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Rapper Badshah quizzed by Maharashtra Police for promoting ‘Fairplay’ betting app, a subsidiary app of D-company linked Mahadev App 

OpIndia Staff
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Rapper Badshah quizzed by Maharashtra Police for promoting ‘Fairplay’ betting app, a subsidiary app of D-company linked Mahadev App 

On 30th October (Monday), the Cyber Cell of Maharashtra Police called rapper Badshah for interrogation in connection with the illegal screening of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament on an online betting app named ‘FairPlay’ he promoted. Subsequently, he appeared at the Maharashtra Cyber office in Mumbai. 

Notably, the Fairplay app which has come under the scanner is a subsidiary app of the Mahadev app, promoters of which have links with Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company and are being probed in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate.

Notably, Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia, professionally known as Badshah has been accused by Viacom 18 for violating its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). 

According to reports, the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to stream the IPL 2023 matches were owned by Viacom18. However, Fairplay was screening the cricket competition concurrently from March 2023 to May 2023.

The network had lodged a police complaint against the rapper and 40 other individuals, which included actor Sanjay Dutt. They have been accused of endorsing the use of a betting app called Fairplay which was illegally broadcasting the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

Viacom 18 highlighted that it had the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to stream the IPL matches. It pointed out that the matches were illegally streamed on Fairplay and some actors promoted the tournament on the Fairplay app. Viacom 18 also said that the digital piracy by the Fairplay app cost them a loss of Rs 100 crores.

Subsequently, a case of digital piracy was filed by the media network and it is expected that more actors could likely be summoned in the case. 

Fairplay app promoted by Badshah has connections with the Mahadev app which has links with Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company

It is important to note that the Fairplay app is a subsidiary app of the Mahadev Betting App, which is promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal who are currently being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. 

Mahadev Online betting application is said to be an umbrella syndicate that arranges online platforms for allegedly enabling illegal betting websites. The app came to the limelight when its co-founder organised a lavish Rs 200 crore wedding in the United Arab Emirates and paid for the whole event in cash.

Earlier OpIndia reported that on September 15, 2023, ED sources revealed that several Bollywood celebrities, including singers, dancers, and actors attended the wedding ceremony of the scam-accused owner of the Mahadev Betting app Saurabh Chandrakar. The wedding took place in UAE in February 2023.

The celebrities that reportedly attended the wedding of the scam-accused Saurabh Chandrakar included Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Asgar, Vishal Dadlani, Tiger Shroff, Elli AvrRam, Bharti Singh, Sunny Leone, Bhagyashree, Kriti Kharbanda, Neha Kakkar, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Krushna Abhishek. They were performing at the accused money launderer’s wedding. ED is also likely to summon them and inquire about the payments received for the performance.

Previously, several celebrities, such as Ranbir Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma, Shraddha Kapoor, and more, were called in for questioning regarding the case.

To read a detailed report about the evidence gathered by the ED and more about the case related to the Mahadev betting App, click here. 

Punjab govt to ban performing stunts on tractors after stuntman was mowed down at sports fair

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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Punjab govt to ban performing stunts on tractors after stuntman was mowed down at sports fair

The Punjab government is set to impose a ban on performing stunts on tractors. This comes two days after a 29-year-old man was killed on 28th October while trying to perform a stunt in Sarchur village in the Fatehpur Churiyan constituency.

“Dear Punjabi tractor is called the king of fields..don’t make it the angel of death..any kind of stunt or dangerous performance with tractor and related implements is being banned in Punjab..rest details soon..,” Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced on social media platform X.

A video that went viral on social media showed a man named Sukhmandeep Singh attempting to climb the wheel of a tractor that was running on the two rear wheels. While attempting to place his legs on the moving wheels, one of Singh’s legs got trapped in the mud during which he was overrun by the tractor.

The incident occurred during a local mela in Gurdaspur. The crowd ran to Singh’s rescue and he was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. The event organisers’ reportedly did not have permission to conduct the event.

