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Chandrababu Naidu walks out of Rajahmundry jail, thanks supporters for “prayers and affection”

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Chandrababu Naidu walks out of Rajahmundry jail, thanks supporters for “prayers and affection”

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu walked out of Rajahmundry jail on Tuesday after Andhra Pradesh High Court granted bail to him in the alleged Skill Development case.

After walking out of the central cell, Chandrababu Naidu said, “When I was in trouble, you all came on the roads and prayed for me. I will never forget the affection shown to me, not only in Andhra Pradesh but also in Telangana and across the world.”

“In my 45 years of career, I haven’t committed any mistake and will not let anyone do. All the political parties have supported me, all thanks to them,” he added.

Chandrababu Naidu was under 53 days of judicial custody. The interim bail has been granted for four weeks. TDP said that the ruling YSRCP has failed in its attempt to label Chandrababu Naidu as a criminal.

“Despite all the efforts by the ruling YSRCP to constantly put N Chandrababu Naidu under scrutiny and label him as a criminal, they finally failed today. This shows how the YSRCP is afraid, scared, intimated and terrified of TDP,” the party said.

Chandrababu Naidu was granted bail due to health reasons. He has been ordered to surrender on November 24. The court will hear arguments on the main bail petition on November 10. The TDP supremo has been ordered to not participate in any other program except his medical check-ups at the hospital.

The TDP supremo has been ordered to not participate in any other program except his medical check-ups at the hospital. The High Court also ordered Naidu to not participate in Media and Political activities.

Meanwhile Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party chief Daggubati Purandeswari on Tuesday welcomed the state High Court’s decision to grant interim bail to Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the skill development case. The Andhra Pradesh BJP chief, however, condemned the arrest of Naidu saying that the crackdown on September 9 was not done in an appropriate way.

“We welcome the judgement of the (Andhra Pradesh) High Court for granting interim bail to Chandrababu Naidu. We condemn his arrest as it was not done in an appropriate way. They have made a mistake in the past by arresting without giving notice or without conducting an investigation. The method of arrest without adding his name to the FIR is also not the appropriate way. (But) It is a good sign to get interim bail,” Purandeswari said. 

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

Japan: Gunman opens fire at a hospital in Saitama, takes two staffers hostage

OpIndia Staff
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Japan: Gunman opens fire at a hospital in Saitama, takes two staffers hostage

A gunman opened fire at a hospital and then took hostages inside a post office in Warabi city in Japan’s Saitama prefecture. The gunman was reportedly armed with a handgun and injured two people.

The New York Times reported that two female postal workers in their 20s and 30s were held hostage of whom one was released. At around 7.15 pm, Japanese broadcaster NHK, showed footage of the woman in her 20s walking out of the post office without injury. Negotiators are reportedly talking to the suspect by telephone.

According to CNN, the gunman is believed to be between 50 to 70 years of age, 1.6m tall and barricaded himself at a post office which is located about 1.5 kilometres from the hospital. One doctor and one male patient were injured in the attack outside the hospital.

As per CNA, he fled the scene of the attack on a motorcycle and was donning a black jacket and pants and a motorcycle helmet. The police have urged 300 residents in the area near the post office to evacuate.

Another report by Times Now claims that images on television showed the gunman inside the post office in a baseball cap and a white shirt under a dark coat with what looked like a gun attached to a cord around his neck.

10 post office staff members are feared trapped inside the building. The city authorities posted on their website, “At approximately 2.15 pm today (0515 GMT), a perpetrator has taken hostages and holed up at a post office in Chuo 5-chome area of Warabi city…the perpetrator is possessing what appears to be a gun.”

Reports have also claimed that the gunman may be carrying kerosene with him. Authorities have urged citizens to adhere to police instructions and evacuate as instructed.

Toda Mayor Fumihito Sugawara confirmed that a man “suspected of carrying a gun” was barricaded inside the post office. He warned the residents not to go near the area.

CNN cited Japanese broadcaster NHK saying that the police were alerted to the incident at 1 pm local time, an hour later, an eyewitness reported hearing a sound like gunfire.

