and held some important portfolios. He was the Minister of Law and Information, 1962-64; Law and Endowments, 1964-67; Health and Medicine, 1967 and Education, 1968-71, Government of Andhra Pradesh. He was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1971-73 and General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee from 1975-76.
A man of many interests, his special interest was in Indian philosophy and culture, writing fiction and political commentary, learning languages, writing poems in Telugu and Hindi and keeping abreast of literature in general. He successfully published ‘SahasraPhan’, a Hindi translation of late Shri Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s famous Telegu Novel ‘Veyi Padagalu’; ‘Abala Jeevitam’, Telugu translation of late Shri Hari Narayan Apte’s famous Marathi Novel, “Pan Lakshat Kon gheto”. He translated other famous works from Marathi to Telugu and from Telugu to Hindi, and published many articles in different magazines. He lectured at Universities in the U.S.A. and West Germany on political matters and allied subjects.
During the period when he was Minister of External Affairs, Rao successfully brought to bear his scholarly background and rich political and administrative experience in the field of international diplomacy. He chaired the III Conference of UNIDO at New Delhi in January 1980, within a few days of assuming charge. He also chaired a meeting of the Group of 77 in New York in March 1980.
Narsimha Rao was also the Leader of the Special Non-aligned Mission that visited countries in West Asia in November 1983, to resolve the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. He was associated actively with the Commonwealth Heads of Government in New Delhi and with the Action Group set up by the meeting on the question of Cyprus.
He is credited with bringing many economic reforms in the country, particularly for dismantling the License Raj in the country.
It was during Rao’s term that he appointed Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister, who ushered in a series of economic reforms to lift the country from a worsening economic crisis.
Rao was a six-time MP and died at the age of 83 in 2004.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
As results trickled in from the counting of votes in Pakistan general elections, three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had won 12 seats, Dawn reported.
The daily, citing provisional results of the Election Commission of Pakistan, said that independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had won 8 seats.
Khan was disqualified from contesting the elections due to criminal convictions, and his supporters contested as independent candidates.
Local media outlets in Pakistan today started reporting results of the polls conducted in the national and provincial assemblies that began at 8 am on February 8 and was conducted by 5 pm on the same day.
Pakistan’s Interior Ministry today said delay in election results, which was supposed to be out by Friday morning, was due to a “lack of connectivity,” which it stressed was the result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security.
Nawaz Sharif secured victory in NA-130 constituency with 171024 votes, Geo News reported, citing results from the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Results of the 265 contested seats in the National Assembly,
According to the results received from all polling stations, former prime minister and brother of Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif secured victory in NA-123 seat by garnering 63,953 votes while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Afzal Azeem received 48,486 votes.
Additionally, Shehbaz Sharif secured victory in the Lahore PP-158 seat by receiving 38,642 votes while independent candidate Yousuf Ali was runner-up with 23,847 votes. His son Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif won his seat with 105960 votes from Lahore’s NA-118 seat.
PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz secured victory in Lahore’s PP-189 seat with 23,598 votes, according to ARY News report.
According to unofficial results received from all polling stations, Hamza Shehbaz secured victory against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Aliya Hamza, who received 100,803 votes, ARY News reported.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has contacted the Chief Secretaries, DROs and Provincial Election Commissioners, and issued strict instructions to ensure immediate declaration of results, according to an ECP press release cited by The News International reported.
Polling was conducted for 265 seats of the National Assembly and 590 seats of provincial assemblies. For this election, voting in one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate. Pakistan’s National Assembly consists of 336 seats.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
A horrifying case of love jihad has come to light in Bihar’s Sitamarhi where Mohammad Anees Ansari pretended to be a Hindu and lured a 14-year-old girl into a love trap through social media. He held her captive in a hotel for three days and wanted to sell her in the red-light area. The accused is a resident of Rajopatti Mohalla in Sitamarhi district while the girl is from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.
The two met through Instagram and the victim revealed that he only introduced himself as Anees and assured her that he was a Hindu. As their relationship progressed he called her to Patna under the guise of medical treatment. Afterwards, he brought her to his native place on 2nd February and kept her in a hotel there. They used to go outside for meals. She was unaware of his real religious identity until then.
Meanwhile, she grew suspicious of his intentions. He also declared the truth about his religion to her and disclosed his complete name, after which the minor realised she was caught in a trap. He even sexually violated her, but she somehow managed to escape from the hotel as the perpetrator chased after her.
Notably, the locals spotted her crying and inquired after which she narrated her shocking ordeal. The incident was reported to the team of “Bachpan Bachao Andolan” (Save Childhood Movement) by the people and they also arrived at the location and further informed the authorities. The culprit had also reached there by then and both he and the girl were taken into police custody.
She recounted how the young man tricked her by masquerading as a Hindu and raped her, during counselling at a women’s police station where the pair was kept for questioning. Furthermore, she was forcefully drugged by him. It’s interesting to note that the angry local individuals gave the offender a solid beating.