The deceased stuntman had performed several stunts during the Farmer protests too. “A private fair was organised. A tractor stuntman injured himself while trying to control a tractor. He lost his life on his way to the hospital. The organisers of such fairs only take permission for loudspeakers during the festive season,” Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said.

He added, “I have directed all the Sub Divisional Magistrates of the districts to give permission to such fairs only after a thorough check. I have asked them to take an undertaking that the stuntmen are professionals and have taken proper measures.”

In August this year, a farmer lost his life and several policemen were injured during protests by farmers in the Longowal area of Sangrur after being overrun by a tractor.

In 2021, during the Farmer protests, two protesting women died on the spot and three others were seriously injured after a tractor participating in the tractor rally ran over a group of women in Amritsar.

The craze for tractor stunts runs wild in Punjab and is considered a symbol of wealth. Safe to say, it is now also symbolic of death on wheels.

‘The tunnels in Gaza are to protect Hamas fighters, not civilians’: Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk

OpIndia Staff
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‘The tunnels in Gaza are to protect Hamas fighters, not civilians’: Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk

The tunnels built inside Gaza are for the protection of Hamas operatives, and not civilians, said Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk when asked why Hamas wasn’t building bomb shelters within Gaza to save the residents from Israeli bombings. Marzouk further added that it was the responsibility of the UN and Israel to protect civilians living in Gaza.

“Since you have built 500 kilometres of tunnels inside Gaza, why didn’t you build bomb shelters for citizens to take shelter during bombardments?” the interviewer asked Marzouk.

To this, Marzouk responded: “We have built the tunnels because we have no other way of protecting ourselves from being targeted and killed. These tunnels are meant to protect us from aeroplanes. We are fighting from inside the tunnels.”

Elaborating how protecting civilians in Gaza is not Hamas’ responsibility, Marzouk continues, “Everybody knows that 75 per cent of the people in the Gaza Strip are refugees, and it is the responsibility of the United Nations to protect them. According to the Geneva Conventions, it is the responsibility of the occupation to provide them with all services as long as they are under occupation.”

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.

Did Pakistan Cricket Board release statement saying their Chairman stopped talking to Babar Azam after the captain tried to get in touch with his married daughter

OpIndia Staff
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Did Pakistan Cricket Board release statement saying their Chairman stopped talking to Babar Azam after the captain tried to get in touch with his married daughter

The dismal performance of the Pakistani cricket team in the ongoing Cricket World Cup has snowballed into an alleged discord between players and board members. However, the reports of the rift gained strength on Monday (30th October), when the purported private chat of Babar Azam was made public by a Pakistani news channel. His WhatsApp chats with PCB COO Salman Naseer were reportedly leaked online by the board president Zaka Ashraf on a live TV show.

Subsequently, netizens and Pakistani journalists began circulating a fake release from the PCB on social media which made bold claims against Babar Azam, Zaka Ashraf, and Salman Naseer.

The viral release attributed to PCB claimed that “all WhatsApp communications between Babar Azam and PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf or Mr. Salman has been suspended since the day Babar tried to contact their married daughters viz. Fiza Ashraf and Humaima Naseer.” 

(Fake press release attributed to PCB)

It added, “PCB doesn’t associate itself with the media channel ARY NEWS and its journalists” after the purported WhatsApp chats were leaked on air by sports presenter Waseem Badami from ARY News.

However, the PCB release circulating on social media is obviously a fake one as Captain Babar Azam and CEO Salman Naseer have clearly communicated during the ongoing World Cup, as evidenced by the chats leaked on the news channel.

Conspicuously, the rumours stem from the fact that according to Pakistani media reports, PCB chief Ashraf has been ignoring Babar’s phone calls. Ex-Pakistan captain Rashid Latif on national TV alleged that PCB head Zaka Ashraf had been avoiding Babar Azam’s calls or messages. 

When Latif’s remarks started making headlines, a local Pakistani TV channel contacted Zaka Ashraf to clarify his position on the matter. Sharing light on the matter, Zaka said, “He [Latif] says that I don’t pick up his [Babar’s] call. 

