As the evidence debunking The Wire’s preposterous claims against Meta piled up, the leftist propaganda website on Tuesday decided to “suspend the stories” until it carried out a “thorough internal review of all material and documents and sources”, an implicit admission that they have erred in the reportage.
The Wire released a statement saying, “In light of the concerns and doubts raised about our coverage of Meta, we are setting up an internal review of all documents, information, source material and sources used for these stories.”
Statement from The Wire on the Meta Investigation.
In light of the concerns and doubts raised about our coverage of Meta, we are setting up an internal review of all documents, information, source material and sources used for these stories.https://t.co/kpXXDqERewpic.twitter.com/X1zvdRvsIO
The leftist propaganda website has pulled down all the reports related to the Meta controversy as domain experts and independent researchers have refuted its claims and amidst reports that the organisation may have relied on forged documents to level the allegations it had made against Meta.
Soon after The Wire announced that it has erred and will be temporarily suspending its Meta stories, it started pulling down reports from its website.
Source: The WireSource: The Wire
While The Wire said it would conduct an internal review—a ruse often used by organisations to deflect criticism, avert critical scrutiny, and project oneself as a victim, it nevertheless is also an implicit admission of guilt, which the removal of the stories about Meta reaffirms.
Independent researcher says he never verified for The Wire, a primary reporter in Malviya story deactivates his Twitter account
The suspension of stories by The Wire came on the heels of official denial by one of the independent researchers it had listed as an expert who verified its story on DMIK verification. As threads of The Wire’s sloppy hit-job against Meta unravelled, an independent researcher stated that he has not done DMIK verification for The Wire.
Taking to Twitter, Kanishk Karan, a policy manager overlooking public safety on platforms, said that contrary to the claims made by The Wire, he has not verified their report on FB ‘XCheck’ in India.
“BIG: It has come to my attention that I’ve been listed as one of the “independent security researchers” who supposedly “verified” the Wire’s report on FB ‘Xcheck’ in India. I would like to confirm that I did NOT DO the DKIM verification for them.”
Source: Twitter
Independent expert Ujjawal Kumar refutes The Wire’s claims, denies having verified the Meta story for them
Earlier today, it was reported that another independent expert, Ujjwal Kumar, who is currently employed at Microsoft Asia and based out of Singapore, had denied having verified DKIM for The Wire.
Facebook uses Microsoft email services and if Ujjwal Kumar had indeed verified the emails for The Wire, it likely breached the client-confidentiality clause by abusing his privilege.
However, soon after the story was published and The Wire’s Founding Editor Siddharth Varadarajan boasted how a Microsoft employee, Ujjwal Kumar, too, had ‘verified’ their proofs, they claimed that Kumar no longer wants his name being made publicly available. Now, like a new twist in the tale, tech expert Pranesh Prakash has said that he reached out to both the ‘independent experts’ The Wire claimed to have consulted and both of them have denied having verified DKIM for The Wire.
OpIndia had reached out to Microsoft Asia for their comment on the same but has not heard back from them yet. We have sent a follow-up email, but Microsoft is yet to respond to our query on whether one of their employees had indeed verified DKIM for The Wire.
Manisha Pande, the Executive Editor at Newslaundry, said on Twitter that they had received a response from Microsoft. In its response, Microsoft said it had informed an Indian publication of an erroneously attributed commentary to a colleague and asked them for correction.
The Wire scribe, who claimed Amit Malviya enjoyed special privileges from Meta, briefly deactivates his Twitter account
With The Wire temporarily suspending its Meta stories, it is worth noting that the chief reporter who made wild allegations of the omnipotence of Amit Malviya on Instagram had briefly deactivated his Twitter account. Devesh Kumar, a reporter with The Wire who went by @onosmosis on Twitter, had deactivated his account.
Source: Twitter
However, he was back on Twitter after a while.