A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act has been registered against him on the instructions of the Sitamarhi Superintendent of Police in the local women’s police station. The cops are also preparing to send the girl back to her home after counselling and her family is on their way to Sitamarhi. The accused reportedly tried to deceive her and was compelling her to go to Delhi as he planned to sell her in a red-light area.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Police Manoj Ram, after receiving information from the Bachpan Bachao team, it was learned that a girl has been raped after she was brought here. The police have taken immediate action in the matter. She was rescued and further probe is underway. The youth, however, claimed that he called her to Bihar for medical care and took her to Sitamarhi to collect money for the same.
However, now the police have denied the allegations of rape, love jihad and attempt to sell the girl. As the girl is minor, a POCSO case has been filed for the other charges.
This is not the first case of love jihad from the area. Last month, a similar incident surfaced in the Parsauni Police Station neighbourhood of the district after which the cops arrested the perpetrator and sent him to judicial custody.
An Islamist mob unleashed violence in Banbhoolpura in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani over the demolition of an illegal madarsa and mosque on Thursday (8th February). The angry mob attacked authorities who went there to demolish a madarsa built on illegally encroached govt land near the Banbhoolpura police station under the ongoing drive against illegal encroachments. The mob pelted stones at the policemen and Haldwani Municipal Corporation workers present there.
Speaking about the madarsa and mosque in question, Senior Superintendent of Police Prahlad Meena said that the madarsa-mosque were constructed on unlawfully encroached government land. The officer said that the demolition exercise was undertaken in compliance with a court order.
It is to be noted here that a Malik Colony resident named Safia Malik and others had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on 6 February 2024 seeking a stay on demolition of the said madarsa and mosque and challenged the notice given by the Haldwani Municipal Corporation to the petitioners. On Thursday (8th February) the Uttarakhand High Court held a hearing on the PIL. The vacation bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit refused to grant relief to the petitioners in the matter. The next hearing is scheduled for 14th February.
After the hearing, the court didn’t make any comment on the matter. The order just said, “List this matter on 14.02.2024”.
After the court did not grant relief to the petitioners seeking a stay on the demolition exercise, the Haldwani Municipal Corporation and local police arrived at the madarsa-mosque to demolish it in compliance with the court order.
As reported earlier, Municipal Corporation officials said that they had sent a notice to the management of the madarsa-mosque informing them that the structure had been illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madarsa management, in turn, could not furnish any documents substantiating that the structure was not illegally constructed. The structure was also already sealed by the administration, which they now demolished. Moreover, the Corporation had previously seized three acres of land near the site of the illegal madrasa and namaz.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level meeting of the police and administrative officials on Thursday. CM Dhami said that the rioters will not be spared.
“Following the court’s orders, a team from the district administration had gone to conduct an anti-encroachment drive in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani on Thursday. This is when some miscreants entered into a brawl with the police which left several policemen and officials injured. We have sent additional forces to the spot and I appeal to everyone to maintain peace,” CM Dhami said.
Taking to X, CM Dhami informed about the meeting and wrote, “Will take strictest action against rioters and miscreants In connection with the incident that took place in Banbhulpura, Haldwani, a high-level meeting was held with the officials at the government residence and the current situation was reviewed. Police have been given clear instructions to deal strictly with unruly elements. Every rioter who indulged in arson and stone pelting is being identified, no miscreant who disturbs harmony and peace will be spared. Respected people of Haldwani are requested to cooperate with the police administration in maintaining peace and order.”
दंगाइयों और उपद्रवियों के विरुद्ध करेंगे कठोरतम कार्रवाई
हल्द्वानी के बनभूलपुरा में हुई घटना के संबंध में शासकीय आवास पर अधिकारियों के साथ उच्चस्तरीय बैठक कर वर्तमान स्थिति की समीक्षा की।
पुलिस को अराजक तत्वों से सख़्ती से निपटने के स्पष्ट निर्देश दिए हैं। आगजनी पथराव करने… pic.twitter.com/e5VdmR7y0o
Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Upadhyay stated on Thursday that the encroachers had not only built a madrasa but also a prayer place, both of which were illegal. He stated that acres of land were cleared during Thursday’s anti-encroachment exercise.
On Friday, Nainital DM Vandana Singh said, “…After the HC’s order action has been taken against encroachment at various places in Haldwani…Everyone was given notice and time for hearing…Some did approach the HC some were given time while some were not given time. Where time was not given demolition drive was conducted by PWD & Municipal Corporation. This was not an isolated activity and was not targeted to a particular asset…”
#WATCH | Haldwani violence | DM Nainital, Vandana Singh says, "…After the HC's order action has been taken against encroachment at various places in Haldwani…Everyone was given notice and time for hearing…Some did approach the HC some were given time while some were not… pic.twitter.com/pO1K4BjN9C
DM Vandana Singh also said that the attack on the police and municipal corporation team was pre-planned. “The demolition drive started peacefully, the force was deployed for prevention…Stones were pelted on our Municipal Corporation’s team…It was planned that the day the demolition drive will be conducted the forces would be attacked…The first mob with stones were dispersed & the second mob that came in had petrol bombs. This was unprovoked and our team did not use any force…,” Singh said.