Putting all rumours to rest, the PCB official clarified that the 29-year-old Pakistani skipper did not reach out to him directly. The PCB chief added, “He’s never given me a call. The chief operating officer (COO) or the director of international cricket is expected to speak with the captain of the team.” 

Afterwards, PCB’s COO Salman Naseer shared the WhatsApp chat between the two (him and Babar) on live TV.

To substantiate his claim, Salman Naseer, on behalf of Zaka, during a live chat, allowed the interviewer to display their WhatsApp conversation.

In the leaked chat, Naseer asked Babar, “Babar, there have been reports on TV and social media claiming that you tried contacting the Chairman, and he hasn’t responded. Did you recently attempt to reach out to him?’ To this, Babar replied, ‘Hello Salman bhai, I haven’t tried calling sir.” 

Regarding the source and authenticity of these purported chats, sports presenter Waseem Badami asserted that it was wrong on their part to air private chats of two individuals but they got carried away when Zaka himself pursued them to air the chats. 

Cricket World Cup 2023: Pakistan Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq resigns amidst dismal performance of the team due to ‘conflict of interest’ in team selection

OpIndia Staff
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Cricket World Cup 2023: Pakistan Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq resigns amidst dismal performance of the team due to ‘conflict of interest’ in team selection

The ongoing cricket World Cup in India is just past the halfway stage but it has already registered its first casualty as Pakistan Chief Selector Inzaman-ul-Haq has resigned from his post. The former Captain sent his resignation letter to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Zaka Ashraf following Pakistan’s four-match losing streak in the World Cup.

While the official reason given for Inzamam’s resignation is the conflict of interest issue in team selection, one suspects Pakistan’s poor performance at the World Cup is a part of it. Pakistan have lost 4 games against India, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa in the World Cup, after victories in the first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. They are now on the brink of elimination.

Inzamam, whose nephew Imam-ul-Haq opens the batting for Pakistan, assumed the position of Chief Selector once again on 7th August. Earlier, he had served as Chief Selector of the Pakistan Cricket Team from 2016 to 2019 for over 3 years. While his earlier stint saw Pakistan win a coveted ICC trophy in the form of the 2017 Champions Trophy, now the team has plunged to very low depths during the ongoing World Cup.

After winning their first two games, Pakistan has succumbed to four consecutive losses, including a humiliating defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India. The pressure due to those losses was mounting on everyone from the coach and captain to the selectors and it looks like the selectors were the first to buckle.

While addressing the charges of conflict of interest in team selection, Inzamam-ul-Haq said, “I am a human and it hurts. I have a 20-year cricket career during which I represented Pakistan. I am not someone who people don’t know. When such allegations are levelled, it hurts.”

Meanwhile, PCB posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it had formed a five-member fact-finding committee to investigate allegations in respect of conflict of interest.

Inzamam-ul-Haq is one of the finest batsmen ever produced by Pakistan scoring 8,830 runs at an impressive average of 49.60 in Test matches and 11,739 runs in ODIs at an equally impressive average of 39.53. He is renowned as one of the best batsmen to ever play the game.

Dominic Martin, who claimed responsibility for Kerala blasts, worked as an electrician in Dubai for 15 years, had returned 2 months ago: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Dominic Martin, who claimed responsibility for Kerala blasts, worked as an electrician in Dubai for 15 years, had returned 2 months ago: Reports

Hours after multiple blasts rocked the Jehova’s Witness prayer meeting in Kochi, Kerala, a 48-year-old man named Dominic Martin claimed responsibility for the blasts on a live video on his Facebook account. The congregation was attended by nearly 2,000 people.

Martin, 48, was also a member of the Jehova’s Witnesses faith, who consider themselves of the Christian faith. The accused surrendered on Sunday evening (29th October). At least three people have died in the blasts including a minor girl while more than 50 have been injured.

Reports are now surfacing about Martin’s background even as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will be probing the case. An initial probe has revealed that Martin worked in Dubai as an electrician for about 15 years and returned to India only two months ago.

