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ISIS terror conspiracy: Saquib Nachan, who was released from jail in 2017 after being convicted in the 2002-03 Mumbai blasts, among 15 arrested

OpIndia Staff
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ISIS terror conspiracy: Saquib Nachan, who was released from jail in 2017 after being convicted in the 2002-03 Mumbai blasts, among 15 arrested

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested 15 terrorists in connection with raids conducted over 44 locations across Karnataka and Maharashtra in an ISIS terror conspiracy. The ISIS terrorists arrested had self-declared the village of Padgha in rural Thane as ‘Al-Sham’, which is a reference to ‘liberated zones’ in Syria.

Interestingly, one of the 15 terrorists arrested by the premier investigating agency is Saquib Nachan, a radical Islamist with a history of involvement in multiple terror cases. Nachan was convicted in a bomb blast in 2002 in Mumbai’s Ville Parle, Mumbai Central, and Mulund station, which resulted in dozens of deaths.

Former secretary of the banned terror outfit ‘Students Islamic Movement of India’, which was later rechristened as ‘Indian Mujahideen’ to evade punitive actions by intel agencies and evade arrests, Nachan was a BCom graduate and ran a business of land development before plunging into the world of Islamic terrorism.

Son of a Zill Parishad chief and social worker, Nachan owned vast tracts of ancestral land in and around Borivali village, Padgah, Thane district.

Nachan gained infamy after being involved in multiple terror blasts in Mumbai in just four months. He was accused of a blast at Mumbai Central railway station that injured 25 people in December 2002. A month later, he was accused of another bomb blast, this time in Vile Parle which killed 1 and injured 25 others. In March 2003, Nachan was named in a bomb blast at Mulund station that killed 11 and injured 82.

He was arrested shortly thereafter by Mumbai Police in April 2003 and held in prison for over 7 years. In 2011, he managed to secure bail but was arrested months later in connection with an attempted murder of VHP activist and lawyer Manoj Raicha.

The former secretary of SIMI was finally convicted in March 2016 for possessing weapons under the anti-terror law and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He served one year and 8 months in jail as a convict, while the remainder of the term as undertrial to come out free in November 2017.

However, Nachan’s rearrest indicates that a decade in prison had done little to discourage recidivism and instil fear in him of the law of the land.

Earlier in August this year, the NIA arrested Saquib Nachan’s son in connection with the ISIS terror module that was busted by police in Pune in July 2023.

Shamil Nachan, a resident of Padgha in Thane, was in touch with the other arrested accused identified as Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi and Abdul Kadir Pathan, along with other suspects, the agency had said then.

NIA arrests 15 ISIS terrorists, village in Thane was declared as ‘Al-Sham’, ‘liberated zone’ like Syria

On 9th December, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced that it raided 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka in which they arrested 15 ISIS terrorists of the ISIS Maharashtra module. As per the initial investigation of NIA, the arrested accused had self-declared the village of Padgha in rural Thane as a ‘liberated zone‘ and as ‘Al-Sham’. Seemingly areas in Syria are referred to with such notations. They were motivating impressionable Muslim youth to relocate to Padgha from their place of residence to strengthen the Padgha base, NIA revealed in its official press release.

NIA investigations have further revealed that the accused, all members of the ISIS Maharashtra module, were operating from Padgha-Borivali. From there, they had hatched the conspiracy to spread terror and carry out acts of violence across India, the agency noted. 

The NIA also pointed out that the accused were also aiming to wage a war against the Indian government. The press release reads, “Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, ISIS, etc., the accused had aimed to disturb the peace and communal harmony of the country and to wage a war against the Government of India.”

As US accuses India of planning to kill terrorist Pannun, read how Spain expelled 2 American spies for infiltrating Spanish secret service & arrested 2 moles

OpIndia Staff
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As US accuses India of planning to kill terrorist Pannun, read how Spain expelled 2 American spies for infiltrating Spanish secret service & arrested 2 moles

The US authorities claimed that earlier this year they foiled a purported assassination plot of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, alleging the involvement of Indian government officials/agents in the act. Additionally, the US argued that this purported attempt to kill ‘US citizens’ on US soil by India or its government officials impinged on its sovereign authority. 

While the US allegations are still under investigation, Spanish media has revealed that at least two US officials/agents were caught bribing Spain’s secret service officers. Subsequently, they were discreetly expelled from Madrid on Thursday (7th December), as reported by Spanish media El Pais. 

As per reports, at least two U.S. agents stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, who were directly involved in recruiting spies of Spain’s Secret Service CNI, have been discreetly expelled from Spain. The revelation that US officials were bribing two agents from Spain’s CNI intelligence service to provide classified information has led to diplomatic friction between Madrid and Washington. 

