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Medical journal Lancet uses dubious Covid data and presses freedom rankings to target Narendra Modi government: Busting their propaganda

Anurag
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Medical journal Lancet uses dubious Covid data and presses freedom rankings to target Narendra Modi government: Busting their propaganda

On May 5 (local time), the medical journal The Lancet published its May 6-12, 2023 issue in which it published an editorial based on dubious Covid data and press freedom ranking to target the Narendra Modi government. In the editorial “India’s ascendancy: leadership demands integrity”, the medical journal became a political lobbyist platform to defame India.

Initially, the editorial talked about India’s G20 presidency that it took over from Indonesia. It highlighted the importance of the G20 Summit scheduled to take place in India in September 2023. It talked about how India wants to amplify the voice of the Global South and use G20 goals to reflect its ambition. The Lancet claimed that the Modi government’s nationalist agenda, resistance to multilateralism and raft of pressing domestic concerns had become a hurdle in achieving its ambitions.

The Lancet then talked about different steps taken by the government to show it has the potential to become a global leader. The editorial spoke about leadership in access to medicines, a proposal to waive intellectual property during the Covid-19 pandemic, generic medicine manufacturing, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, Co-Win opensource platform, debt relief for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and more.

However, the editorial’s author claimed that the “direction” the Modi government is taking in the country, including climate policies, raises concerns. It argued that softening language of India on coal at COP26 raised scepticism as India is the world’s third-largest CO2 emitter.

The last two paragraphs of the editorial turned political and used dubious data to target the Modi government over Covid-19 death reporting and press freedom. First, it claimed that the health data provided by the Indian government was “wholly untrustworthy”. While the government figures for deaths due to Covid-19 in India stood at over 5,30,000, WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 were near 4.7 million. In a way, Lancet claimed India is off by over 4.2 million deaths due to Covid.

It claimed that the Indian government attempted to delay the publication of WHO’s excess death figures and censored criticism during the pandemic.

India debunked claims made by WHO about excess data in April 2022

The Government of India has already debunked the claims made by the WHO over excess deaths during Covid-19 in India. On April 16, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said in a press release that India had regular and in-depth technical exchanges with WHO over the issue of the Covid death toll. The Ministry raised concerns over the methodology used by the study to calculate the estimated number of deaths that might have occurred worldwide. The Ministry said that the analysis used the figures collected from the Tier-1 set of countries and used a mathematical modelling process for Tier-II countries, including India. It added that India does not just question the result of the analysis but the methodology itself.

The Ministry further pointed out that on several occasions, India shared its concerns with other member states via formal communications and issued six letters to WHO, once in November 2021, twice in December 2021, and again in January, February and March 2022. Four virtual meetings were also held over the issue. “During these exchanges, specific queries have been raised by India along with other member states, e.g. China, Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, Ethiopia and Egypt, regarding the methodology and use of unofficial sets of data,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry said that the ‘one size fits all’ approach might work in smaller countries, but it may not apply to India, which has a population of over 1.3 billion. “The model gives two highly different sets of excess mortality estimates when using the data from Tier I countries and when using unverified data from 18 Indian states. Such wide variation in estimates raises concerns about the validity and accuracy of such a modelling exercise,” the press release read.

It added that the modelling for Tier II countries is based on the Global Health Estimate 2019, which itself is just an estimate. The Ministry raised the question of how previous sets of estimates could be based on the present modelling exercise while disregarding the data available in the country. It also noted that while GHE 2019 was used for India, for Tier 1 countries, their own historical datasets were used. The historical data of India was ignored despite the fact that the country has a robust system of data collection and management.

The Ministry pointed out that India had no age-sex death distribution, but WHO determined standard patterns for age and sex for all countries with reported data from 61 countries. It generalized the available data to other countries, including India. “Based on this approach, India’s age-sex distribution of predicted deaths was extrapolated based on the age-sex distribution of deaths reported by four countries (Costa Rica, Israel, Paraguay and Tunisia),” the Ministry added.

In India, the test positivity rate was never uniform at any given time. However, it was not considered for modelling purposes. “Further, India has undertaken COVID-19 testing at a much faster rate than what WHO had advised. India has maintained molecular testing as the preferred testing method and used Rapid Antigen for screening purposes only. Whether these factors have been used in the model for India is still unanswered,” the Ministry said.