#WATCH | Haldwani violence | DM Nainital, Vandana Singh says, "The demolition drive started peacefully, the force was deployed for prevention…Stones were pelted on our Municipal Corporation's team…It was planned that the day the demolition drive will be conducted the forces… pic.twitter.com/JL098EatbW
Notably, it was reported that at least 4 people died and over 100 police personnel were injured after violence erupted in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area on Thursday during an anti-encroachment drive. “Four people died in the violence-hit Banbhoolpura and more than 100 policemen were injured,” said State ADG Law & Order AP Anshuman.
#WATCH | Haldwani violence | DM Nainital, Vandana Singh says, "…According to official information till now, two people have died." pic.twitter.com/1VWlOGwKZQ
However, Nainital district magistrate Vandana Singh said on Friday that a verification was undertaken and it was found that two people have died in the violence not four.
On Thursday (8th February), incidents of stone pelting and arson transpired in the Haldwani area of Uttarakhand. The Muslim mob attacked authorities who went there to raze a madrasa built on illegally encroached government land near the Banbhoolpura police station under the ongoing drive against illegal encroachments.
The stone pelting by the rioting mob on Thursday left several persons dead and over 100 police personnel were injured. The violent mob surrounded the Banbhoolpura police station and set vehicles stationed there ablaze. The mob also attacked Haldwani Municipal Corporation workers including SDM. To bring the law and order under control, the local administration imposed a curfew and issued shoot-at-sight orders in Haldwani.
The Municipal Corporation team in Haldwani, Uttarakhand had arrived to demolish an illegal structure located in Malik’s garden under the Banbhoolpura area. Officials said they had sent a notice to the management of the madrasa-mosque informing them that the structure was illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madrasa management could not provide any documents to prove that the structure was not illegally constructed. The Corporation had also previously seized three acres of land near the demolished site. A plea challenging the Municipal Corporation’s notice was heard by the Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday. The vacation bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit did not grant relief in the matter following which the authorities initiated the demolition exercise.
#WATCH | Haldwani violence | DM Nainital, Vandana Singh says, "…After the HC's order action has been taken against encroachment at various places in Haldwani…Everyone was given notice and time for hearing…Some did approach the HC some were given time while some were not… pic.twitter.com/pO1K4BjN9C
The authorities have stated that the encroachment removal process has been completely legal and in compliance of court orders. They also stated that the process has been going on at multiple sites after serving notices and giving ample opportunities to the c concerned parties to bring objections or prove their ownership of the sites.
Haldwani Railway land encroachment case
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Haldwani has been engulfed in protests and violence over government action against illegal encroachments. In January last year, a massive protest had erupted in Haldwani over the issue of the removal of encroachment from the land owned by the Indian Railways.
The protests started after Uttarakhand High Court, on December 26, 2022, ordered the authorities to immediately evict the illegal encroachers which comprise nearly 4000 families to vacate the land belonging to the Indian Railways. The protesters (mostly Muslims) claimed that the clearance of encroachments would affect a large number of women, children, and elderly persons residing in the area. The usual players including AltNews’s Mohammad Zubair, and Amnesty India among others jumped in to support the illegal encroachers against the court-directed action to remove encroachments from the railway land in Banbhoolpura city.
While illegal encroachers were not ready to leave the Railway land, the Railways department had said that the encroachment is impeding growth and expansion efforts. Several requests for increasing railway tracks in the region, according to the railway officials, were previously submitted to the government but were thwarted due to encroachment. A proposal to build pit lines was received a few years ago, however it was shelved owing to a shortage of area caused by encroachment.
However, on 5th January 2023, the Supreme Court bench comprising SK Kaul and AS Oka stayed the removal of illegal encroachments and also barred any construction or development on the land until the matter is resolved. The apex court ruled that a workable arrangement has to be devised. The SC bench gave its decision while hearing multiple petitions contesting the Uttarakhand High Court ruling that mandated the removal of unlawful encroachments on railway land in Haldwani.
The Supreme Court had issued notifications to the Uttarakhand government and the Railways in the case, urging them to find a realistic solution before proceeding with the eviction.
As reported earlier, while the Supreme Court agreed that the land belongs to Indian Railways and is needed for the development and expansion of railway infrastructure, the court stated in its judgement that the government must give full rehabilitation to the eligible residents of the area.
While putting a stay on the matter, the Supreme Court said that 50,000 persons cannot be relocated in seven days. Justice SK Kaul stated that there are numerous parts to the issue, that people have been living on the land for years, and that there are establishments.
Interestingly, the Supreme Court had taken a different approach in the matter of illegal encroachments on forest land in Khori Gaon, a village at the foothills of the eco-sensitive Aravallis in Haryana’s Faridabad. On 7th June 2021, the Supreme Court had ordered the removal of illegal encroachments within six weeks while hearing a plea seeking a stay on the demolition of 10,000 houses in the area. The apex court back then observed that “no compromise can be made with forest lands.” Days later, the top court also upheld its decision to clear the illegal encroachments on forest lands and evict 100,000 people from the encroached forest land.