According to a Spanish media report, Spain’s Foreign as well as Defence Minister reprimanded the US ambassador separately and sought an explanation for such an act from the US side against its NATO ally and friendly nation, Spain. Responsible for overseeing the CNI, Spanish Minister of Defense Margarita Robles summoned the U.S. ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso, to her office and sought an explanation.

(File Photo of Spain’s Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles (L) and the U.S. ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso (R), Image Source – Spanish Media El Pais)

According to sources, when U.S. Ambassador Reynoso was summoned by Minister Robles, she said that she was not aware of the case. She allegedly claimed that the U.S. agents who had bribed the Spanish spies were working independently of her. She argued that the purported program was launched before current President Joe Biden assumed power at the White House and for reasons unknown, it had been maintained until now.

The same sources added that Reynoso apologised for what happened and promised utmost collaboration with the ongoing investigation. The case has left the U.S. in an embarrassing situation, the report noted.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, also spoke with Reynoso and expressed the Spanish government’s unease over the revelations, the report added citing government sources. 

Albares agreed to expel at least two American spies who were involved in recruiting and bribing the CNI agents. However, some sources claim that there were more spies. The spies were expelled discreetly, as Washington rushed to remove them. 

The report added that such actions are considered hostile and are not expected between two allies. Additionally, it also pointed out that the case is a very serious matter as it involves recruiting secret agents of a host state to betray their own country which is considered an openly hostile act. It noted that such actions may be taken with enemy or adversary governments, but never with friends and allies.

The Spanish double agents were arrested in September but the court kept it secretive

According to El Confidencial news website, the two CNI agents were arrested in September for leaking top secret data to the US. The investigation started when during a CNI security check, it was found that the two Spanish agents had accessed classified information not pertinent to their duties, and they were not authorised to know. 

Subsequently, the internal investigation confirmed that at least one of the agents had been recruited by U.S. spies to gather secret information in return for a large sum of money. The agent was positioned as a middle-ranking official in the secret service. 

According to CNI sources, one of the agents held the role of an area chief within a section of the intelligence division, while the other agent worked as their assistant. 

After concluding its investigation, the CNI director, Esperanza Casteleiro, brought the case to the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office at Spain’s highest court, the National Assembly. The case was subsequently transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office of the High Court of Madrid, as deemed the competent authority. The Madrid tribunal then complained to the investigative courts of Plaza de Castilla.

As per reports citing sources, it was during this period that the Spanish government opted to disclose the investigation’s findings to the United States and condemned the incident.

Launching a scathing attack on their ‘ally’ US, sources noted, “What do Americans have to pay for if we give them everything they ask for?” 

They asserted that Spain openly collaborates with the United States, and always exchanges information. The sources added that the number of times in which Spain has refused to share information of interest to Washington is “between one and zero.”

Meanwhile, the Madrid court sealed the investigation, issuing orders for the arrest of the two purported CNI spies and the search of their residences. Both individuals were subsequently taken to the Estremera prison module in Madrid. However, the CNI assistant was released last month but his superior remains incarcerated.

Both the arrested CNI agents working for the US are accused of the crime of revealing secrets. They could face a jail term of 6-12 years under Article 584 of the Penal Code. The rule punishes “a Spaniard who, with the purpose of helping a foreign power, association or international organization, procures, falsifies, disables or discloses information classified as reserved or secret, that is likely to harm national security or national defense.”

However, reports indicate that this is not the only instance where the Spanish secret service has reported one of its agents for espionage. In an earlier incident in 2007, the CNI initiated a case against former spy Roberto Flórez, who had served at the center from 1992 to 2004. The action was taken following the discovery of classified documentation in his residence and two apartments he owned in Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife. 

The CNI also confiscated a letter directed to the Russian secret services, wherein Flórez proposed collaboration in exchange for an initial payment of $200,000. While there was no conclusive evidence that Flórez had handed over the classified documents, the Provincial Court of Madrid handed him a 12-year prison sentence in 2010. Subsequently, the Supreme Court reduced this sentence to nine years.

‘Rebel’ Washington Post reporter plans hitjob on Indian OSINT handle ‘Disinfo Lab’, gets exposed instead: What happened

Dibakar Dutta
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‘Rebel’ Washington Post reporter plans hitjob on Indian OSINT handle ‘Disinfo Lab’, gets exposed instead: What happened

On Friday (8th December, US local time), American political commentator Jack Posobiec took to X (formerly Twitter) to inform that a reporter from the leftist media outlet The Washington Post was soliciting information about Indian OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) handle ‘Disinfo Lab.’

The ‘reporter’ was identified as Pranshu Verma, a tech ‘journalist’ who started working with The Washington Post in February 2022. He had reached out to Jack Posobiec in the hopes of deterring the American political commentator from sharing informative posts of ‘Disinfo Lab.’