ED raids AAP MLA Kulwant Singh’s residence and other locations in a drugs case

OpIndia Staff
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ED raids AAP MLA Kulwant Singh’s residence and other locations in a drugs case

On 31st October, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at multiple locations in Punjab, including the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kulwant Singh, in a matter linked to drug-linked money laundering. The central agency raided several locations in Mohali, Ludhiana and Amritsar. Central paramilitary forces personnel accompanied the ED officials during the raids. Notably, AAP has promised “drug free Punjab” on several occasions. Recently, CM Bhagwant Mann took an anti-drug oath at Golden Temple.

As per the reports, seven ED officials with CRPF personnel reached the premises of Kulwant Singh at around 7:15 AM to conduct searches. At that time, Singh was not at home.

Some reports suggest that the raids were linked to a liquor scam case. However, no official statement has been released by the police. Notably, ED has already restricted foreign travel of officials who are responsible for forming liquor policy in Punjab. They cannot travel abroad without ED’s prior permission.

Notably, the opposition in Punjab has been calling for an investigation by ED or CBI into the Punjab Excise Policy. Shiromani Akali Dal has alleged that the Punjab government attempted to replicate the Delhi Excise Policy in the state. Following the summons issued by ED to AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal, Sukhbir Singh Badal wrote on X, “Twin developments, including the rejection of the bail plea of ex-Delhi CM Manish Sisodia and summoning of Aam Aadmi Party Convener, Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Excise Policy Scam on Nov 2, calls for a thorough probe into the Punjab Excise Scam too.”

Singh, who is the richest MLA of AAP in Punjab, came under the scanner when the Union Environment Ministry raised concerns over the alleged violation of environmental norms in two projects owned by Singh’s company. The ministry brought the matter to Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit’s notice, after which the Governor wrote to Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seeking action from the Civic Authority, Punjab Pollution Control Board, and State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) over alleged violation of rules. 

Singh was once with SAD, but he was expelled from the party over allegations of anti-party activities in January 2021. He contested the civic poll independently but lost. Before the 2022 Assembly Elections in Punjab, he joined AAP and won the election from SAS Nagar seat.

‘Ceasefire in Gaza right now will only benefit Hamas’: White House rejects call for a ceasefire to Israel-Hamas war

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ceasefire in Gaza right now will only benefit Hamas’: White House rejects call for a ceasefire to Israel-Hamas war

On 30th October (Monday), the United States rejected calls for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist terror outfit Hamas. During the White House press briefing, National Security spokesperson John Kirby asserted that the US does not believe that a ceasefire is the right answer right now. He added that the US does not support a ceasefire at this time.

Rejecting the demand for a ceasefire, Kirby said, “We believe that a ceasefire right now benefits Hamas, and Hamas is the only one that would gain from that right now.” The same was pointed out by Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday saying that a ceasefire will be a ‘gift’ for Hamas.  

However, the White House suggested that instead of a ceasefire, there should be “pauses” so that aid can be delivered inside Gaza. He told the media that the White House is “confident” that more aid trucks would be able to enter Gaza via Egypt. 

He asserted that the US had spoken to the Israeli government about increasing the number of trucks crossing the border each day to around 100. He noted that on Sunday (29th October), around 45 trucks entered Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing. 

In the wake of the deadly terror attacks and incursion on 7th October, Israel has vowed that there will be no ceasefire until Hamas is dismantled. 

Addressing a press conference for foreign media in English, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also emphasised that there would be no ceasefire to the ongoing war against Hamas as it would mean surrender to terrorism. 

Netanyahu asserted, “I want to make clear Israel’s position regarding a ceasefire. Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or after the terrorist attack of 9/11, Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas.” 

Rejecting calls for a ceasefire, he added, “After the horrific attacks of October 7, calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen.” 

Quoting a verse from the biblical scripture of Ecclesiastes, the Israeli PM noted, “There is a time for peace and a time for war.” 

He continued, “This is a time for war. A war for a common future. Today we draw a line between the forces of civilisation and the forces of barbarism. It is a time for everyone to decide where they stand.”

He called Hamas’s onslaught “the worst savagery our people have seen since the Holocaust.” Speaking to foreign press representatives, Netanyahu said, “Hamas murdered children in front of their parents, murdered parents in front of their children. They burned people alive, they raped women, they beheaded men, they tortured Holocaust survivors, they kidnapped babies.”