Notably, despite the Supreme Court agreeing that the encroached land in Haldwani belongs to the Railways Department, the matter is getting dragged with the illegal encroachers, that is nearly 4000 families still occupying the Railways land. On 7th February 2023, the apex court granted the Indian Railways authorities and Uttarakhand government eight weeks’ time to work out a solution in relation to the rehabilitation of the people who were asked to vacate the encroachments from railway land in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area. A bench consisting of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Manoj Misra granted eight weeks to Railway authorities and Uttarakhand at the plea of Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati. The matter will be heard on 2nd May.
Whether it’s encroaching on railway land or rioting over the demolition of an illegal madarsa-mosque, Islamists are never willing to follow the law. They want things to go their way or they will resort to violence and use all of the propaganda machinery at their disposal to gain sympathy and support.
Nainital DM Vandana Singh, while addressing the media about the violence on 8th February, stated the anti-encroachment drive was neither targeted at one particular structure or one particular community, but has been going on as per due process in a multiphased manner. However, on Thursday, 8th February 2024, government officials and police personnel were attacked by the locals. Stones were pelted, petrol bombs were thrown, and there were attempts to burn the personnel alive by setting fire.
Illegal encroachment menace in Uttarakhand
The menace of illegal encroachments on government properties is not limited to Banbhoolpura or Haldwani but is rampant across Uttarakhand. In December last year, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that his government has freed 5000 acres of land encroached through Land Jihad. As reported earlier, CM Dhami had directed the state police and forest department to identify all illegal constructions. The authorities identified a total of 3,793 such areas until May 2023. The Nainital district had the highest number of encroachments, with around 1,433, followed by the Haridwar district, which had 1,149. Other districts with a large number of illegal structures are Tehri (209), Almora (192), and Champawat (97). The great majority of these encroachments were on forest land.
In May 2023, the state authorities had demolished over 330 Mazars in 90 days. Earlier in March 2023, the Uttarakhand government rolled bulldozers over illegal mazars which were built by encroachment on the reserved forest land.
On February 8th, Haldwani, Uttarakhand, erupted in unbridled violence as Muslim mobs went on a murderous rampage. The mob attacked police authorities who had gone to Haldwani to demolish a Madrasa, built illegally. This action was not one carried out on a whim – it was after the High Court ordered the authorities to do so.
The mob went on a rampage when the Municipal Corporation team, led by Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Upadhyay, City Magistrate Richa Singh, and SDM Paritosh Verma, utilized heavy machinery, including a JCB machine, to raze the illegal structure located in Malik’s garden under the Banbhulpura area of Haldwani. Officials said that they had sent a notice to the management of the madrasa informing them that the structure had been illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madrasa management, in turn, could not furnish any documents substantiating that the structure was not illegally constructed. Moreover, the Corporation had previously seized three acres of land near the site of the illegal madrasa and namaz place, which they now demolished.
The irate mob reportedly pelted stones at the policemen and Haldwani Municipal Corporation workers present there. Later, they surrounded the police station and went on to set fire to the vehicles stationed outside the Banbhulpura police station. The mob also set a transformer on fire, resulting in a power outage in the area. Several journalists and administration officials were trapped inside the police station as a mob surrounded the Banbhulpura police station.
While the mob went on a rampage, the Uttarakhand government ordered shoot-at-sight orders with curfew being imposed in several areas. 4 have died in the violence so far and over 300 police personnel have been injured. Among the injured police officers, several woman police officers have been grievously hurt. Here is a snippet of what the Muslim mob did to police officers.
Images of police officials injured in Haldwani violence
Videos of the horrific violence that emerged showed Islamists pelting stones, shooting guns, and indulging in rampant arson and violence. There are testimonies from police officials which claim that the Muslim mob wanted to set them on fire.
Despite the information that has emerged since the violence began and the fact that the violence had also erupted only days after the Uniform Civil Code was passed in the state, media and the online mob of Jihadis started giving cover fire to the on-ground Jihadis.
One Islamist claimed that “this” was the “same old game” which was being played out in Haldwani where allegedly the Muslims were first provoked and instigated, and then, when they “resisted”, those injured in the violence (police officers and Hindus) are “crying victim”.
Screenshot of tweet
Essentially, what Saif is saying is that the process of the law itself is a provocation to Muslims and any attempt to enforce the law is an affront. Further, he is branding all violence by the Muslims as the “language of the oppressed” essentially saying that Muslims somehow have the right to commit arson, pelt stones, shoot and commit violence because of their internalised victimhood.
This is, of course, the same strategy that Islamists use the world over. They commit unbridled violence and then, that violence is justified in the name of their imagined victimhood. The playbook is simple and is deployed by the Islamists from Israel to India.