“We are doing a story on a group called Disinformation Lab,” Pranshu Verma revealed his plans to carry out a hit job on the Indian OSINT handle.

“Our reporting shows this group combines fact-based research with unsubstantiated claims to paint U.S. government figures, researchers, Indian American human-rights activists and international humanitarian groups as part of a conspiracy, purportedly led by global Islamic groups and the billionaire George Soros, to undermine India. Our analysis found you have retweeted this organisation’s content,” he told Jack Posobiec.

Without furnishing any evidence, The Washington Post ‘journalist’ claimed, “Do you know about the organization’s background? Our research has found Disinfo Lab is actually run by an Indian Intelligence Officer. Did you know that?”

Pranshu Verma then sought a response from the American political commentator based on his unsubstantiated assertions. “Due to the sensitive nature of this story, the time for response is tight. Please provide a response by the end of day today, Friday, December 8th,” he emphasised.

However, he did not anticipate a befitting reply from Jack Posobiec that would put ‘The Washington Post’ in the dock. ” So if it’s a intel agency run-media outlet that basically makes it the same as the Washington Post then?” the American political commentator wrote.

Jack Posobiec told Verma that The Washington Post is a media outlet run by the United States Intelligence and by his ‘assertion’ would make it similar to ‘Disinfo Lab.’ As expected, the tech ‘journalist’ did not respond to the message.

Brown sepoy romanticises Islamists and their make-believe stories

Although Pranshu Verma writes mundane articles on technology, he was roped in by The Washington Post to disseminate anti-India propaganda.

In January this year, he romanticised an Islamist named Raqib Hameed Naik in an article titled ‘Tracking rising religious hatred in India, from half a world away.’ A vicious fake news peddler, Raqib Hameed Naik is the founder of anti-Hindu disinformation outlet ‘Hindutva Watch.’

He is also infamous for denying the Hindu genocide, perpetrated by radical Islamists in the Kashmir Valley, in the early 1990s. Naik had also mocked the Hindu ‘Shivling’ found inside the Gyanvapi mosque in Kashi

Screengrab of the article by Pranshu Verma

In his article in January 2023, Pranshu Verma relied on a database provided by ‘DOTO’ to allege that ‘religious hatred’ is on the rise in India.

‘Disinfo Lab’ had earlier exposed the fabrications of DOTO, following which the latter first revised and then deleted the database.

Coincidentally, The Washington Post ‘journalist’ is now hounding the same Indian OSINT handle that uncovered the dubious nature of his news report.

Pranshu Verma turns ‘rebel’ over fair pay

Around the same time he was soliciting information about ‘Disinfo Lab’ from Jack Posobiec, ‘rebel’ Pranshu Verma staged a one-day strike against his employer The Washington Post over lack of ‘fair wages.’

“Today I walked off the job with more than 700 of my Washington Post colleagues because the company is breaking the law and bargaining in bad faith,” he had tweeted on Thursday (7th December).

“Respect our @PostGuild picket line: Avoid Washington Post journalism on Dec. 7. Thrilled to see so many colleagues on the picket line today,” he said in another tweet.

As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in India inch closer, Western media cartels and other vested interests are increasingly targeting those exposing anti-India narratives on social media.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram mocks report of Tata Group setting up semiconductor plant in Assam, gets befitting replies from BJP leaders and others

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MP Karti Chidambaram mocks report of Tata Group setting up semiconductor plant in Assam, gets befitting replies from BJP leaders and others

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came together to slam Congress leader and Sivaganga Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram for mocking the Tata Group’s plans to set up a semiconductor plant in Assam. Refering to a report saying that Tata Electronics is planning to invest ₹40,000 crore to set up a semiconductor plant in Assam, he wrote on 8th December, “Call me when the facility is actually operational.”

It is notable that on 8th December, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Tata group has sought approval for a semiconductor plant in the state. He shared, “Tata Group has submitted an application to set up a semiconductor processing plant in Assam with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore. This will be a game-changer. My gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continuous guidance in transforming our state,” on social media and the Congress leader picked it as an opportunity to target the state government.

By the comment, Karti Chidambaram wanted to imply that it is just a hollow promise and that the plant will not come up in Assam.

However, the BJP leaders as well as netizens responded strongly to the attack. The Assam chief minister promised to call him as soon as the plant is established in the state. He tweeted, “Yes. I will. Promise”

BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh called out the “arrogance” of the Congress politician and asserted, “This arrogance has cost you Tamil Nadu outside Shivagangai. Has cost Assam too. You will face the brunt across Bharath too. Hope your Assam leaders read your tweet.’