While WHO had agreed with India’s point of view about the subjective approach, such as school closing, workplace closing, cancelling of public events etc., it was impossible to quantify various measures of containment in such a manner for a country like India. However, it was still used for this study.

The RSF used dubious and misleading reports to rank India below authoritarian governments

The Lancet also used the recently published press freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders, categorically based on old misleading reports and dubious data. In the recent ranking, India has been put at 161st rank, 11 ranks down from the previous ranking, which was 150. Interestingly, Reporters Without Borders has put India below authoritarian governments like Pakistan on the list. The Lancet’s editorial read, “Civil society is increasingly constrained, and violent Hindu nationalism is suppressing non-Hindu voices. Without a space for debate, activism and accountability are impossible, and India’s place as the world’s largest democracy is threatened.”

It further claimed that the “Modi government has failed to show a commitment to transparency, integrity, and equity. As a result, India risks squandering its formidable opportunities.”

RSF claims that The Lancet used are based on dubious data and misleading old reports. RSF claimed the central government is spending more than 130 billion rupees (Rs 13,000 crores) or 5 billion euros a year on print and online media ads alone. OpIndia had filed an RTI seeking information on the ad spent by the central government on different platforms, including print, outdoor advertisements, social media, radio and television. As per the reply sent by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India, the actual figures are nowhere close to what RSF has claimed.

Contrary to what RSF claimed, the reply to OpIndia’s RTI categorically showed that the Modi government had reduced its ad spending considerably over the years. In FY 2014-15, it spent Rs 682.32 crores. In the next four years, the ad spend stood above Rs 900 crores. However, After the Modi government came back to power in 2019, the money spent on ads was reduced to less than half and stood at Rs 348.07 crores in FY 2019-20, followed by 209.34 crore in 2020-21, 136.05 crores in 2021-22 and 126.58 crores in FY 2022-23 till December 31, 2022.

RSF claimed GoI spent Rs 13,000 crores only in print and online media ads. In reality, the ad spent on all formats (television, print, radio, outdoor, digital cinema, SMS, internet and misc) since the Modi government came to power stood under Rs 1,000 crores. It has been using the numbers for over a year but did not care to check the data provided by the government. Nor did the Lancet try to verify it.

Instead of relying on authentic data and reports, The Lancet cunningly used studies that go against India to target the fastest-growing economy in its editorial.

The Lancet’s history of targeting India

This is not the first time the medical journal The Lancet has targeted India using dubious data. In May 2021, an article targeting Prime Minister Modi over the Coronavirus crisis in India. In strong words, it placed the entire burden for the crisis at the feet of the Prime Minister while giving every other political party a free pass. The article itself was riddled with a series of inaccuracies in terms of data that can be interpreted by laymen as well. The Lancet argued for a national lockdown, ignoring the fact that the vast majority of India is already under partial or full lockdown.

There were fundamental issues with the sources cited by The Lancet in the article as well. It said at one point, “The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that India will see a staggering 1 million deaths from COVID-19 by Aug 1.” There are multiple things that are wrong with the IHME projections. For instance, according to the projections, 195,135 people had already succumbed to Covid-19 in India by the 1st of September 2020. At that point in time, the reported deaths were just over 66 thousand. The death toll in India even after the deadly second wave stands at 5,31,707.

Canada expels Chinese diplomat following allegations of foreign influence and threats to opposition lawmaker

OpIndia Staff
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Canada expels Chinese diplomat following allegations of foreign influence and threats to opposition lawmaker

The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expelled a Chinese diplomat who was involved in a scheme to threaten an opposition politician, MP Michael D. Chong and his family.

Zhao Wei, a diplomat working in Toronto, has been designated by Canada as “persona non grata,” according to a statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. In her letter, she stated that “We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home”.

Calls for Zhao’s expulsion began to circulate last week after a report in the Globe and Mail revealed that CSIS had intelligence indicating that the Chinese government was considering ways to threaten Conservative legislator Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong in 2021. That report has been verified by the federal authorities. Chong has criticized Beijing for the way it treats Uyghur Muslims in the province of Xinjiang in China.