He urged civilised nations everywhere to back this fight. He added, “Israel’s fight is your fight because if Hamas and Iran’s axis of evil win, you will be their next target. That’s why Israel’s victory will be your victory. But make no mistake, regardless of who stands with Israel, Israel will fight until this battle is won, and Israel will prevail.” 

Apple threat notifications: Politicians, journalists claim they received hacking alerts; Apple says individuals in 150 countries received ‘unreliable’ alerts

OpIndia Staff
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Apple threat notifications: Politicians, journalists claim they received hacking alerts; Apple says individuals in 150 countries received ‘unreliable’ alerts

In a new political potboiler, some iPhone-using Opposition leaders have claimed to have received “threat alerts” from Apple. “ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone,” the threat notification sent on iMessage and Apple Mail reads.

The notification has reportedly been received by Opposition leaders across party lines including Mahua Moitra, Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Raghav Chadha, Asaduddin Owaisi, and some others.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor wrote, “Received from an Apple ID, [email protected], which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expense of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do? @PMOIndia @INCIndia @kharge @RahulGandhi.”

Interestingly, Shashi Tharoor had tweeted once before with the screenshot of the email he received, however, in that screenshot, he had forgotten to mask his email ID associated with his Apple ID. Tharoor later deleted the tweeted ad re-posted the screenshot with his email masked. Ironically, it would certainly not take sophisticated state-sponsored hackers to break into the device security of someone, an MP no less, who is not aware of basic protocols that one must follow to keep their devices safe – like not making public vital details attached to your accounts.

Similarly dramatic responses were seen coming from Pawan Khera on X, who put the onus of the alleged “threat” on PM Modi saying, “Dear Modi Sarkar, why are you doing this?”

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who recently confessed to giving her Parliamentary login credentials to Darshan Hiranandani who submitted questions against Adani, wrote on X calling Adani and PMO bullies.

“Received text & email from Apple warning me Govt trying to hack into my phone & email. @HMOIndia – get a life. Adani & PMO bullies – your fear makes me pity you. @priyankac19 – you, I, & 3 other INDIAns have got it so far,” Moitra wrote.

Notably, the TMC MP has been told to appear before the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on 2nd November in the cash-for-query case. The case pertains to allegations by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey that Moitra accepted bribes and favours from Darshan Hiranandani including uber-expensive handbags costing up to lakhs of rupees.

On 27th October, Moitra accepted that she shared her Parliament login details with the businessman but denied taking any money for it.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi rushed to conduct a press conference to blame the BJP over the alert. He said, “A number of people in my office have got this message… In Congress, KC Venugopal ji, Supriya, Pawan Khera have got it too…They (BJP) are trying to distract the attention of the youth.”

While Rahul Gandhi rushed to play politics, it is pertinent to note that some others who certainly can’t be seen as I.N.D.I Alliance members also received the same threat alert message.

Samir Saran, who is the President of ORF, a non-partisan, independent think tank also received the threat alert message from Apple.

Additionally, the same notification has reportedly been received by some Apple iPhone users in Armenia. Screenshots of the same alert were shared by Armenian journalist Artur Papyan @ditord on X. “Apple has issued a new round of threat notifications about State Sponsored attacks. If you’re an Armenia-based journalist or a civil society representative, contact me, @Kornelij or @RubenMuradyan to get your device checked, as well as urgent advice and support,” Papyan posted on X.

What Apple says about such ‘threat alert’ messages on their support page and their statement after Rahul Gandhi press conference

Interestingly, Apple itself on its website states that these so-called “state-sponsored threats” to their users’ device are not reliable.

In fact, the very alert that the Opposition leaders claimed to have received states, “While it’s possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously.”

Furthermore, Apple has implied that it does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker. “State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated, and their attacks evolve over time. Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete.”

“It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected. We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behaviour to evade detection in the future,” Apple states on the support page on its website.

Moreover, it says that Apple is “unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications”. This means that it is not clear whatsoever whether the alleged attack, that is if it is indeed an attack, is state-sponsored at all. And even if it is “state-sponsored” then there is no telling which state.

In fact, after the dramatic press conference of Rahul Gandhi where he directly blamed the Modi government of snooping on “opposition members”, Apple issued a stetement reiterating their position on such threat messages.