Dr SG Suryah, state secretary of BJP Tamil Nadu reminded the Congress leader of his father’s anti-digitalization argument. “Dare to challenge even after your father’s historical nose cut on Digital Transactions in India,” he asked.

Minister in Assam government Pijush Hazarika asked if Karti Chidambaram meant that “Assamese people aren’t capable of building a semiconductor facility?”

Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai posted a hard-hitting tweet, saying, “Dynast Thiru @KartiPC & his father Thiru @PChidambaram_IN do not often step out of their palace to witness the reality & transformation the country is witnessing today.” He quoted how P Chidambaram had in 2017 said that vegetable sellers will never accept online payments, and mentioned how UPI has proved him wrong.

Annamalai added, “Today, Thiru @KartiPC mocks a Northern Eastern State Assam & its CM Thiru @himantabiswa avl for their capability to attract an ₹40,000 Cr semiconductor processing plant. So, another failed challenge to the long list of failed challenges for the Father-Son duo in the making.”

The official spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Telangana unit referred to the recent electoral defeat of former state chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and charged, “We had a son of the chief minister just like you. Now, he is in a farmhouse without power. To question is something legitimate, but arrogance and shamelessness will be answered with the ballot. By the way, your party is nonexistent in the Northeast due to the same arrogance.”

Meanwhile, social media users also raised questions about his statement and denounced him for the same. A popular handle named BefittingFacts commented, “To work as a labour? Dont think you are qualified enough to work as a labourer. You can open an Idli Dosa stall outside the factory.”

Neha S taunted the Congress MP about the charges of corruption levelled against him. “Why don’t you disclose the trick of making hundreds of crores from growing cabbage in pots? My kitchen garden has lots of space and I have around 20-30 pots with good soil that are ready to use. I think this facility is operational.”

“Remove Chidambaram from your surname, no one will even recognise you,” remarked one individual drawing attention to the Congressman’s nepotistic roots.

Another recalled the comments passed by the Congress leader and pointed out, “Even your papa once mocked about digital India. You didn’t learn from it.”

One person told the Lok Sabha MP to email his curriculum vitae (CV) to the Assam chief minister for the job. “Do mention your skill, I mean, other than being a gardener during the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) era,” he added.

Notably, Karti Chidambaram is the son of former Union Finance Minister in the Congress government and current Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram who took a jab at the present government’s ‘Digital India’ campaign in 2017.

Interestingly, the senior Chidambaram vehemently criticised the Modi government’s ‘Digital India’ program earlier in 2017 in a speech in Rajya Sabha by claiming that it was impossible to discuss a cashless economy in a rural area. “You go there and the people ask ‘What digital?’ It is very difficult to get away with a lie. The best way to do so is to utter the biggest lie.”

He further charged, “You speak about digitisation. First, teach that to the RBI. Every rupee has come back, except in Bhutan, Nepal and NRIs, whose money can’t come now, because you breached your promise to them,” arguing that the ambitious initiative of the central administration was bound for a massive failure.

Meanwhile, his predictions didn’t come to fruition and with 1,124 crore United Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in November this year, the nation’s digital payments through UPI surpassed the 11 Billion threshold for the second consecutive month. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) released data showing that these transactions were up 54% from the 730.95 crore transactions that the payments network registered in November 2022. Chidambaram had argued that small traders like vegetable sellers will never be able to accept cashless payments, but now every single roadside stall has small boards displaying their QR codes enabling them to receive payments via UPI.

‘Jamiat gave you wrong information’: Congress leader Debabrata Saikia demands apology from Kapil Sibal for claiming that Assam was part of Myanmar

OpIndia Staff
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‘Jamiat gave you wrong information’: Congress leader Debabrata Saikia demands apology from Kapil Sibal for claiming that Assam was part of Myanmar

Days after Senior Supreme Court advocate Kapil Sibal sparked a controversy by claiming that Assam was originally a part of Myanmar, Congress leader Debabrata Saikia demanded an apology for distorting history. The leader of the opposition in Assam has written a letter to former Congress leader Kapil Sibal in this regard.

Debabrata Saikia wrote that this incorrect representation of Assam history by Sibal is very unfortunate and it has hurt the pride and prestige of Assam. “It seems the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and AAMSU might have provided you with incorrect information about Assam history and your team has failed to cross check the data before presentation,” he wrote. AAMSU stands for All Assam Minority Students’ Union.

Debabrata Saikia is MLA from Nazira constituency and the son of former Assam chief minister late Hiteshwar Sarikia.