According to a report by Zee News, upon his return, Martin took the children’s tuition whereas India Today has claimed that he taught English to locals.

He has two children, one of whom is reportedly abroad. People who came in Martin’s contact are also being investigated. The accused is reportedly said to be an expert in electric circuit making.

Meanwhile, a report by NDTV quoting Martin’s neighbours claims that they described him as “nice”. The report claims that Dominic had been living in a rented accommodation for over five years.

The house in which Martin resides is owned by a Jaleel, who reportedly recalled instances of his “gentle gestures, such as voluntarily increasing the rent by Rs 1000 without any request being made for that”.

“He was such a person who hiked the rent by ₹ 1,000 himself and gave it to me without asking for it,” Jaleel said. Martin is a 10th class pass. His son is pursuing higher studies in the UK and his daughter is studying in Kochi.

The ward councillor of the area, Sakkeer revealed that Martin had left the house early on 29th October and indicated to his wife his plan to visit a friend.

“He had touched the feet of his wife and told her that he was going. Martin had told his wife the previous day that he would be leaving early on Sunday to meet a friend of his,” Sakkeer reportedly said.

Jaleel said that the police conducted a forensic examination at Martin’s residence but no incriminating evidence was found.

Punjab: Police accuses man with 80% disability in lower limbs of high-speed escape, asked to pay Rs 1.5 lakhs by Punjab & Haryana High Court to accused

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Police accuses man with 80% disability in lower limbs of high-speed escape, asked to pay Rs 1.5 lakhs by Punjab & Haryana High Court to accused

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has awarded legal costs to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakhs to a man suffering from 80% locomotion disability. The man was booked due to “mistaken identity” under the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, for allegedly fleeing with illicit liquor in his vehicle. 

Justice Arun Monga also mandated the police to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the case. The High Court has directed the State of Punjab to initially pay the litigation costs to the petitioner amounting to 1.5 lakhs. The court, however, noted that this would be later recovered from the erring police officials who would be found guilty after the conclusion of the inquiry by SSP, Pathankot.

Justice Arun Monga said, “It is considered desirable that the petitioner, who has suffered unnecessarily at the hands of erring police officials and was forced into litigation first before learned Sessions Court and then before this Court, be awarded at least the litigation costs. Same are assessed at Rs.50,000/- for litigation before learned Court below and Rs.1,00,000/- for this Court, thus a total Rs.1,50,000/-.”

The High Court added, “The same be paid from the State exchequer as of now, to be recovered subsequently from the erring police officials, subject to the outcome of the inquiry to be conducted by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Pathankot.” 

The High Court gave these directions while hearing the petitioner Kulwinder Singh’s plea. Apparently, in September 2023, he was named as one of the accused in the illicit liquor trade case under Sections 61, 78(2) of the Punjab Excise Act and Sections 420, 467, 468, and 471 read with 120B of the IPC.

The prosecution alleged that Singh fled away from the scene when the police tried to catch him during a surprise check of the vehicle he was driving. According to them, they found a large amount of liquor, which violated the Punjab Excise Act, of 1914.

However, the court found that the petitioner was incapable of driving any vehicle due to Post-Polio Residual Paralysis of lower limbs. It found that the petitioner is wheelchair-bound owing to his disability and he was unable to even stand on his own, let alone walk or run.

According to the FIR, the other accused who were apprehended in this case revealed the name of the fleeing person as Kulwinder Singh, the petitioner. 

The Court noted that SHO Ms. Manjeet Kaur along with ASI Sartaj Singh were present in the Court and offered their unconditional apology for the faux pas that occurred in the case due to the mistaken identity of the petitioner.

The state’s counsel submitted that the “false name of the petitioner” was given in the “disclosure statement of co-accused” Charanjit Singh, who was arrested on the spot. Apparently, this led to the petitioner being named as one of the prime accused in the FIR in this case. 

Regarding the apologies by SHO and ASI, Justice Monga remarked, “To say the least, their belated apology, at this stage seems to have been tendered to save themselves from the adverse consequences contemplated at the time of passing the order dated 05.10.2023, when the IO was very much present in this Court and said order was dictated in his presence.”