“This should have happened years ago,” Chong said on Monday. “I hope that this makes it clear not just to the People’s Republic of China, but other authoritarian states who have representation here in Canada, that this crossing the line of diplomacy into foreign interference threat activities is utterly unacceptable here on Canadian soil,” he added.

According to the reports, after both Joly and Trudeau issued warnings about potential blowback, the federal government took its time deciding whether to move forward. While in London on Sunday for King Charles’ coronation, Trudeau said, “This is a serious and significant question. This is not a choice to be made lightly, and the foreign minister is approaching it with extreme caution.”

Joly stated last week that Beijing would jeopardise Canadians’ security and the nation’s prosperity as a reprisal for any deportation, but Joly now claims that the risk is worthwhile.

“This decision has been taken after careful consideration of all factors at play. We remain firm in our resolve that defending our democracy is of the utmost importance,” she wrote.

Reports mention that Chong began receiving threats following his successful sponsorship of a resolution in Parliament that referred to Beijing’s persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China as genocide.  

China’s embassy in Ottawa released a statement on Monday in which it charged Canada with breaking international law and acting in an anti-Chinese manner. According to an official translation in English given by the embassy, it claimed that the action had “sabotaged” ties between China and Canada and pledged to take unnamed punitive actions in response.

Prior to now, China has maintained that it does not meddle in the domestic affairs of other nations, but it has also stated that it will react to provocation. The Chong disclosure is the most recent in a series of alleged foreign influence attempts undertaken by the Chinese government in Canada in recent years, including attempts to intervene in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. 

Zhao’s expulsion comes two weeks before the G7 summit in Hiroshima, when Trudeau and the other leaders are expected to produce a statement on China.

Diplomatic relations between China and Canada have been going through a rough patch since 2018. In a major blow to bilateral ties, Canada shelved its ambitious ‘free-trade agreement’ with China in September 2020. Recently, the growing tension between the two countries became apparent during an ‘unpleasant’ encounter between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the recently concluded G-20 summit in 2022.

“If you are sincere, we should communicate with each other in a respectful manner. Otherwise, it will be hard to say what the result will be,” Xi reprimanded Trudeau for allegedly leaking information to the media about their meeting that took place on November 15 this year. Trudeau then defended saying, “In Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have…”

Further, on November 7, 2022, Canadian media outlet Global News published an article alleging that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had briefed Justin Trudeau about covert funding to 11 federal candidates in the 2019 elections. “The Chinese Communist Party…is using all elements of state power to carry out activities that are a direct threat to our national security and sovereignty,” CSIS told Global News.

The news outlet further informed that the candidates who received funding from CCP belonged to both the ruling Liberal Party and the Opposition Conservative Party. It is also believed that the interference of the Chinese deep State in the federal elections of 2021 led to the defeat of the Conservative camp.

Notably, Chinese police stations were also reported to be operating in three locations across Canada. These included a private residence in Markham, a convenience store in Scarborough, and the address of the Canada Toronto Fuqing Business Association.

China’s official response was that the stations were set up to help Chinese expats renew their IDs or driving licenses. The stations are reportedly covert hubs for China’s “involuntary return” program, which forces Chinese expats to return home for punishment if they are found to have violated Chinese law while abroad.

Shabana Azmi tries to be too clever by half on The Kerala Story, gets called out by all and sundry: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Shabana Azmi tries to be too clever by half on The Kerala Story, gets called out by all and sundry: Here is what happened

The Kerala Story, a movie based on how Hindu and Christian women from Kerala are groomed, converted to Islam and trafficked to ISIS, has kicked up a storm in India. While it is being hailed as a brave movie which exposes the truth about the nefarious and dangerous designs of ISIS, “liberals” and Islamists are not very happy. They seem to believe that a movie based on the jihad waged by ISIS against non-Muslim women targets the larger Muslim community, while simultaneously claiming that not all Muslims support ISIS.

Mamata Banerjee, for example, a “liberal” hero after her thumping victory in West Bengal Assembly Elections, the post-poll violence and rampant violence against Hindus, banned the movie in West Bengal. “West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying. Essentially, she claimed that a movie based on ISIS and its Jihad would offend average, moderate Muslims and lead to “unrest”, therefore, it was imperative to ban the movie.