Explaining the contention that Assam was part of Myanmar is wrong, the Congress leader wrote, “The history of Assam is the history of a confluence of the Austroasiatic, Tibeto- Burman (Sino-Tibetan), Tai and Indo-Aryan cultures. The Ahom kingdom ruled Assam for six centuries and unified Assam. Although invaded over centuries, it was never a vassal or a colony to an external power until the third Burmese invasion in 1821, and subsequently the British ingress into Assam in 1824 during the First Anglo-Burmese War. The colonial era began with the establishment of British control after the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826.”

The Congress leader added, “Therefore, Assam was never a part of Myanmar and this comment from a senior statesman like you have hurt the pride and emotion of indigenous people of Assam.” Asking Kapil Sibal to withdraw the comments made in the Supreme Court, Debabrata Saikia also asked him to issue an apology to the people of Assam for distorting the history of Assam. “In view of this, I request you to kindly withdraw the statement and render a public apology before the public of Assam for mis-representation of Assam’s glorious history,” he wrote.

Kapil Sibal made the controversial comments on 7th September in Supreme Court while opposing petitions challenging Section 6A of the Citizenship Act. A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

The Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 provides a different cut-off date for immigrants to be considered illegal immigrants. As per this, all foreigners who entered Assam on or before 25th March 1971 will be granted Indian citizenship, against the cut-off date of 19th July 1949 for the rest of the country.

While arguing against the petitions, Kapil Sibal said that history of Assam is complicated as it was part of Myanmar which was later handed over to the British. Sibal also claimed that migration to Assam can’t be mapped, as ‘no migration can ever be mapped’.

Kapil Sibal said in the apex court, “If you look at the history of Assam, it is impossible to figure out who came when. Assam originally was a part of Myanmar, and it was way back in 1824 after the British conquered a part of it. A treaty was entered into and that is how Assam was handed over to the British.”

What Sibal said was incorrect, because while the Burmese army occupied Assam for a very brief period of time, that led to the first Anglo-Burma war that ended in 1826, Assam was never a part of Assam. The Treaty of Yandabo was signed between Myanmar and British India after Myanmar lost the war, under which Myanmar ceded control of Assam and Manipur to British government.

Before Burma occupied Assam in 1821-1822 that lasted till 1826 during the war, it was never a part of any other country in recorded history. Assam, previously known as Pragjyotishpur and Kamrup, is being ruled by local rulers for thousands of years, and the state, along with neighbouring states, are part of the greater Indian culture from pre-historic times.

Earlier Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed Kapil Sibal for the comment, saying that those who do not know history should not make such statements.

15 ISIS terrorists arrested: Accused had declared a village in Thane ‘Al-Sham’, ‘Liberated Zone’ like Syria; were administering an ‘oath of allegiance’ to recruits

OpIndia Staff
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15 ISIS terrorists arrested: Accused had declared a village in Thane ‘Al-Sham’, ‘Liberated Zone’ like Syria; were administering an ‘oath of allegiance’ to recruits

On 9th December, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced that it raided 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka in which they arrested 15 ISIS terrorists of the ISIS Maharashtra module. As per the initial investigation of NIA, the arrested accused had self-declared the village of Padgha in rural Thane as a ‘liberated zone‘ and as ‘Al-Sham’. Seemingly areas in Syria are referred to with such notations. They were motivating impressionable Muslim youth to relocate to Padgha from their place of residence to strengthen the Padgha base, NIA revealed in its official press release.

Taking to X, the security agency shared a press release that revealed shocking details about the terror module. According to the press release, the arrested accused include the leader and head of the ISIS module. As per NIA, he was administering ‘Bayath’ – an oath of allegiance to Khalifa of ISIS to the recruits. 

NIA investigations have further revealed that the accused, all members of the ISIS Maharashtra module, were operating from Padgha-Borivali. From there, they had hatched the conspiracy to spread terror and carry out acts of violence across India, the agency noted. 

The NIA also pointed out that the accused were also aiming to wage a war against the Indian government. The press release reads, “Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, ISIS, etc., the accused had aimed to disturb the peace and communal harmony of the country and to wage a war against the Government of India.”

Notably, earlier this morning, the NIA team raided 44 locations that were spread across Padgha-Borivali, Thane, Mira Road, and Pune in Maharashtra, as well as Bengaluru in Karnataka. During these raids, they arrested 15 accused for promoting terror and terror-related acts and activities of the proscribed organisation.

These raids are a part of NIA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt and demolish the attempts of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to carry out violent acts of terror and take innocent lives. The agency also seized huge amounts of unaccounted cash, firearms, sharp-edged weapons, incriminating documents, smartphones, and other digital devices during these raids. 

As per NIA investigations, the accused, operating on the direction of their foreign handlers, had been actively involved in various terrorist activities, including the fabrication of lEDs, for furthering the violent and destructive agenda of ISIS.