The anticipatory bail petition was filed before the Sessions Court at Pathankot in September. Back then, the contents of the plea were completely known to the police officials. Highlighting this, the court observed that it was rather “unfathomable” that even then no attempt was made to verify with regard to the identity of the petitioner and/or his being 80% incapacitated and wheelchair-bound.

The court noted, “On the contrary, a completely opposite stand was taken before the learned Sessions Court at the time of arguments.” 

The bench observed that on the same day, at 03:20 pm, during the pre-arrest bail hearing, ASI Sartaj Singh recorded a DDR. It stated that the petitioner was inadvertently named as the prime accused and, that he is actually innocent.

The court asked, “Why the said DDR was not handed over to Sessions Court when the matter was being heard in Court on the very same day and, if the same was not possible, why the Court was not verbally informed that the petitioner had already been found innocent so as to render the anticipatory bail petition infructuous on that ground alone, instead of being dismissed on merits.”

The court also directed that SSP shall conduct an administrative inquiry into the entire matter. The court directed that in case he finds the aforesaid statements of SHO/ASI made before this Court to be false, “then action be taken against the delinquent officials for deliberately making a false statement including the institution of appropriate proceedings.”

The Court instructed that an inquiry report should be submitted before the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) who passed the order dismissing the anticipatory bail petition of the petitioner. It added that after considering the report, ASJ shall, “if deemed appropriate, take further steps to register a complaint under Section 195 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 against the delinquent police officials who have led to the whole melee.” 

Virat Kohli fans call for a boycott of Dainik Jagran after its reporter said Rohit Sharma does not care for centuries like Kohli

OpIndia Staff
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Virat Kohli fans call for a boycott of Dainik Jagran after its reporter said Rohit Sharma does not care for centuries like Kohli

On Monday (30th October), the fans of Virat Kohli, an Indian international cricketer and the former captain of the Indian national cricket team, slammed the Dainik Jagran media for writing and printing articles comparing Kohli with Rohit Sharma on their differing approach to the game. Kohli fans called for a boycott of the Dainik Jagran media and burned their publication after it published an article on Kohli’s batting approach in the ongoing World Cup.

In an article written by journalist Abhishek Tripathi for Dainik Jagran, the author slammed Kohli while praising Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma. In the article titled, ‘Shatak Par Ravaiyaa alag alag (two different point of views on century)’ the journalist stated that Kohli concentrated more on completing centuries. Meanwhile, he praised Rohit Sharma and said he played for the Indian team and concentrated more on big shots.

Screenshot from Twitter (X)

India won 6 cricket matches back-to-back in the World Cup 2023 season heading towards the semi-finals. Every player’s performance under the leadership of Rohit Sharma has been nothing but spectacular. The Men in Blue have shown remarkable consistency by winning 6 one-day matches and securing their position in the semi-finals.

However, the comparisons between former captain Virat Kohli and current team captain in all formats, Rohit Sharma have upset the Kohli fans. The Kohli fans on Monday, 30th October burned the Dainik Jagran newspaper and shared the videos on social media platforms trending the hashtag that called out Dainik Jagran.

The journalist wrote an account of Virat Kohli and his attempts to complete centuries during the six matches. He indicated that Kohli focussed on the century and played to complete 100 runs. While praising Rohit Sharma, journalist Abhishek Tripathi also alleged that Kohli did not play for India but had a personal interest in achieving his individual goals.

The article published in Dainik Jagran irked the fans of Virat Kohli who also hurled abuses at the reporter from Kanpur and the media house. However, hours after Tripathi who is the sports editor at Dainik Jagran shared the article on X, he posted another sarcastic tweet targeting the fans of the cricketer. “Winter is coming, ‘fans’ are about to go off,” he tweeted.