After widespread calls for banning the movie by self-proclaimed liberals and Islamists, Shabana Azmi, the Bollywood entertainer, took to Twitter to act clever by half. She tweeted, “Those who speak of banning #The Kerala Story are as wrong as those who wanted to ban Aamir Khan’s #Laal Singh Chaadha. Once a film has been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification nobody has the right to become an extra-constitutional authority”.

Essentially, Shabana Azmi said that those who were asking for a ban on The Kerala Story were wrong. She then proceeded to equate the calls for a ban to “those who wanted Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaadha banned”.

Interestingly, this strange, factually inaccurate and monkey-balancing tweet by Shabana Azmi went terribly wrong as she ended up getting pilloried from all sides of the ideological spectrum.

There were several Hindu netizens who called out Shabana Azmi for lying, quite blatantly. They pointed out that nobody had ever called for a “ban” on Laal Singh Chadha. Many had essentially given a call to boycott the movie because of the seemingly anti-Hindu mindset of the Bollywood industry and its A-listers. A boycott does not mean the same thing as a ban, since in a ban, the movie is not allowed to be screened, however, a call for a boycott is a legitimate means of protest where people voluntarily don’t go to watch the movie which is already being screened.

Several Hindus pointed out this fallacy in Shabana Azmi’s tweet.

Shabana Azmi also attempted to offer a mother claimed that The Kerala Story was a “propaganda” movie and therefore, justified the ban on it. It is important to remember that AltNews has been the propaganda wing of Islamists for a long time and deploys specific tactics to give clean chit to violence by them.

Aditya Menon, a veteran propagandist who has also whitewashed Islamists on numerous occasions claimed that The Kerala Story spread hate against a “specific community”. Given that the movie talks about ISIS and its terrorists, one wonders which community Menon was trying to talk about.

There were numerous such tweets that claimed The Kerala Story, which depicts the nefarious designs of ISIS, propagated against a “specific community” – Muslims, insinuating unintentionally that all Muslims would be hurt if the reality of ISIS was shown in a movie.

There were also allegations of the movie promoted hate speech. Of course, these allegations were made without any evidence and one is again forced to wonder why average Muslim citizens who claim to not support extremism would turn into bleeding hearts for ISIS and any “hate speech” against a terror organisation.

Irena Akbar, who had thanked COVID for saving Muslims from “detention camps”, essentially hinting at Hindus being killed by it, also jumped into the fray and called Shabana Azmi “dumb and dishonest”.

Interestingly, the movie The Kerala Story talks exclusively about ISIS and its sympathisers. It does not talk of average Muslims and does not attribute extremism to the larger Muslim community.

The ISIS involvement in Kerala was initially traced in 2013. As early as 2014, ISIS established roots in Kerala, with modules encouraging religious conversions and aiming to attract professionals to join its troops in Afghanistan and Syria. Plenty of Kerala men and women are said to have joined the ISKP (Islamic State of Khorasan Province) in recent years. The United Nations warned in its 2020 terrorism report that there are a substantial number of ISIS terrorists in the Indian state of Kerala. 

The banned terrorist organization Popular Front of India (PFI) is by large responsible for making Kerala a hotbed of ISIS recruitments. The radicalization of Muslim youths and the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam was spearheaded by the PFI terrorists. This was also cited in a report filed by the National Investigation Agency in front of a court in Kochi in September 2022.

Accordingly, there have been many conversions in Kerala right from 2008-2009. The converted girls and their Muslim husbands were sent to ISIS. It was only in 2016 that the horrific stories of the girls came to the fore when they were first arrested and then investigated in Afghanistan. One of the most discussed cases of love jihad was that of the four girls who were in the 21-member group that joined ISIS in 2016 along with their husbands.

The four girls were identified as Sonia Sebastian alias Ayisha, Merrin Jacob alias Mariyam, Nimisha alias Fathima Isa and Raffaela. Nimisha was the only Hindu girl among these four girls. The other three were Christian. These four girls were trapped and lured to become Muslims. They left India in 2016 to join the ISKP (Islamic State of Khorasan Province) – the Khorasan edition of ISIS – in Afghanistan along with a group of 21 men and women from Kerala. They were first taken to Iran and then they crossed over to Afghanistan on foot from Iran.