Nevertheless, the latest denial from another independent researcher is a death knell on a story that The Wire aggressively pushed even when the evidence suggested the opposite. With the unravelling of The Wire’s spurious claims about Meta and with the disappearance act of its reporter Devesh Kumar from Twitter, questions are being raised about the credibility of the leftist rag’s Tek Fog fiction, given that the same Devesh Kumar had co-written those reports too.
OpIndia had earlier this year debunked The Wire’s story on the Tek Fog app, an application that the leftist propaganda website claimed had superpower capabilities.
Meta vs The Wire
On October 10, Leftist propaganda portal The Wire published a report with the title ‘If BJP’s Amit Malviya Reports Your Post, Instagram Will Take it Down – No Questions Asked’ authored by Jahnavi Sen, deputy editor, and executive news producer at the portal.
In the report, The Wire claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya has such power in Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, that if he reports any post on the platform, it gets removed by the system, no questions asked. It further claimed that even if the publisher of the post that was removed from Instagram appeals against the removal, it does not get accepted by the system as “Malviya has privileges of being on the XCheck list.”
XCheck is a “Meta Program” that allegedly provides special privileges to high-profile users like actors, politicians, and other influential personalities on the social media platforms under Meta. The said program was first ‘exposed’ by Wall Street Journal in September 2021.
But no sooner did The Wire levelled wild allegations against Meta than several domain experts and independent researchers poked gaping holes in the claims made by The Wire and highlighted how what the leftist publication alleged did not add up. The Meta also refuted the allegations made by The Wire, following which the leftist propaganda website doubled down on its efforts to defend the untenable. However, the official denial from the two independent experts has seemed to be the last straw on the camel’s back, establishing the credentials of The Wire as the propaganda peddling lie factory.
As if denying the reality of Lord Ram wasn’t enough, the grand old party of India has come up with fresh ways to ridicule Hinduism. As the Congress prince Rahul Gandhi embarked on his current political stunt called ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ supposedly covering thousands of kilometres, his adherents brazenly began comparing him to Lord Ram in their attempt to glorify their leader.
On Tuesday, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole in a statement compared Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi to the Hindu Lord Ram saying that it is a coincidence that the names of both begin with “R”.
It’s a coincidence that Rahul Gandhi, Lord Ram’s names begin with R: Congress’ Nana Patole
“Even Lord Sri Ram walked (PadaYatra) from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and even Shankaracharya walked the same way, and so is Rahul Gandhi doing in the form of padayatra,” Patole added.
Nana Patole’s remark came after Rajasthan Minister Parsadi Lal Meena’s said that Rahul Gandhi is walking more than Lord Ram walked from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka.
“Rahul Gandhi’s padayatra will be historic. Lord Ram too had gone from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka on foot. Rahul Gandhi is walking even more than that, from Kanniyakumari to Kashmir,” Meena had said.
#WATCH | Dausa: Rajasthan Minister Parsadi Lal Meena says, “Rahul Gandhi’s padayatra will be historic. Lord Ram too had gone from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka on foot. Rahul Gandhi is walking even more than that, from Kanniyakumari to Kashmir….” (17.10.2022) pic.twitter.com/LPswB0Wh8e
While Congress leaders Nana Patole and Parsadi Lal Meena did not hesitate to use Lord Ram’s name to exalt their leader, another Congress leader ridiculed Bhagwan Sri Ram, Sri Lakshman, and Sita Mata by distorting Ramayana.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K Sudhakaran stated in a recent video interview with The New Indian Express (TNIE) that while returning from Lanka on the Pushpaka Vimanam, after defeating Ravana, Lakshman briefly entertained the thought of pushing his brother, Lord Ram, into the sea and go away with his wife Sita.
K Sudhakaran made these bizarre comments while stating that there are significant distinctions between lawmakers from Kerala’s northern and southern regions.