When Muslims indulge in violence, it is because the Muslims are the oppressed victims and the unbridled violence is the language of the oppressed.
Since Muslims are the oppressed, they have a right to indulge in violence against non-Muslims and should not be blamed for it.
Once they indulge in violence, there should be no ill-will towards the Muslims because that would be Islamophobic.
Muslims, even though they celebrate the violence against non-Muslims, are not the same as those who committed the violence.
The non-Muslims against whom the violence has been perpetrated are the actual aggressors because they did something to anger and hurt the Muslims – anger and hurt which is justified, and therefore, the violence is the legitimate act of the victims (the Muslims – not the ones being attacked).
Any cognisance of the fact that their religious doctrine ordains them to kill the non-Muslims is immediately and automatically Islamophobic.
After the Muslims indulge in violence and other Islamists celebrate that violence, any act of self defence or retaliation is oppressive and genocidal.
This playbook was employed rather beautifully by the online mob of Islamists and Jihadi allies.
Millat Times was one of the propaganda handles at the forefront of crying victim.
Tweet by Millat Times
They gloss over the fact that the Muslim mob went on a rampage hurling stones and petrol bombs and committing widespread arson, in an attempt to murder police officials and burnt them alive.
What they do claim is that the Muslims are being provoked because their religious structure was being demolished without cause – a lie because it was being razed owing to a High Court order. They also claim that Muslim women were being attacked by the police who had gone there to protest peacefully. This is again an absolute lie. The Islamists have a habit of keeping their woman and children at the forefront so they can either dent police action or, they can later cry victim claiming that their women were “attacked”. Amid widespread violence, one could see burqa-clad women attempting to help the Jihadi mob – a fact that is also glossed over by Millat Times.
Lastly, they claim that the government, without cause, issued shoot-at-sight orders against Muslims. A classic victim-playing ploy which does not tell readers that shoot-at-sight orders were issued only AFTER the Muslim mob went on a rampage attempting to murder and burn police officers alive.
Jihadis using their women to play victim after indulging in violence is not new. This is a phenomenon we observe every time there is violence by the Islamists. Several Islamist handles spread the same misinformation.
? Indian police attack Muslim women protesting against the demolition of an Islamic school in Banbhulpura, #Haldwani, #Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued shoot-at-sight orders in Haldwani's Banbhulpura after riots broke out following the… pic.twitter.com/55tTQnq9qc
Another narrative that seems to be taking root is another example of how the classic Islamist book ploy plays out – Indulge in violence and then blame others when they defend themselves.
A handle that appears to be an ardent follower of AltNews’ co-founder and fake news spreader in-chief, Mohammad Zubair, tweeted a video insinuating the stone pelting was done by the police and Hindus because, in the video, one could see stones being pelted while slangs at Muslims were being hurled.
Is this a fake video? No. It is not. However, the Islamists have learnt from years of spreading propaganda the perfect way to twist facts.
According to the police, there were no stones on rooftops in Haldwani up until the 30th of January. It was after the 30th of January, while the case of the illegal Madrasa was being heard in the High Court, did the Muslims started collecting stones and petrol bombs on their rooftop. The DM of Nainital category explained that the violence was pre-planned and that the Islamists had decided that the day the authorities came to demolish the structure following the High Court order, they would indulge in violence against them. She also explains how there were multiple mobs and after the initial mob pelting stones was pushed back by the police, another emerged with petrol bombs. She further explains how there was an attempt to burn police officers alive.
#WATCH | Haldwani violence | DM Nainital, Vandana Singh says, "The demolition drive started peacefully, the force was deployed for prevention…Stones were pelted on our Municipal Corporation's team…It was planned that the day the demolition drive will be conducted the forces… pic.twitter.com/JL098EatbW
With this information and the several visuals of the violence that has emerged, it is obvious that the Muslim mob indulged in pre-planned, calculated violence against the authorities when they went to Haldwani to implement the High Court order.
When there is arson, stone pelting, shooting and petrol bombs being hurled by thousands of Islamists, it is obvious that the actual victims of the violence would try to defend themselves and in the process, not only hurl the stones back but also be angry enough to hurl some slurs along with it as well.
This act of self-defence, however, is taken as an act of aggression by the online mob of Islamists, completely forgetting that the violence was perpetrated by their co-religionists and the victims had to retaliate only to defend themselves from their onslaught.
If one believes that this campaign of lies was being spearheaded by random Twitter accounts only, one would be sorely mistaken. TheWire, the Left propaganda outlet and the greatest ally of the Islamists started peddling the same lies as the online mob.
Excerpt of The Wire’s report
Here are the assertions by TheWire:
No demolition order was produced by the authorities.
Women were beaten.
Authorities allowed two people to retrieve “religious books” from the Madrasa before demolition.
“Few police officers” got injured when “people from the area retaliated”.