Sonia Sebastian alias Ayisha is from Kasargod in Kerala. She left India on May 31, 2016, with her husband, Abdul Rashid Abdulla, from Mumbai airport. The couple held secret classes supporting IS and jihad during the last part of Ramzan in Padanna and Kasaragod. Sebastian is an engineering graduate.

Merrin Jacob alias Mariyam, was married to Bestin Vincent, a resident of Palakkad. The couple escaped to Afghanistan in 2016 to live in the IS-controlled territory. The Christian couple converted to Islam, and Vincent assumed the identity of Yahya. Vincent was later killed in Afghanistan.

Similarly, Vincent’s brother Bexon and his wife, Nimisha alias Fatima, also converted to Islam and escaped to Afghanistan with them. Raffaela was married to a 37-year-old physician Ijas Kallukettiya Purayil a physician from Kasargod.

There are several such cases that lend credence and credibility to the story being told in The Kerala Story, however, while Islamists abuse and threaten on the internet justifying the calls for ban and peddling lies about the movie demonising the entire Muslim community, there are several Islamists who are also threatening those who support the movie in real life.

Sadhu Magar, an autorickshaw driver from Pune had promised free auto rides to those who were going to watch The Kerala Story. He started getting calls from unknown international numbers and was eventually threatened with a fate like that of Kanhaiya Lal.

OpIndia spoke to Sadhu Magar to know more about this. He said, “Many people liked my decision to provide free services to people for going to watch the film that shows the reality of love jihad. Many people called me to praise me and congratulate me. As the phone number was displayed on my autorickshaw and the viral image, many people took cognizance of that and the news spread.”

He further said, “However, as I went on to receive calls from unknown numbers and unidentified callers who praised me, I also received some calls from unknown Islamists who seemed outraged at my decision. They abused me. Two days ago, there was an hour when my phone was continuously ringing and every call I received started with filthy abuse. One of them even said ‘You know what happened in Udaipur with that tailor? You will meet the fate of Kanhaiya Lal’. Then I took it very seriously and went to the Alandi police station and lodged a complaint. I submitted at least 15 different phone numbers to them. Some of the phone numbers are from different states in India. Other phone numbers are from other countries like Saudi Arabia. I have also received abusive WhatsApp messages from international phone numbers. The threateners did not tell their names but I could see Muslim names as True Caller application is active. Two such threat calls were received when I was in the police station. The police officer Godse received these calls and listened to the kind of threatening stuff I was receiving from the other end. He then took a detailed written complaint from me.”

A Bajrang Dal worker was also assaulted for posting about The Kerala Story on WhatsApp and received beheading threats for it.

For Shabana Azmi to compare these dangerous trends and justifications to a mere call for the boycott of Laal Singh Chadha was disingenuous by Shabana Azmi, however, for her to not address the problem of Islamism and the reason why there are calls to ban The Kerala Story was also dishonest. The fact that Islamists went hammer and tongs against Azmi, one of their allies, shows that the Islamists demand absolute submission to their Islamist agenda and any deviation from the agenda will lead to the person being humiliated, abused and threatened, even if they are sympathetic to their cause largely.

Do not step out of your house alone: Crew member of ‘The Kerala Story’ receives threat

OpIndia Staff
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Do not step out of your house alone: Crew member of ‘The Kerala Story’ receives threat

The Director of the movie ‘The Kerala Story’, Sudipto Sen, has informed the police that one of the crew members has received threats from an unidentified person following the film’s release.

As per reports, the said crew member was told to not step out of the house alone. The sender also said that the crew did not ‘do a good thing’ by showcasing the story.

While the identity of the sender is yet to be ascertained, Sen has notified the Mumbai police about the incident. Following the development, the cops have now provided security to the said crew member.

Reportedly, no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered so far as the police did not receive any written complaint.

The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with the Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.

Screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ banned in West Bengal

On Monday (May 8), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee banned the movie in West Bengal, citing the need to maintain ‘peace’ in the State.