Apple said, “Apple does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker. State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated, and their attacks evolve over time. Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete. It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected. We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behavior to evade detection in the future”.

Apple further added that such notifications have been sent individuals in 150 countries. “Since enabling the Threat Notifications feature, Apple has sent threat notifications to individuals whose accounts are in nearly 150 countries,” the statement from Apple said.

What are Apple threat notifications?

According to information available on the tech-giant’s website, “Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been targeted by state-sponsored attackers.”

“These users are individually targeted because of who they are or what they do. Unlike traditional cybercriminals, state-sponsored attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices, which makes these attacks much harder to detect and prevent. State-sponsored attacks are highly complex, cost millions of dollars to develop and often have a short shelf life. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks,” the company states.

Apple has also laid down measures to prevent and combat such threats. “To verify that an Apple threat notification is genuine, sign in to appleid.apple.com. If Apple has sent you a threat notification, it will be clearly visible at the top of the page after you have signed in.”

Modi government orders probe: What minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said

After the fiasco, the Modi government has ordered a probe into the alleged security breach.

Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “We are concerned by the statements we have seen in media from some MPs as well as others about a notification received by them from Apple. The notification received by them as per media reports mentions about ‘state-sponsored attacks’ on their devices”. He further said, “Information by Apple on this issue seems vague and non-specific in nature. Apple states these notifications may be based on information which is ‘incomplete or imperfect’. It also states that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms or some attacks are not detected. Apple has also claimed that Apple IDs are securely encrypted on devices, making it extremely difficult to access or identify them without the user’s explicit permission. This encryption safeguards the user’s Apple ID and ensures that it remains private and protected. The Government of Bharat takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications. In light of such information and widespread speculation, we have also asked Apple to join the investigation with real, accurate information on the alleged state-sponsored attacks”.

A desperate sequel to the Pegasus fiasco?

On 25th August last year, the Supreme Court said that no conclusive proof emerged to support the claim that the Indian government was using the controversial Pegasus spyware to snoop on people.

The then Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said that the apex court-appointed committee probing the matter has concluded that the Israeli spyware was not found in the 29 mobile phones it examined.

The controversy erupted on 18th July 2021, when a group of media networks and investigative reporters claimed that among the 50,000 phone numbers chosen for infection with the Pegasus malware were those of Indian ministers, legislators, activists, entrepreneurs, and journalists.

Notably, Israel-based company NSO which built the spyware, claims that it only deals with governments and not private entities. However, it never disclosed who its clients were. Several international media outlets, including The Wire from India, released a series of reports claiming the Indian government used the spyware.

The reports were based on an “analysis” done by a team of Amnesty International. It is notable that the Supreme Court-appointed committee had also used the tool develop by Amnesty to detect the spyware, along with various other tools.

‘Trying to threaten me for exposing appeasement of Hamas’, says Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar after Congress and CPM jointly file a case against him

OpIndia Staff
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‘Trying to threaten me for exposing appeasement of Hamas’, says Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar after Congress and CPM jointly file a case against him

On 31st October (Tuesday), Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar came down heavily on I.N.D.I. alliance partners Congress and CPI(M). Taking to X, he took a dig at Congress stalwart Rahul Gandhi and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan for coming together and ‘jointly’ filing a case against him. He asserted that with such a coercive step, they are trying to threaten him for exposing their appeasement of Hamas. 

The Minister insinuated that both parties have united for appeasement purposes only, as at the state level both of them have been taking antithetical positions except on a few such issues. He also lambasted both political leaders calling them the biggest appeasers in Indian politics. He emphasised that they had been appeasing “poisonous, radical and violent” organisations like SDPI, PFI, and Hamas who have threatened the security of the Indian state.  

Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar tweeted, “So the two INDI alliance partners Rahul Gandhi and Pinarayi Vijayan have jointly filed a “case” against me. Two of the biggest appeasers in Indian politics who shamelessly appease poisonous radical violent organisations like SDPI, PFI, and Hamas, whose politics have caused radicalisation over decades from J&K to Punjab to Kerala and caused many innocent lives and security forces lives to be lost –  trying to threaten me with a case for exposing their appeasement of Hamas.”