According to NIA, Saqib Nachan is the main accused and the leader and head of the ISIS module. He was also administering the ‘Bayath’ (oath of allegiance to the Khalifa of ISIS) to the persons joining the proscribed organisation, as per NIA investigations.

The press release added that ISIS is a Global Terror Organisation (GTG), also known as Islamic State (IS) / Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) / Daish / Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) / ISIS Wilayat Khorasan/Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K)). The outfit has been spreading its terror network in India by putting in place localised ISIS modules and cells in various States of the country.

In recent months, NIA has conducted large-scale raids and busted different ISIS modules along with arresting several terror terrorists in the ISIS terror conspiracy case. This is part of the agency’s bid to scuttle the organisation’s heinous and violent anti-India agenda. 

As part of NIA’s crackdown, the agency registered a case against the ISIS Maharashtra module earlier this year. Since then, the NIA has undertaken strong and concerted actions to destroy the various ISIS modules and networks operating across the country.

Urdu portal ‘Rekhta’ promotes a book glorifying Islamist Ilmuddin, who killed Mahashay Rajpal in 1929 over ‘blasphemy’

Gopal Tiwari
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Urdu portal ‘Rekhta’ promotes a book glorifying Islamist Ilmuddin, who killed Mahashay Rajpal in 1929 over ‘blasphemy’

Urdu literary web portal Rekhta operated by Sanjiv Saraf’s non-profit organisation Rekhta Foundation is promoting the biography of an Islamist killer who had killed a Hindu man for ‘blasphemy’ against the Prophet Muhammad. Rekhta portal displays a book in its list titled ‘Sawaneh Umri Ghazi Ilmuddin Shaheed’, which means ‘a biography of martyr Ilmuddin’. This book is written by Mohammad Afzal Hashmi. The 102-page Urdu book was originally published in 1930 by Munshi Azizuddin Tajiran-E-Kutub, Lahore.

The current edition of this book with Rekhta is made available by Jamia Hamdard in Delhi. The information surfaced as the annual three-day festival of the Urdu-promoting organisation – Jashn-E-Rekhta – is going on from 8th December to 10th December at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Besides Mushaira and other talks in the Jashn-E-Rekhta program, the Rekhta Foundation also has various counters for selling books and other merchandise where many Urdu books are for sale. As the biography of Ilmuddin is listed on Rekhta’s website, it becomes necessary to understand what kind of Urdu literature it is promoting, who was Ilmuddin and what he had done.

Who was this Ilmuddin?

Ilmuddin killed author and publisher Mahashay Rajpal on 6th April 1929 in Lahore. Ilmuddin – a carpenter – was 19 years old at that time. stabbed Mahashay Rajpal in his chest eight times while he was seated on the outer verandah of his shop. Mahashay Rajpal did not survive the attack. The reason for this murder was alleged blasphemy. It was no different than what we see as death threats and beheading threats like ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ for alleged blasphemy or alleged insult of the Islamic prophet in contemporary times.

Who was Mahashay Rajpal and why was he killed?

Mahashay Rajpal published a book named Rangeela Rasool. He was killed for publishing this so-called satire on Prophet Muhammad. Mahashay Rajpal’s book came in response to two provoking books by Muslims.

In fact, in 1923, Muslims published two books. One was named ‘Krishna, your Gita will have to be burnt’. In this, Muslims made indecent and obscene comments about Lord Krishna. The other book was ‘The Maharshi of the Nineteenth Century’. The book contained derogatory remarks on Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj.

In response to these books written by Islamic fundamentalists, Pandit Chamupati Lal, who was a good friend of Mahashay Rajpal, wrote a satire on Prophet Muhammad and asked Rajpal never to reveal the author of this book i.e. his name to anyone. Maybe he knew the consequences. The book was published without any name.

Mahashay Rajpal. Image Source: Bharat Kosh

Muslims were enraged by this book. MK Gandhi also wrote in his ‘Young India’ that this is a divisive book ignoring how Muslims first provoked Hindus. In 1924, the British banned the book. Several cases were registered against the book under Section 153 A of the IPC. In 1927, Mahashay Rajpal was let off by evidence that what was written in the book was based on facts, so it cannot be said that it increased hatred between the two groups.

When the court pronounced the verdict regarding this book, the Muslims were even more enraged and shaken. They started rioting and there was a demand to behead Mahashay Rajpal. The slogans described how the killing of Mahashay Rajpal is allowed in Islamic Sharia. After receiving death threats for years and surviving two attacks, Mahashay Rajpal was killed by Ilmuddin in 1929.