“West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

While reacting to the development, producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah said, “If the screenings of our film are stopped in West Bengal, we take legal recourse and take appropriate legal action.”

After Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh declares ‘The Kerala Story’ tax-free

ANI
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After Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh declares ‘The Kerala Story’ tax-free

The Uttar Pradesh government will make the recently released film ‘The Kerala Story’ tax-free in the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Tuesday.

“‘The Kerala Story’ to be made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh,” CM Yogi said in a tweet. The Chief Minister along with his cabinet colleagues is expected to watch the film at a special screening.

Madhya Pradesh had made the movie tax-free in the state on May 6.

Stating that the ‘The Kerala Story’ “exposes the conspiracy of love Jihad, religious conversion and terrorism,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that the newly released movie has been made tax-free in the state.

“The Kerala Story exposes the conspiracy of love Jihad, religious conversion and terrorism and brings out its hideous face. The film tells how the daughters get entangled in the trap of love jihad in momentary sentimentality and how they are ruined. The film also exposes the design of terrorism. This film makes us aware,” the Chief Minister said in a video posted on his official Twitter handle.

The movie is not being screened in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The West Bengal government in a notification on Monday said that the movie ‘The Kerala Story’ is “likely to cause a breach of peace” and that it has prohibited the screening of the film to avoid “any incident of hatred or violence to maintain law and order in the state”.

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

Punjab: Two blasts in 3 days in Amritsar, explosives suspected to be kept in energy drink cans

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Two blasts in 3 days in Amritsar, explosives suspected to be kept in energy drink cans

On Monday, second low-intensity mysterious blast was reported to have taken place on Heritage Street, located near the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Police confirmed that the blast took place on Monday, at 6 in the morning, injuring one person.

“The two blasts were caused by low-grade explosives without detonators. One person was injured in the blast and a car windshield was shattered due to the impact,” DGP Gaurav Yadav said as he visited the blast site.

The DGP, based on the initial examination of the crime scene and forensic analysis by professionals, stated that both explosives were rudimentary and seemed to have been locally constructed. “We did not find evidence of any detonator. It seems the explosive material was crudely put in a container to cause the explosions. It is too early to say if it is mischief or if there is a terror angle. We will not rule out any angle. We will investigate all angles,” the DGP said.

Two 250 ml cans of the health drink “Hell” were packed with explosives, according to police sources, and were used to execute the two explosions on Amritsar’s Heritage Street. The cans burst as they were dropped or flung from a height.

The explosives can appear to have been put atop a structure in the first incident, with a string tied to it that had been tossed over the wall. Unknowingly pulling the thread, a person whose identity the police have not revealed, caused the can to fall down and set off the explosion.

In contrast, it appears that the second incident’s explosion happened when the can was hurled from a height.

Although no significant injuries to people or property were recorded, the twin bombings occurred just days after the arrest of pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh and his followers and also just before the Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection.

The first blast took place on Saturday at Heritage Street in Amritsar City of Punjab. As reported earlier, several people were injured after the explosion which occurred in a nearby gas pipeline. A nearby restaurant was damaged in the blast. Reportedly, a man sleeping on a bench near the restaurant was also injured after the glass panes broke into pieces following the explosion. Further, a group of 6 female tourists, who were present in the vicinity of the restaurant, also sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, the Police have also filed two separate FIRs in connection with the blasts and have requested the public not to get swayed by rumours. The NIA teams also are said to have reached the spot and are investigating the case.

Cash-strapped Pakistan surrenders ‘unutilised’ Hajj quota to Saudi Arabia to save $24 million

OpIndia Staff
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Cash-strapped Pakistan surrenders ‘unutilised’ Hajj quota to Saudi Arabia to save $24 million

Amidst its ongoing economic crisis, Pakistan has now surrendered the ‘unutilised’ Hajj quota allotted to it by the Saudi Arabia government.

As per reports, the number of applications received from Hajj pilgrims in Pakistan was way below the available seats. Therefore, it has returned 8000 unutilised government scheme seats.

The development was confirmed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. The country was able to save $24 million (~676 crore PKR), which otherwise the government would have needed to pay to Saudi Arabia.