In his post on X, the Minister also included a media report stating that a case has been filed against him, a complaint copy filed by the Congress’ Kerala unit, and an FIR copy. 

Strikingly, in the late hours of 30th October, Congress’ state unit in Kerala lodged a complaint with the State Police Chief against Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP National Secretary Anil K Antony, and a few others for allegedly making hate comments aimed at flaring up communal enmity in the state. The complaint was given by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) Digital Media Cell Convener Sarin P.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had threatened to file a case against Rajeev Chandrasekhar 

In the wake of the Ernakulam blast on 29th October, a war of words erupted between Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. It started when Chandrasekhar criticised Kerala CM for not acting tough on calls for Jihad by Hamas terrorists and the mindset of killing which resulted in the bomb blasts.  

Following the incident, he posted on X, “Dirty shameless appeasement politics by a discredited CM (and HM) Pinarayi Vijayan besieged by corruption charges. Sitting in Delhi and protesting against Israel, when in Kerala open calls by Terrorist Hamas for Jihad is causing attacks and bomb blasts on innocent Christians.” 

A day later, on 30th October, a verbal duel ensued between the CM and Chandrasekhar. Threatening to take a coercive step and terming the MoS ‘extremely venomous’, Kerala CM said that if anyone makes statements that are in violation of the law, irrespective of whether they are central or state ministers, cases would be registered against them which seemingly prompted Police to file a case against the Minister. 

However, according to the Kerala police, it registered the FIR on its own in connection with the minister’s recent statements on social media. The said statement pertains to the Kochi blasts and a Hamas leader’s virtual address at an event organised by an Islamist group in the Malappuram district of the state.

Speaking to PTI, a senior officer of Kochi city police said that an FIR under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) of the IPC and section 120 (o) (causing nuisance and violation of public order) of the Kerala Police Act has been registered against the Union Minister.

‘Found your choice of interviewee sickening’: Israel’s Ambassador to India Naor Gilon slams ‘The Hindu’ for interviewing Hamas’s Mousa Abu Marzouk

OpIndia Staff
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‘Found your choice of interviewee sickening’: Israel’s Ambassador to India Naor Gilon slams ‘The Hindu’ for interviewing Hamas’s Mousa Abu Marzouk

Israeli Ambassador to India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, Naor Gilon on Tuesday, October 31, tore into The Hindu for providing a platform to Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk. In an open letter to the media house’s editor-in-chief Suresh Nambath, Naor Gilon said that he found the publication’s “choice of interviewee sickening.”

Referring to the interview of Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk published in Frontline, the fortnightly English magazine from The Hindu on October 27, Naor Gilon said that he was writing the letter to express his extreme disappointment at the publication’s choice to interview Mousa Abu Marzouk, whom he called a known terrorist from the Hamas-ISIS.

Notably, on October 27, amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict, The Hindu’s fortnightly magazine The Frontline published an interview of Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk typically in line with several other Indian leftist media portals and political parties like the Congress which have been consistently trying to garner sympathy for Hamas while demonizing Israel ever since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched an audacious attack on Israel that killed hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians, including infants and the elderly.

The Frontline article was titled, “‘The root of the problem is the occupation’: Moussa Abu Marzouk”. The archive version of the article can be viewed here.

SS of the article published by Frontline

Though the Israeli Ambassador to India acknowledged the press has the right to provide a platform to diverse voices, he questioned the media outlet whether it would have been willing to provide a platform to terrorists like Ajmal Kasab or Osama Bin Laden to explain their rationale behind the 26/11 Mumbai attack and the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Naor Gilon said he was disturbed that The Hindu considered providing space to Mousa Abu Marzouk, whom he referred to as ‘not just a controversial figure but a known terrorist with gallons of Israeli blood on his hands’.

“Abu Marzuk, a member of the terror organization Hamas-ISIS which has been listed as a terror organization by many countries of the world including the US, all EU members, UK and others -is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Israeli civilians since 1988. He has spent time in US prison for his actions. The decision to grant him a platform, especially in the wake of the tragic 7th of October Nazi-attacks, where 1400 Israelis, including babies, women and Holocaust survivors were tortured to death in the worst possible ways – is deeply unsettling,” the letter read.