Now, that there was no demolition order produced by the authorities seems to be an absolute lie. Firstly, this was a High Court ruling and not a random government decision. Secondly, the DM of Nainital categorically stated that the violence was preplanned for the day of the demolition. If the residents of the area did not know of the demolition and the court order, one has to ask The Wire how they managed to collect stones and petrol bombs to attack officials. Officials have also categorically said that they had sent a notice to the management of the madrasa informing them that the structure had been illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madrasa management, in turn, could not furnish any documents substantiating that the structure was not illegally constructed.
The next assertion is that only a “few police officers” got injured when people retaliated. The Wire here fails to ask (perhaps intentionally so) what was the mob retaliating to since the authorities had merely come there to implement a court order.
One assertion by The Wire, perhaps unintentionally so, exposes just how vicious the Islamists are. The Wire wrote that the eyewitness they spoke to said that the authorities allowed two people to go into the Madrasa and retrieve their religious books in Haldwani. This clearly shows that there was no anti-Muslim campaign being run by the authorities as The Wire or the online mob of Islamists would have their readers believe. If they indeed wanted to run an anti-Muslim campaign, they would not have let them retrieve their religious books. Despite this piece of information, however, The Wire helps the online and on-ground mob whitewash their crimes by parroting lies and conjectures.
As more information emerges from Haldwani, the cacophony of the online mob would only increase in an attempt to not only shield the on-ground Jihadis but also to instigate more violence.
As expected, the first interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin by a journalist from the Western world after the Russia-Ukraine war started is bringing to the fore some very uncomfortable questions about the USA and NATO nations. The Russian President has held the USA and its spy agency CIA directly responsible for the destruction of the Nordstream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
During the interview, Tucker Carlson asked Putin, ‘Who blew up the Nordstream pipeline”? Putin first answers jokingly, “You did it for sure”. When Tucker laughs saying he was busy that day, Putin says, “You personally may have an alibi, but the CIA has no such alibi.”
TUCKER: "Who blew up Nordstream?" PUTIN: "You, for sure." TUCKER: "I was busy that day." PUTIN: "You personally may have an alibi, but the CIA has no such alibi." TUCKER: "Wouldn't you present evidence and win a propaganda victory?" PUTIN: "In the war of… pic.twitter.com/5jIx18AaKx
When Tucker Carlson asks if he has evidence that the CIA did it, Putin explains, “As the saying goes, ‘look for someone who is interested’, but here in this case (the USA government) was not just interested but they also have the capabilities. Not everyone has the capability to dive into the bottom of the Baltic Sea and carry out an explosion like this.”
Tucker Carlson then asks, “The blowing up of the Nordstream pipeline is the largest act of Industrial terrorism ever. If you have evidence, given the security services at your disposal, why not present it to the world and win a propaganda victory?
Putin then answers, “In the world of propaganda, it is very difficult to defeat the USA. The USA controls the world’s media and even the European media. The ultimate beneficiaries of the biggest European media networks are US financial institutions, don’t you know that? So it is very cost-prohibitive for us to get involved in the media propaganda world, even though it can be possible. We can simply shine the spotlight on the sources of our information and we will not achieve results. It is clear to the whole world what happened in the Nordstream blast. Even American analysts say it directly.”
When Tucker Carlson asks, “But the Germans clearly know, that their NATO partner (USA) did this. it has damaged their economy greatly, they may not ever recover from it. But why don’t the Germans say something about it?”
Putin then explains that it confuses him too, but today’s German stand appears to be guided by the interests of the larger collective West. It is difficult to explain the logic of their action or rather inaction to the incident of the Nordstream pipeline, he adds.
As per research reports, the Nordstream pipeline damage in September 2022 has released over 478,000 tonnes of methane gas into the atmosphere, and the methane gas leaked from the damaged threads is matched with CO2 equivalent emitted by concrete enough to build 27 Burj Khalifa buildings. The Nordstream pipeline damage is the single largest emission of methane gas in recent memory.
What happened to the Nordstream pipeline?
The Nordstream pipeline, a critical energy supply source for Europe, was built to bypass Ukraine and supply energy from Russia directly to Europe. A large section of it traverses under the Baltic Sea. In September 2022, blasts were noticed off the Bornholm island off the coast of Sweden, and both the Nordstream 1 and Nordstream 2 pipelines were blown up.
The site of the explosions in Nordstream 1 and 2, image via Channel 4
Pulitzer-winning veteran journalist Seymour Hersh, in an explosive story, revealed that the explosives to blow up the pipelines were planted by an elite team of military personnel during the NATO exercise BALTOPS in June 2022. Hersh had further added that the Norwegian authorities had cooperated with the USA Navy for the operation and a surveillance aircraft of the Norway Navy had dropped a sonar buoy that used a signal to trigger the C4 explosives attached to the pipelines months ago by the US Navy divers team.
Curiously, the collective surveillance and spy network of the NATO and Western world that keeps a watch over the whole world hasn’t been able to provide an answer as to who destroyed a crucial pipeline that provided Europe with much-needed energy.
Old videos of US President Biden and key US officials declaring that they will never allow the Nordstream pipeline to be functional and will destroy it if needed, were mostly ignored by the Western media.