It has been a long-standing demand of the Pakistan government to increase the Hajj quota. Reportedly, Pakistan was provided with its full share of the quota for this time after several years.

However, it failed to receive enough applicants from Hajj pilgrims. This has been the first time that Pakistan had to surrender its Hajj quota, which shows the drastic impact of inflation in the country.

Interestingly, the Pakistani government initially thought of allocating the Hajj quota to private operators but later turned down the proposal for fear of them buying US dollars from the open market. It also revoked the balloting process for the Hajj pilgrims after anticipating a shortage of applications.

Deteriorating economic condition of Pakistan

Pakistan is experiencing its worst economic crisis amidst food shortages, flash floods, and poverty. As the government of Pakistan failed to end the economic crisis in Pakistan, over 7 million workers in its textile industry have been laid off.

Other than this, Pakistan, which was declared South Asia’s weakest economy by a report is also hit by a severe food crisis. The situation in several cities of Pakistan is so grave that flour is being rationed and guarded by armed guards. Prices of flour and wheat have witnessed a dramatic surge. 

Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan are among the worst sufferers as tens of thousands spend hours daily to get the subsidized bags of flour that are already short in supply in the market.

Incidents of clashes and stampedes have been reported in markets in many areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan.

Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar said that the government was praying, that Allah would bring prosperity back to Pakistan.

The Kerala Story producer reacts to the ban on the film in West Bengal, says he will take legal action if the state bans the film

OpIndia Staff
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The Kerala Story producer reacts to the ban on the film in West Bengal, says he will take legal action if the state bans the film

On Monday, May 8, The Kerala Story producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah reacted to the announcement made by the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, where she said the state banned the film to “maintain peace”. Reacting to the statement, Shah said he would take appropriate legal action if West Bengal or any other state bans the film.

Furthermore, he added that he has told his friends to stay away from the controversy and not to post anything about the film on social media. He mentioned the incident where actor Vidyut Jammwal shared its trailer and got trolled over social media. Speaking to the Times of India, he said, “How can I predict what the political parties are thinking today? That needs to be clarified by them only. If a government decides to ban a film, they need to clarify why they’re banning a film after the Supreme Court has cleared the film.”

“I tell my friends or supporters from the industry not to get involved in these controversies. Because some people have a problem with Bollywood these days, and if someone supports the film, they get trolled. Despite me telling him not to, Vidyut Jammwal shared the film’s trailer. He got a lot of trolling as well as love. There’s one troll army which is trying to damage this film. But the audience is giving them their answer with each passing day. If the screenings of our film are stopped in West Bengal, we take legal recourse and take appropriate legal action,” he added.

Mamata Banerjee banned the film in West Bengal

On May 8, WB CM Banerjee banned the film in the state to maintain “peace”. Though the film’s name is ‘The Kerala Story’, she said ‘The Kerala Files’ for unknown reasons. “West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence and to maintain peace in the state,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

The recently released film has become a hot topic of discussion because of its sensitive topic, including terrorism, love jihad, and ISIS. While the film has received appreciation from all walks of society, a specific section opposed the film claiming that it shows the state of Kerala in a bad light. However, while hearing the plea against the film, the Kerala High Court categorically said if anyone would feel offended by the film it should be the terrorist organisation ISIS.

The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.

‘Out of 40,000 missing women, 95 per cent have been traced and reunited with their families’: Gujarat Police debunks media reports on missing women

OpIndia Staff
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‘Out of 40,000 missing women, 95 per cent have been traced and reunited with their families’: Gujarat Police debunks media reports on missing women

Gujarat Police on Monday, May 8, debunked malicious reports and social media posts that said over 40,000 women have been missing in the state of Gujarat during the period 2016-20. The law enforcement agency said that out of the 41,621 women who had gone missing, 39,497 or approximately 95 per cent of the women were traced by the Gujarat Police and reunited with their families.

In a series of tweets, Gujarat Police said that women that had gone missing in the period of 5 years, between 2016-2020, were tracked and reunited with their families. The police also added that the data is part of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi, which was cited by many media organisations and social media users to claim that 40,000 women had been missing in Gujarat.