Source: X account of Naor Gilon
Source: X account of Naor Gilon

The Israeli Ambassador to India, who recently spoke about the possible involvement of Islamic State (ISIS) in the Hamas attack on Israel, chastised The Hindu’s Editor-in-Chief for failing to demonstrate responsible journalism. “It is incumbent upon responsible journalism to exercise due diligence in such cases, ensuring that the voices amplified do not contribute to the promotion of violence and terror,” Naor Gilon said, further slamming the publication for not considering the need for fact-checking or asking follow up questions to Abu Marzuk, which, in turn, assisted the Hamas official to decimate lies and fake news with utmost ease.

“In a 1806 word article, less than 100 words could be considered something others than blatant lies and defamation, by any person who knows an iota about the reality between Israel and Hamas. This is an old and known Terrorist tactic utilized by Hamas-ISIS regularly: Lie and Murder, if possible – Lie about the Murder,” the letter read.

While highlighting the importance of responsible journalism yet again, Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon also pointed out that failing to accurately fact-check and follow up on false statements, especially when the issue is of such grave consequence, not only damages the publication’s credibility but also shows disrespect for the numerous victims who, in this case, were brutally killed in the attack on Israel on October 7 by terrorists from Hamas.

“Not long ago it was the duty of journalists to hold their subjects accountable for their statements and their actions. To fact check. To follow up false statements with accuracy. particularly when they pertain to matters of so grave consequence. Failing to do so not only undermines the credibility of the publication it also disrespects the countless dead victims whose blood screams from the ground. Worst of all, publishing a manifesto of a terrorist, poses a real risk of radicalizing and empowering susceptible readers to take more violent actions in the name of these “pseudo facts” claimed by terrorists. We’ve had more than our share of Jews murdered for these reasons so we should be taken seriously when we say: “Some words do kill”, Naor Gilon wrote.

He ended his letter by expressing his dismay over the interview with Hamas-ISIS mass murderer Moussa Abu Marzuk, saying it casts severe questions on media ethics and standards.

In light of this occurrence, he hoped The Hindu would reflect on this and take appropriate action to guarantee that future interviews are carried out with the diligence and honesty that their readers deserve.

Israel-Hamas war

On 7th October (local time), the terrorist organisation Hamas launched a brutal terror attack on Israeli soil. Over 1,200 people were killed in the attack. Paragliders and vehicle-borne Hamas terrorists wielding automatic weapons barged inside the border walls and attacked civilians, residential communities, and even a music festival in Southern Israel. In response to the brutal terrorist attack on Israel that killed over 1,000 civilians and wounded over 2,500 others, Israel declared war on Hamas and has been pounding the Gaza Strip with bombs since then.

The US and other NATO nations have declared support for Israel. Hundreds of Israelis and foreign nationals are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas. Hamas has massacred civilians brutally after attacking a music festival, and family homes in Southern Israel. Social media posts have surfaced where Hamas terrorists are seen killing children, women, and the elderly. The exact number of hostages is unknown.

Selectively leaked videos and motivated narratives: Assam Rifles DG talks about the situation in Manipur, vows to bring back normalcy

OpIndia Staff
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Selectively leaked videos and motivated narratives: Assam Rifles DG talks about the situation in Manipur, vows to bring back normalcy

Director General of Assam Rifles, Lieutenant General PC Nair, in an interview with The Indian Express rubbished all allegations of bias that were leveled against the force in the wake of Manipur violence that started six months ago.

Calling the bias allegations false, Lt Gen Nair said that the Assam Rifles were targeted by people of both factions, the Meitei and Kuki communities at one point. He said that several videos from Myanmar were selectively circulated and did not provide the full picture.

Speaking about the challenges that prevail in the state, he pointed at people’s mindset and the large number of weapons in circulation that continue to be a major cause for concern.

Lt Gen Nair said, “I think it will take some time for it to revert to what it was earlier. During such periods, selectively leaked videos or motivated narratives tend to go viral, with individuals manipulating them for personal gain. These represent vested interests from which people must be safeguarded.”

He further added, “The number of weapons that went missing from various police stations are close to 5,000, of which about 1,600 weapons are back today — a positive development, though it will take time before we get all the missing weapons back.”