Earlier today, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir also praised Rohit Sharma and indirectly targeted Virat Kohli over his centuries. “Rohit does not think of centuries. He plays selflessly. Thinking and strategies differ when one plays for India and when one plays for attaining centuries. Rohit plays for India. If he had thought about centuries, he would have made 40-45 centuries easily till date,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by Dainik Jagran.

Kohli is largely recognized as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history. The International Cricket Council honored him as the male cricketer of the decade in 2020. Kohli has also been instrumental in India’s success, captaining the team from 2014 to 2022 and lifting the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.

He is one of just four Indian cricketers who have played 500 matches for his country. Kohli is the fourth-highest run-scorer in international cricket and ranks second in terms of international hundreds scored.

Telangana: BRS MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy stabbed while campaigning in Dubbak constituency, accused arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: BRS MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy stabbed while campaigning in Dubbak constituency, accused arrested

Medak MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy was stabbed by a a youth at Doultabad in Siddipet district on 30th October. The MP, who was campaigning in Surampally village in Dubbak assembly constituency, was rushed to a private hospital.

The attacker was caught by BRS workers and the MP’s gunmen who reportedly beat him up before he was handed over to the police. The accused has been identified as one Raju who reportedly came close to Reddy and stabbed him with a knife.

A video going viral on social media shows the MP dressed in white surrounded by the party cadre. He is then shifted inside a vehicle as he covers the wound.

Siddipet Commissioner N Swetha has confirmed that MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy is safe. “P Kotha Prabhakar Reddy is safe. The incident took place in Surampally village of the Daulatabad mandal. He has been shifted to Gajwel. The alleged accused is in custody, we are investigating the matter,” the Commissioner said.

Reddy was shifted to Gajwel government hospital and is undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, an ID card was reportedly recovered from Raju, who is suspected to be working for a social media channel.

According to reports, the accused is being interrogated by the police to determine the motive of “attempt to murder” Prabhakar and if he has any political affiliations.

Election campaigning has gathered pace in Telangana which is scheduled to cast the ballot on 30th November and votes will be counted on 3rd December.

Pro-Palestine mobilisation in Maharashtra: 2 protests in Mumbra, 200 booked, minor children made to act like dead bodies in Aurangabad

Siddhi Somani
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Pro-Palestine mobilisation in Maharashtra: 2 protests in Mumbra, 200 booked, minor children made to act like dead bodies in Aurangabad

On Sunday (29th October), hundreds of Muslims gathered in the Mumbra and Thane region of Maharashtra’s Mumbai district to extend support to Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The protesters raised pro-Palestine slogans and also called to boycott the products being manufactured in Israel.

According to the initial information obtained by OpIndia, the protest was called by a forum named ‘The United Milli Forum’. The members of the forum are said to have organized the protest rally against Israel under the guise of offering prayers for the Palestinians. As per the report by India Today, the organizers had asked for permission to conduct the rally but the same was denied by the Thane Police Commissionerate.

The protesters are said to have offered prayers for families of those who have lost their lives in the counter-attack launched by Israel in Gaza. The protestors also raised slogans against Israel and called for a boycott of products emerging from Israel.

The videos of the protests are going viral over the internet in which the pro-Palestine supporters could be seen gathered on the ground in the Mumbra region of Maharashtra. They could also be seen raising placards against Israel and offering prayers for Palestinians.

This is not the first protest which has been organized in the state of Maharashtra in support of Palestine. Earlier, similar protests were organized in the Aurangabad district and also the Thane district of Maharashtra. So, notably, this is the second protest that has been organized by Muslims in Thane in support of Palestine.

Second protest in Mumbra, Thane; 200 were booked earlier in an illegal protest organized by SDPI

The first protest was organized by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in the Mumbra area where hundreds had gathered extending support in solidarity with Palestine. However, the protests were illegally organized so the police had booked around 200 persons in the case. Police said that the protesters defied prohibitory orders in the city while staging support to Palestine.

As per the official, an offense under section 188 (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Police Act had been registered against 200 persons. Later the Police happened to identify 16 persons but no arrests were made.

The protesters carried banners and raised slogans against Israel in the city. As per the official, they shouted slogans in support of Palestine and defied the prohibitory orders in force in the Commissionerate.