“The investigation has revealed that women go missing due to family disputes, elopement, failure in examinations etc. However, the investigation into missing person cases has not revealed episodes of trafficking for sexual exploitation, organ trafficking etc.,” a tweet by Gujarat Police read, apparently in reference to social media users who targeted Gujarat and drew an equivalence with assertions made in The Kerala Story movie that over 32,000 women had gone missing in the state and had possibly become victim to Islamic radicalisation to join the ISIS.

The Gujarat Police further tweeted that local police carry out an investigation into the missing persons case as per the norms of the Supreme Court of India and the data is fed into a dedicated website for tracking by other state police units as part of the coordination at the national level.

Media organisations and propagandists spread misleading claims about missing women in Gujarat

Several media organisations, including New Indian Express, News24, Siasat, as well as the usual suspects had claimed that over 40,000 women in Gujarat had gone missing, without providing the information that 95 per cent or over 39,400 of them had been traced down and reunited with their families, even though the source they quoted had these details.

Several Islamists shared the report to malign Gujarat and attack the BJP government in the state.

The attack against Gujarat came in the wake of the release of the much-anticipated movie ‘The Kerala Story’, which revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, vulnerable women who are lured into a love jihad trap, brainwashed and then recruited by ISIS as sex slaves, mercenaries, and other purposes. The movie stars actor Adah Sharma playing the lead role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends before being converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse, where she gets a reality check of the ‘Islamic utopia’ that was fed to her during her radicalisation.

The Kerala Story mints Rs 35 crores at the box office in first 3 days of its release, makers move court after Tamil Nadu theatres stop film’s screening

OpIndia Staff
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The Kerala Story mints Rs 35 crores at the box office in first 3 days of its release, makers move court after Tamil Nadu theatres stop film’s screening

Despite facing stiff resistance from political parties, The Kerala Story featuring Adah Sharma and written and directed by Sudipto Sen has made remarkable profits at the box office in the three days of its release with the total earning crossing Rs 35 crore so far.

Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s movie which hit the theatres on May 5, was made at a budget of Rs 30 crore. The movie has not only recovered the total production cost but also made profits in the only first three days of its release.

According to noted film critic Taran Adarsh, the film grossed 8.03 crores on its first day on Friday (5 May 2023) and made over 11 crores on the second day, Saturday (6 May 2023). The Box Office figures of The Kerala Story on the third day were over Rs 16 crore in India. The total box office collection of The Kerala Story stands at Rs 37.03 crore in India.

The film will be declared a hit, as it was made at a budget of Rs 30 crore and has recovered the cost in these three days itself.

In fact, the movie has become the fifth-highest opening for a Hindi film in 2023 after it brought in between Rs 7.50-8 crore on the first day of its release.

Makers of The Kerala Story decide to move court after TN multiplexes stop screening

Meanwhile, the film’s makers Vipul Shah and Sudipto Sen have decided to take the Tamil Nadu multiplexes to court after the latter chose to stop screening the film. According to reports, the decision has shocked and amused the movie makers.

According to ETimes, the filmmakers expressed their anger saying that is not only illegal but also violates the very basic democratic right to free expression. The filmmakers believe it’s also perplexing because the hurried desire to sweep a video that they find unsettling, under the carpet demonstrates how insecure certain sections are getting about the film.

Director Sudipto Sen confirmed the news of taking legal action against the illegal ban of the film in Tamil Nadu to ETimes by stating, “Yes, we are going to court. We will also be conducting a press conference later today.”

Notably, the multiplex theatres in TN had decided to drop the movie citing the law and order situation arising due to the protests against the film as well as a poor response to the film in the state.

This came after Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman and his supporters staged protests against the screening of the film in the Anna Nagar Arch near Skywalk Mall in Chennai on Saturday. Police apprehended NTK cadres following a protest inside a theatre opposing the screening of The Kerala Story.

Seeman claimed that The Kerala Story was made to denigrate Muslims and portray Muslims as terrorists. 

The Kerala Story screenings were cancelled in various Kerala districts on the day of its premiere. Two previously scheduled shows in Kochi were cancelled. The movie was also boycotted by theatre owners at Kochi’s Lulu Mall and Centre Square Mall. Similarly, theatres in the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Kannur, and Wayanad opted not to screen the film.

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