“There were instances when people of a community were going en masse to attack the other after being fed with a certain narrative. And here, we stopped them. So obviously, when emotions are running high and they are prevented from doing what they want to, stories get cooked up,” Lt Gen Nair added.

“When all this started, the security forces had never worked in conjunction with each other, both the police and the central forces. But the significant improvement is that today, every operation is carried out jointly. You have AR, Army, BSF, CRPF, and local police – all five or six components working together for a specific operation, be it searching for weapons or apprehending wrongdoers. The police and our operations are now better synchronised, enabling us to restore normalcy more effectively,” Lt Gen Nair said.

When asked by The Indian Express about the “assurances from the state government” on the removal of Assam Rifles from buffer zones and replacing them with paramilitary forces, Lt Gen Nair said, “Why should there be such plans? We are there everywhere — in the plains, hills and in between in the buffer zones. Our officers and men are doing their job to the best of their abilities and in a highly professional manner. For us, bringing back normalcy is the most important job at hand and we shall persevere to do that.”

Two months after violent clashes broke out in Manipur in May, locals began pointing fingers at the forces who were tasked with preventing a repeat of the violence and disarming local armed groups. Tensions also ensued between the state government and the Assam Rifles with the Manipur police filing an FIR against them.

In September, the Delhi Meitei Coordination Committee (DMCC) submitted a memorandum to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accusing the Assam Rifles of “biased treatment”.

They reportedly mentioned that the protests by Meitei groups were dealt with lathi-charge, rubber bullets, tear gas, and even live bullets being fired whereas protests by Kukis were dealt with differently.

Protests were held by Meitei women’s groups in some areas in Manipur accusing the Assam Rifles of bias against the community. Demands increased for the removal of the force from some areas.

Videos went viral on social media in September showing altercations between the Manipur police and Assam Rifles personnel. The state police also filed a criminal case against the force for “obstruction of duty” and “criminal intimidation”.

The police accused the personnel of the 9th battalion of the Assam Rifles of the “arrogant act” of “giving a chance to the accused Kuki militants to escape freely to a safe zone”.

Among other challenges that the Central force was faced with was anti-social elements camouflaging as the Assam Rifles. On 18th September, the Assam Rifles wrote to the Manipur police alerting them that a “few miscreants with the help of valley-based insurgent groups have acquired many used Tata 407 from the civil market and have converted them to resemble the vehicles being used by the Assam Rifles and putting the AR insignia”.

Meanwhile, the force continues to take measures to restore normalcy in the hill state of Manipur. Speaking about the same, Lt Gen Nair said that the Assam Rifles have been reaching out to all violence-affected people and have established camps for them, rendered medical aid, evacuated thousands, prevented several places from getting burned, and helped schools restart and children relocate.

“We are also helping the government in distribution of essential supplies and facilitating the reopening of the national highways. All this is kind of adding up to restoring normalcy. In one line, we are making our work do the talking,” Lt Gen Nair concluded.

Cash for queries scam: Mahua Moitra drops defamation lawsuit against media houses and social media platforms, informs Delhi High Court

ANI
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Cash for queries scam: Mahua Moitra drops defamation lawsuit against media houses and social media platforms, informs Delhi High Court

The Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra’s Lawyer on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that they are not pressing for any relief in the suit against media houses and social media intermediaries.

Noting this, the bench of Justice Sachin Datta asked Moitra’s counsel Samudra Sarangi to file an amended memo of parties while re-notifying the matter for December 5, 2023.

Advocate Sidhant Kumar appeared for a media house and submitted that since the plaintiff is not pressing for relief against the media houses, she must amend the suit accordingly as there are some averments against the media houses.

Earlier on October 20, 2023, the Delhi High Court adjourned TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s defamation plea against Nishikant Dubey for October 31.

On the last date, Nishikant Dubey’s lawyer Abhimanyu Bhandari submitted that a businessman had circulated an affidavit that he had given expensive gifts to the petitioner.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankarnaryan while pushing for an ad interim injunction told the court, “She’s a public figure with standing in the society…unfortunately she was a friend with Dehradari. While Senior Advocate Sankarnaryan appearing for Mahua Moitra, was putting forth his submisisons, Adv Jai Anant Dehradrai, against whom also injunction was sought, objected to him appearing in the case.