Jinnah appeared in court as an advocate for Ilmuddin

Mahashay Rajpal’s killer was represented in court by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who argued for his innocence. Ilmuddin was executed by hanging in Central Jail Mianwali on 31st October 1929. At his funeral, the poet Mohammad Iqbal, a favourite of Indian liberals today, eulogized the killer. Today his grave is a religious site in Pakistan and Pakistani textbooks eulogize him with the title of “Ghazi”. Many books are written on his ‘life’ and his ‘work’. His two biopics were made in Pakistan – one in 1978 and the other in 2002.

After the partition, Mahashay Rajpal’s family moved to Delhi from where “Rajpal and Sons” continues to operate today. Almost 70 years after his death, he was awarded the first “International Freedom to Publish Award” by then deputy PM LK Advani.

Rekhta Foundation is promoting the biography of Ilmuddin

As Ilmuddin has become a ‘Ghazi’ for Islamists, many people have written his biographies. One such biography is reproduced in the form of an eBook with contributions from Jamia Hamdard. It is promoted by the Rekhta Foundation of Sanjiv Saraf. There are many sponsors to the event the Jashn-E-Rekhta. Questions are also asked on social media about what exactly they are supporting.

X user ‘The Skin Doctor’ posted, “Rekhta is a non-profit org promoting Urdu literature & culture. Its flagship event ‘Jashn-e-Rekhta’ is a huge commercial success as evidenced by its list of sponsors. But in the guise of promoting Urdu, Rekhta is promoting extremist literature as well. “Umri Ghazi Ilmuddin Shaheed”. Ilmuddin was an extremist who killed Mahashe Rajpal in 1929 for alleged blasphemy after years of STSJ calls on the victim. I hope these sponsors know what they are supporting.”

Shockingly, the book hailing a murderer is being promoted and marketed at a time when killings in the name of ‘blasphemy’ against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad have dramatically increased. In 2019, two Islamists dressed as Hindus entered the Lucknow residence of Hindu Samaj leader Kamlesh Tiwari and murdered him in broad daylight for his remarks on Prophet Muhammad made in 2015. In 2022, a young man named Kishan Bharwad was at the receiving end of Islamist wrath when fundamentalists shot him dead for simply sharing a video on Prophet Muhammad that Muslims found offensive. Later in the same year, former BJP functionary Nupur Sharma faced death threats and Sar Tan Se Juda threats issued against her after Alt News cofounder Mohammed Zubair dog-whistled Islamists with a cropped video of Sharma responding to insults hurled at Hindu Gods. Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur, was beheaded by two Islamists for extending solidarity with beleaguered former BJP leader Nupur Sharma as Islamists across the country bayed for her blood.

Ram Mandir Trust shares stunning photos of the sanctum-sanctorum where the idol of Ram Lalla would be installed

OpIndia Staff
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Ram Mandir Trust shares stunning photos of the sanctum-sanctorum where the idol of Ram Lalla would be installed

The construction of the Ram temple has been moving along steadily under the direction of the Ayodhya Trust. The general secretary of the Sri Ram Janmbhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai released splendid images of the temple’s sanctuary sanctorum on 9th December ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on 22nd January 2023 between noon and 12:45 pm.

He stated, “The sanctum sanctorum of Lord Shri Ramlala is almost ready. Recently the lighting-fitting work has also been completed. Sharing some photographs with you.”

This provided a preview of the exquisite sanctum sanctorum of the temple where the deity would be placed to excitedly awaiting devotees of the much-anticipated temple. The trust earlier on 8th December released photographs of the under-construction Ram Janmabhoomi temple’s current status.

Notably, three different artists are making three different idols of Ram Lalla, and the best among them will be selected before the consecration on 22 January. The three idols are currently getting finishing touches discreetly away from public view. One is being meticulously sculpted from the white marble of Makrana, Rajasthan, while the other two are taking form from stones sourced in Karnataka. Earlier, a stone was brought from Nepal, and later stones were also brought from Odisha and Maharashtra to carve the idol, but those were found not suitable to make the idol.

Champat Rai previously stated that the idols are receiving final touches and are currently 90% completed. “At Ram Janambhoomi temple, a 4 feet 3-inch idol depicting the 5-year-old child form of Lord Ram is being constructed at three locations in Ayodhya. Three artisans are building the idol on three different pieces of stone, and one of the idols will be accepted by the Lord. These idols are 90 per cent ready, and the finishing work will take about a week to be done. The idol will be installed in the ‘Grabhgriha’ (sanctum-sanctorum) on the ground floor. The ground floor of the temple is almost ready. So, there will be no problem with ‘Praan-Pratishtha’ (consecration ceremony).”

In its meeting slated for this month, the Trust will choose the most captivating and resilient among the three idols to be installed in the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Mandir. The remaining two idols will also find their places within the temple, albeit in different locations. The idol depicts the diety’s child form. As per Champat Rai, the general secretary of the temple trust, the decision to choose a 51-inch idol from the three was made by all 15 members of the trust during a meeting chaired by trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das on October 7-8.