K Sudhakaran, President of Kerala Congress, a state Rahul Gandhi is MP from, and spent maximum days for BJY, insults Bhagwaan Ram, Maa Sita and also people of Southern Kerala. What kind of Hindu hating bigots are in places of prominence in the Congress? Or is it a qualification? pic.twitter.com/C5waQs2wez
“Yes, there are historical differences. I will share a story. Ram returned from Lanka after killing Ravana, his brother Lakshman, and his wife Sita, in Pushpaka Vimanam. When the vimana entered the southern part of Kerala, Lakshman thought of pushing his brother to the sea and escaping with Sita. When he thought of the consequences, they had reached Thrissur, and he changed his mind and felt guilty. Sitting in a corner, Rama patted him on the shoulder and said, “Yes, I read your mind. It’s not your fault. The fault lies with the land we covered”, Sudhakaran said.
This outrageous attempt to openly insult our gods and misrepresent one of Hinduism’s cornerstones is not surprising, given how the Congress party and its leaders have repeatedly abused the sensibilities of millions of Hindus by denying the existence of Lord Ram.
Congress denied the existence of Lord Ram, opposed Ram Mandir
In 2020, ahead of Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan on August 5, Zee News conducted a discussion on Ayodhya and Ram Mandir. In a shocking display of ignorance, Congress leader Kumar Ketkar denied the historical existence of Shri Ram and cast aspersions about the Hindu God being a creation of literature.
In September 2007, the Central government run by Congress-led UPA 1 had said that there is no historical proof of Lord Ram’s existence.
An affidavit filed by the Congress-led government read, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but these cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters and occurrences of events depicted therein.” The affidavit was filed to register the UPA government’s opposition to the demand to scrap the Sethusamudram project as it would damage the Ram Setu.
Senior Congress leader of the time, Kapil Sibal fought the Ram Janmabhoomi case for the Sunni Waqf Board opposing the building of a magnificent Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. He also employed dilatory tactics and asked the apex court to delay the decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case till the 2019 elections. Another eminent Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had earlier claimed that no ‘good Hindu’ would want a Ram Mandir at Babri site. Tharoor urged that one should have the Ram Mandir in one’s heart.
A 25-year-old Hindu youth and Bajrang Dal member named Nitesh Chaudhary, a resident of the Shadipur area in Delhi, died on Saturday night after he was assaulted by Ufiza, Adnan, and Abbas on October 12. One more person named Alok was assaulted by the three accused on the same day. The police have made no arrests in the case and have denied communal angle in the case.
On Monday, team OpIndia travelled to the Patel Nagar area of Shadipur in Delhi to meet the family members of the deceased. All of the shops on the road were bustling with their business as usual, although they were aware of the incident. A man operating a paan store on the side of the road asked the team to walk because the lanes in the Patel Nagar locality are quite narrow and better traversed on foot. The team parked the car near the Patel Nagar Metro station and headed off on foot.
The narrow streets of Ranjit Nagar, Delhi
Police and paramilitary deployed at Nitesh’s house
The team, while on the way to Nitesh’s home spotted a flex board that read: “Kab-Kab bata Bharat (When was India divided)”. The board was placed in one of the corners of the lane. They continued via the same narrow pathways and travelled about 1 kilometre inside Patel Nagar Metro Station to Nitesh Choudhary’s residence. Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel were seen stationed about 50 meters before Nitesh’s house. However, there were no restrictions on anyone’s movement. Some Hindu organizations and media people had gathered outside the house. The team then reached Nitesh’s residence and met his uncle.
Paramilitary stationed at Nitesh’s house
The team was requested to wait for a while at the gate. Meanwhile, they had a glance around the locality to notice the normal atmosphere. People were seen peeping from other houses. Nitesh’s residence was like any other normal residence. Many electric cables were seen hanging tangled with each other in front of the house. Some women could be heard crying from inside the house.
Hindus here have given their houses on rent to the Muslims
Babita Choudhary, Nitesh Choudhary’s mother, spoke with OpIndia. She said that Nitesh, who was a member of Bajrang Dal, was supporting the family and looking after the family expenses after his father passed away. She told that her priority is not financial but judicial support and she wants to see the murderer of her son hanging on the gallows as soon as possible. She also advised her family to stick together and said that everyone should stick together in times of distress.