Recently, Sweden, in whose territorial waters the explosions happened, stated that it has no clue who blew up the pipelines.
It is notable here that after the pipelines were blown up, the USA emerged as the key energy supplier to Europe. Since the functional pipelines supplying energy were in Russia’s economic and strategic interest, as the Russian economy largely depends on sales of energy, initial allegations of Russia’s involvement in the blasts, fanned by US media and social media voices, were soon dismissed.
The explosions were reported on September 26, 2022. both lines of Nordstream 1 and one line of Nordstream 2, a multimillion-dollar major energy project crucial for Europe to purchase natural gas from Russian company Gazprom, were damaged in what is known as the largest act of Industrial terrorism so far.
Tucker Carlson’s full interview with Vladimir Putin can be watched here.
Two days before the outbreak of Islamist violence in Haldwani city in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, an Islamist by the name of Shadab Chauhan had posted provocative tweets on X (formerly Twitter) to incite his co-religionists against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
In a tweet on Tuesday (6th February), he warned, “Open your ears and listen, CM Pushkar Dhami. No one has the guts to stop the Muslims in India from following the diktat of Allah and the ways of Prophet Muhammad.”
“You are committing a big mistake if you consider us as weak. You do not have any idea of our power and might. We are ready for all forms of ‘constitutional struggle’,” he continued his threats.
Screengrab of the tweet by Shadab Chauhan
Shadab Chauhan further warned, “Our source of strength is Article 25 (Right to Freedom of Religion) of the Indian Constitution. You stand no chance before that. He then called upon the Congress party in Uttarakhand to continue the ‘constitutional struggle’ as suggested by him.
Shadab Chauhan is a spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh-based Peace Party of India (PPI). The Islamist rose to prominence in 2021 for hailing the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.
“On the auspicious occasion our #IndependenceDay we got information that #Talibans entered in #Kabul peacefully. We congratulate them and hope they will run govt as per Ahkam e Ilahi Nizam e Mustafa, where any discrimination didn’t have place. We believe in peace & justice,” he had tweeted.
'कोई नहीं बचेगा इंशाल्लाह'
ये लीजिए @AshokShrivasta6 जी ये एक क़दम आगे निकल गए। ये तो कह रहे हैं 'कोई नहीं बचेगा इंशाल्लाह'#KishanBharvad के बाद इनकी धमकी को seriously लेने की जरूरत है।
In January 2022, Shadab Chauhan threatened journalist Aman Chopra with dire consequences for weighing in on the threat received by journalist Ashok Shrivastav from a leader of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party(SBSP), an ally of Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.
“All will be treated, no virus will be spared, Insha Allah,” the Islamist had replied to a tweet by Aman where the latter pointed out the hooliganism of the Samajwadi Party and its allies even when they are not in power.
He was also seen supporting the persecution of Muslim women, protesting against the imposition of hijab in Iran.
Riots in Haldwani
On Thursday(8th February), Islamists resorted to stone pelting and arson in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani area. The frenzied mob attacked authorities who went there to demolish a madrasa, which was built on illegally encroached govt land near the Banbhulpura police station.
The Islamists pelted stones at the policemen and Haldwani Municipal Corporation workers present there. Later, they surrounded the police station and went on to set fire to the vehicles stationed outside the Banbhulpura police station.
The mob also set a transformer on fire, resulting in a power outage in the area. Several journalists and administration officials were trapped inside the police station as a mob surrounded the Banbhulpura police station.
Court orders to remove an illegal Madrasa in Haldwani, Uttarakhand were being followed when the Muslim mob turned violent and took to stone-pelting. A police station has been set on fire. 20 police personnel have sustained serious injuries; one narrowly escaped being burnt alive. pic.twitter.com/Dx3ESHI5b1
“Four people died in the violence-hit Banbhoolpura and more than 100 policemen were injured,” said State ADG Law & Order AP Anshuman.
Following the unrest, the district administration suspended internet services and ordered the closure of all schools and colleges. Uttarakhand government has put high alert in the state as a precaution after the violence.
At least 4 people died and over 100 police personnel were injured after violence erupted in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area on Thursday during an anti-encroachment drive, a senior official said.
“Four people died in the violence-hit Banbhoolpura and more than 100 policemen were injured,” said State ADG Law & Order AP Anshuman.
Some reports have claimed reported that 6 people have died in the violence namely a father-son duo Johnny and Anas along with Aris, Faheem, Israr and Siwan
Following the unrest, the district administration suspended internet services and ordered the closure of all schools and colleges.
“Internet services suspended after violence in Banbhoolpura of Haldwani in which so far 4 people have died and more than 100 policemen were injured. The administration has also ordered the closure of all schools and colleges,” Nainital District Administration.
Uttarakhand government has put high alert in the state as a precaution after the violence.
Earlier, four companies of paramilitary forces were rushed to Haldwani in Nainital district after violence erupted on Thursday in Banbhoolpura during an anti-encroachment drive.