Dehedrai appeared in person and told the court that Sankaranarayanan contacted him the night before and asked him to withdraw his CBI complaint in exchange for the dog. Following these submissions, Sankarnaryan withdrew from the case.

Speaking to the media outside the court complex Gopal Sankarnaryan said “I have absolutely no comments except to say, because Jai (Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai) instructed me in a case, I had reached out to him yesterday and had asked him is there were any way of exploring a settlement. Jai had said that he would get back to me, but he didn’t. Today when I appeared, Jai personally said to me he had an objection to my appearance. I immediately withdrew and said that I don’t want to do this case.”

The Delhi High Court earlier had issued notices to the defendants on Moitra’s suit. Moitra is at the centre of a political storm after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that she had allegedly taken bribes from a business house to ask questions in Parliament.

Earlier Nishikant Dubey in his letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, titled “Reemergence of nasty ‘Cash for Query’ in Parliament” had alleged “‘serious Breach of Privilege’, ‘Contempt of the House’ and a ‘Criminal Offence’ under Section 120A of IPC” by the Trinamool Congress MP.

Dubey claimed that an Advocate, Jai Anant Dehadrai had provided him with proof of a bribe. In her response to this letter, the TMC MP had said that she would welcome a probe by the speaker after he dealt with alleged breach of privilege by other BJP MPs.

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

Congress uses edited Disney Hotstar video starring Kartik Aaryan to claim he has joined their campaign in MP, gets fact-checked by actor

OpIndia Staff
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Congress uses edited Disney Hotstar video starring Kartik Aaryan to claim he has joined their campaign in MP, gets fact-checked by actor

On 30th October, many Congress leaders and pro-Congress handles on social media posted a campaign for Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, claiming actor Kartik Aaryan has extended his support for the party. In the video, it was shown that at one point, Kartik said, “Main bhi to Congressi hun”. However, the video turned out to be fake.

Kartik, who was born and raised in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, clarified in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the video was originally a Disney+ Hostar campaign for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. It looks like a Congress supporter or the party edited the footage and used it for political gains. In a post, Kartik posted the original campaign and wrote, “This is the READ AD. Rest all is Fake.” He also tagged Disney+ Hotstar in the post. The channel has not released any official statement.

Fake voiceover and Congress campaign slides added to video to project it as Congress campaign

The original campaign talks about the ICC Cricket World Cup being streamed for free on Disney+ Hotstar. However, the edited version of the video not only added campaign material in the video but also voiceover-ed the artists acting in the campaign with fake voices. At one point where Kartik says “Freddy main hi hun” to the female artist in the ad, the voiceover replaced the dialogue with “Arre main bhi to Congressi hun”. The edited ad has slides of promises announced by Congress for the MP elections.

Congress supporters and leaders published fake video

National spokesperson of Indian Youth Congress and in-charge of UT J&K Aabid Mir Magami wrote, “Bollywood actor Kartik Aryan extended his support for congress in Madhya Pradesh. Congress is coming to Madhya Pradesh.”

Congress supporter Shantanu, who often shares fake posts, wrote, “Bollywood actor Kartik Aryan extends his support to Congress and Kamalnath Ji in Madhya Pradesh assembly election.” He used a now-deleted video published by an X user, SatyamInsights, who is a Congress supporter.

Source: X

Quoting Kartik’s clarification post, Satyam wrote, “Kartik Bhai bhi MP me Congress ko vote denge tabhi raat me clarification diya koi dekh na paaye (Kartik will vote for Congress in MP. That is why he posted clarification at night so that no one notices it”).

Source: X

Congress supporter Ravinder Kapoor wrote, “Finally Bollywood has woken up towards the Indian National Congress. Bollywood heartthrob Kartik Aryan has extended his support for Indian National Congress in #MadhyaPradeshElections2023. Yet another great campaign from INC MP.”

Source: X

Quoting Kapur, Congress supporter Nazia Majid wrote, “ABSOLUTELY 100 per cent. This move by Kartik Aryan will inspire the new generation of actors in Bollywood who are educated to support CONGRESS. Kartik Aryan is an engineer and one of the few educated guys around hence he understands what CONGRESS is all about and what is good for our nation.”

Source: X

Voting for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections is scheduled for 17th November. The results will be announced on 3rd December.

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