An 86-year-old Laxmikant Mathuranath Dixit Vedic scholar is scheduled to take the helm over the consecration ritual of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He is descended from the renowned Kashi scholar Gaga Bhatt of the 17th century who oversaw the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj approximately 350 years ago in 1674.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be present at the opening of the Ram temple. Furthermore, notable individuals like industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and Ratan Tata, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan among other actors are invited to the consecration ceremony. 

Invites for over 7,000 people comprising 3,000 VIPs have been sent out by the Ram Mandir Trust. The relatives of the Karsevaks who lost their lives in the temple movement also received an invitation. Four thousand more are requested to attend the sacred event including writers, journalists, scientists, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, yoga guru Ramdev and well-known people from around the country.

According to the Sri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, arrangements are made for 10,000 to 15,000 people. Local officials are putting more security in place, coordinating logistics for every guest and preparing for the expected spike in traffic around the holy occasion.

BSP suspends Danish Ali from the party over “anti-party” activities

OpIndia Staff
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BSP suspends Danish Ali from the party over “anti-party” activities

On Saturday, December 9, the Bahujan Samaj Party suspended its MP Danish Ali for indulging in “anti-party” activities. The BSP claimed in a statement that Danish Ali had previously been warned about engaging in “anti-party” activities.

In a letter signed by Bahujan Samaj Party’s National General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra to Danish Ali, the party said, “It was made clear to you earlier itself to not indulge in anti-party activities… It is also mandatory to make it clear to you… you were working with the Janata Dal (Secular) under Deve Gowda in Karnataka in 2018… at that time the BSP and Deve Gowda’s Janata Party were contesting the polls together and you were given a ticket from Amroha under the conditions that you would work for the party. Deve Gowda had even said that you would be contesting from the Amroha Lok Sabha seat on the grounds that you will be working for the BSP. However, despite winning from Amroha, you have forgotten all the promises and assurances you made and engaged in anti-party activities. Thus, the party has decided to suspend you with immediate effect.”

Apparently, Danish Ali was suspended from the BSP as he was supporting the Congress in Parliament. The Congress had also backed Ali on the challenges he was facing, prompting repeated threats from Mayawati’s party.

In the 2017 Karnataka Assembly elections, Ali played a significant role in the formation of a post-poll coalition between the JD(S) and Congress. Back then, was designated convenor of the five-member Coalition Coordination and Monitoring Committee set up by the two parties while they formed a short-lived JD(S)-Congress government.

Danish Ali ran for Lok Sabha in 2019 on a BSP ticket from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, not far from his hometown of Hapur. Despite his maiden political contest and the BJP’s overwhelming victory in the state owing to a Muslim-dominated constituency with a sizable Dalit population. He received around 51% of the vote, defeating sitting BJP MP Kunwar Singh Tanwar by a margin of over 63,000 votes.

Danish Ali gained support from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during the issue over BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s use of disparaging comments towards Ali in parliament. The now-suspended BSP leader had even expressed gratitude to Gandhi for his assistance.

Name of wrong minister mentioned: Clarifies MEA after MoS Meenakashi Lekhi said she didn’t sign an answer that appeared with her name on Sansad website

ANI
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Name of wrong minister mentioned: Clarifies MEA after MoS Meenakashi Lekhi said she didn’t sign an answer that appeared with her name on Sansad website

The Ministry of External Affairs clarified on Saturday that a question on the Sansad website being shown under the name of Union Minister of State, Meenakashi Lekhi needs ‘technical correction’ and instead be attributed to MoS V Muraleedharan.

The matter pertains to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 980 from Friday regarding the declaration of Hamas as a ‘terrorist organization’.

“We have noted that Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 980 answered on 8 December 2023 needs a technical correction in terms of reflecting Shri V. Muraleedharan as the Minister of State replying to the Parliament Question. This is being suitably undertaken,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in an official statement.

This comes after MoS Lekhi denied signing any paper with the question regarding the declaration of Hamas as a terrorist organization.

“You have been misinformed as I have not signed any paper with this question and this answer,” Lekhi stated on X (formerly Twitter) in reply to a post citing the report.

Later, in a press conference on Saturday, Lekhi also clarified about not signing any such paper and said that she has asked for an inquiry into the matter.

“I would like to clarify that I have not signed any paper regarding that question. I have tagged PMO and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the breach. I have also called the Foreign Secretary and asked for an investigation and action should be taken against those responsible,” the MoS stated.

She added, “It has to be found out who committed this from the MEA without the signature of the concerned minister. I hope that there will be a prompt inquiry into the matter”.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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