According to the Uttarakhand Police, two companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) from Udham Singh Nagar also reached Haldwani.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday (8th February), Inspector General Nilesh Anand Bharne, the spokesperson for Police Headquarters, said, “Four companies of paramilitary personnel have been sent to the violence-hit area of Haldwani. Two companies of PAC from Udham Singh Nagar have already reached Haldwani.”
A curfew has been enforced in Banbhoolpura on the orders of the District Magistrate and a shoot-at-sight order has also been issued against ‘rioters’.
Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar informed that a request was made to the Ministry of Home Affairs to send additional central paramilitary personnel.
“Around 4 pm today, a joint team from the district administration and police was conducting an anti-encroachment drive in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, as per the court’s order. Coming out against the drive, a few miscreants pelted stones at the officials and also indulged in arson. It was also alleged that they opened fire at the police using illegal firearms,” DGP Kumar said.
“The state government has also demanded that the MHA provide additional police forces. The MHA has, so far, made four companies of additional central forces available to us,” Kumar added.
He added, however, that the situation was under control.
A press briefing was held by District Magistrate (DM) Vandana Singh showing video of the violence to the media. Singh categorically said that the attack on the police forces were unprovoked. “You can see (in the video) that the Police force and the administration are not provoking or harming anybody,” she said.
In his first-ever interview with a Western journalist after the Russia-Ukraine war started, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that he was ready to negotiate with Ukraine and end the war, adding that the Ukrainian side made a mistake by rejecting his negotiations.
“We prepared a huge document in Istanbul that was initiated by the head of the Ukrainian delegation. He (Ukraine’s President) affixed his signature to some of the provisions, not to all of it. He put his signature and then he himself said we were ready to sign it and the war would have been over long ago. However, Prime Minister Johnson came, talked us (meaning Zelenskyy) out of it. And we missed that chance,” Putin said.
In an interview with the American news anchor Tucker Carlson released on Friday, President Putin said Ukraine made a mistake, adding. “Why do we have to bother ourselves and correct somebody else’s mistakes?”
“Well, you missed it. You made a mistake. Let them get back to that. That is all. Why do we have to bother ourselves and correct somebody else’s mistakes? I know one can say it is our mistake. It was us who intensified the situation and decided to put an end to the war that started in 2014 in Donbass. As I have already said, by means of weapons,” he added.
???? PUTIN CLAIMS HE ALMOST ENDED THE WAR WITH UKRAINE MONTHS AGO | UK'S PM JOHNSON RUINED IT:
TUCKER: "I think you're saying you want a negotiated settlement to what's happening in Ukraine."
It is notable here that back in April 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine diplomatic talks were going on in Istanbul amid the rumors of a possible peace agreement, roughly 2 months into the war, the then British PM Boris Johnson dropped in Kyiv almost surprisingly to talk to Zelenskyy.
As per reports, Boris Johnson had told Zelenskyy 2 main things, that there should be no negotiations with Vladimir Putin, and that even if Zelenskyy agreed to a peace agreement, the West and (NATO) would not. The Ukrainska Pravda had reported that the Western powers, which just a few months previously had asked Zelenskyy to flee from Kyiv, were by then feeling that Russia and Putin were not as powerful as previously thought. They thought that Ukraine, with the help of Western nations, could have a military advantage against Russia.
The claims that Johnson prevented a peace negotiation between Russia and Ukraine were confirmed later by David Arahamiya, a leader of Zelenskyy’s party who was appointed by the Ukrainian President to lead the Ukrainian delegation of the Istanbul talks in its initial days.
In the interview, President Putin also referred to the expansion of NATO and the declaration of Ukraine as a sovereign state saying that US and NATO bases began to appear in its neighbouring region and pose a threat to Russia.
“Let me get back to furthering history. I already told you this. We were just discussing. Let us go back to 1991, when we were promised that NATO would not expand to 2008, when the doors to NATO opened to the declaration of state sovereignty of Ukraine, declaring Ukraine a neutral state,” he said.
“Let us go back to the fact that NATO and US military bases started to appear on the territory of Ukraine, creating threats to us. Let us go back to coup d’eta in Ukraine in 2014. It is pointless, though, isn’t it? We may go back and forth endlessly, but they stop negotiations. Is it a mistake? Yes. Correct it. We are ready,” he added.
Ukrainian forces have, in recent weeks, been on the defensive after Russia launched fierce assaults along the front lines. Kyiv did receive a boost to its war effort last week when the European Union approved a USD 54 billion aid package that will help avert a near-term Ukrainian financial crisis.
However, US lawmakers this week were unable to forge an agreement that would provide another USD 60 billion in aid to Ukraine, assistance that Ukrainian officials and military analysts deem critical to Kyiv’s war effort.
Zelensky’s frustration with his top general burst into the public eye in early November, after General Zaluzhny published his essay calling the war a “stalemate.”
In a strong rebuke, the Ukrainian president said that the comment was helpful to the Russians.
Started on February 24, 2022, with Russian tanks marching into Ukraine, the war will soon complete 2 years.