Minor children shown as dead bodies in pro-Palestine protests in Aurangabad

Similar protests were organized by the Students Islamic Organisation which is the student wing of Jamat-e-Islami Hind on 28th October in Aurangabad city of Maharashtra. The protests were organized at the Aam Khas ground where the Islamists raised the Palestine flags and also raised slogans against Israel.

The General Secretary of SIO, Salman Mobin Khan; National Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, KK Suhail, and Aetesam Hami, the Zonal President of SIO South Maharashtra addressed the gathering. The gatherers meanwhile called the Israelis ‘murderers’ and prayed for the safety of the people in Gaza.

The videos of these protests also went viral over the internet in which the children were used to display ‘dead bodies’. As per the videos, the children were made to act like dead bodies and were presented as kids of Gaza by the organizers. Some kids could be seen wrapped in white clothes while others were painted in red colour to depict blood stains.

NCPCR condemns the act of using children for protests

Team OpIndia talked to NCPCR’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo on the issue. The NCPCR said that children being misused by the organizers in such a horrific manner is not at all okay and that immediate action will be taken against the organizers.

“This is highly condemnable. Making children act in such a horrific manner for their agenda is dangerous. NCPCR has taken cognizance of the matter and will soon issue a notice in this case,” NCPCR’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told OpIndia.

Maharashtra Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis stopped one such illegal protest from happening in Mumbai

So far, three pro-Palestine protests have been organized in the state of Maharashtra and it is said that many more such protests are scheduled to happen here in the state. OpIndia talked exclusively to BJP’s Pratik Karpe from Maharashtra to learn that a similar pro-Palestine protest was scheduled to be organized by Islamists in the Marine Drive area of Maharahtra’s Mumbai. However, the protest was not given permission as directed by Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

“Who are these people who are issuing support to Palestine when our Prime Minister himself has stated that India stands with humanity and with Israel? These protests seem to be politically motivated and somebody is deliberately sponsoring these protests. Maybe for votes. We have seen people from other political parties supporting terrorists earlier. One NCP leader had supported terrorist Ishrat Jahan. Also, they openly supported Palestine even after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel.”

“Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis took cognizance of such protests and restricted one such event that was scheduled to happen in Mumbai. His office proactively looked into the matter and didn’t allow the protest to happen. The one that happened in Thane and Mumbra seems to be sponsored and politically motivated,” Karpe said.

It is important to note that NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on 19th October had called out BJP and PM Modi for extending support to Israel. In a tweet, he said that Israel had become a human rights violator and that it didn’t deserve to be supported. He also justified the Hamas attack on Israel by saying that “the number of casualties of Israel’s army is far less than what Palestine has suffered.”

The opposition parties in India also recently targeted the BJP-led government for not taking a clear stand on the Israel-Hamas war at the United Nations. This is after India abstained from voting for the Jordanian-drafted resolution that failed to condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas. It, however, voted in favor of a Canada-led amendment to the draft resolution on the Gaza crisis which has sought to insert a paragraph condemning the ‘terrorist attacks by Hamas.

While it is understandable for opposition parties to criticize the government and its officials, politicizing critical geopolitical matters for political gain is a sheer travesty. The fact is that India has been clear on its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. India has condemned the terror attack launched by the Palestine-backed Hamas against Israel and emphasized its commitment to diplomacy and dialogue over violence. India has made it sufficiently clear that it will never side with terrorism.

It is important to note that the Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on the Jewish state on 7th October killing around 1400 Israelis and injuring several others. The terrorists raped the Israeli women and also didn’t spare the elders and the children. The videos of these horrific incidents were also made viral. The attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorists marks the most brutal attack against Jews after the Holocaust.

After the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a counter-attack on Gaza. Over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, including women and children as well as journalists, medical workers, and first responders, with more than 15,000 injured. IDF has been asking Gazans to move away from Northern Gaza but Egypt has closed the Rafah crossing and has declared that it won’t allow any refugees from Gaza.

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