Hindu organizations and media persons gathered at Nitesh’s house
Nitesh’s mother described her locality as Jatt-dominated and stated that many Hindus had rented out their homes to Muslims. She stated that no Muslim had ever been hired by her family. According to Nitesh’s mother, several Muslims were staying in the locality of the Jatt people but no Jatts were allowed to stay in the Muslim-dominated areas. She said that all the members in her house are not only religious but are also associated with various Hindu organizations.
Police are also afraid of Muslims in the area: Bajrang Dal worker Nitesh’s mother
Nitesh’s mother told OpIndia that the Muslim territory begins from the place where her son was killed. She said that there is a mosque nearby and that Nitesh was murdered by a crowd of two dozen individuals who rushed from the mosque’s vicinity. Accusing the police of failing to take appropriate and adequate action, she stated that the police are also afraid of the Muslims in Patel Nagar. “This is the reason why the Police are denying communal angle and are labelling my son a criminal instead”, she said.
Nitesh’s mother, Babita Chaudhary
Nitesh’s mother further informed the team that the area where Nitesh was slain by the mob is populated entirely by Muslims. Sisters and daughters, she claims, are publicly abused by Muslims in that region, due to which girls shy away and fear going there. She went on to say that Hindus close their businesses on our side early in the evening, and Muslim-majority communities keep their stores open all night, especially for meat and fish. She also added that at night, several individuals ride their bikes around the same place and engage in terrible activities, and no one is there to stop them.
Delhi Police’s take on the murder of Bajrang Dal worker
As reported earlier, 25-year-old Nitesh, a resident of the Shadipur area in Delhi died after he was assaulted on 12th October 2022. Youths from the Muslim community have been accused of killing the young man, however, no arrests have been made so far. Nitesh and his friend Alok were beaten up by the assailants who have been identified as Ufiza, Adnan, and Abbas.
Shweta Chauhan, DCP of Central Delhi, stated that those who were murdered were ‘criminals’ themselves. While speaking to Aaj Tak Chauhan said that Nitesh and his companion Alok are themselves ‘aggressors,’ and had criminal charges previously filed against them. She further claimed that both of them attempted to beat up the accused but were beaten up even harder by the three.
The police have described the incident as a dispute between two groups of boys. According to Chauhan, two boys stopped the bike approaching from the front, dropped the people sitting on it, and began thrashing. According to the police report, the other gang led by the Islamists then beat them harder. The Police said that an FIR has been filed on October 13 under Section 308 IPC.
On Monday, October 17, Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the people of the country are dissatisfied with the collegium system for the appointment of judges and that it is the government’s responsibility to appoint justices in accordance with the spirit of the constitution.
#WATCH | “If there is no way to bind the judiciary, words like ‘judicial activism’ are brought to use. Several judges pass observations which never become a part of judgement… As a judge you do not know practical difficulties, financial limitations,” says Law Min Kiren Rijiju pic.twitter.com/L12gCoU1L7
The minister was addressing the ‘Sabarmati Samvad’, an event organised by Panchjanya, the weekly magazine published by the RSS, which was held in Ahmedabad. Rijiju stated during his speech that he has observed that half of the time judges are “preoccupied” with deciding appointments, which causes their principal responsibility of delivering justice to suffer.
Law minister Kiran Rijiju advocates for central government’s intervention
The minister’s statements come after he stated at a conference in Udaipur last month that the collegium method of selection to the higher judiciary needs to be reconsidered.
Kiren Rijiju added that its the law ministry’s job is to see that the person whose name has been recommended for appointment by the collegium is fit to be a Supreme Court or High Court judge.
“We have three pillars — the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The executive and the legislature are bound and regulated by the judiciary, but if the judiciary goes astray, there is no mechanism to control it,” he said.
Allahabad HC judge writes to PM Modi about India’s Collegium system
Notably, in the year 2019, the then Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench judge had also written to PM Modi alleging malpractices in India’s Collegium system. In his letter, Justice Rang Nath Pandey made some shocking allegations regarding the Collegium system for the appointment of judges. Referring to his personal experience of 34 years in the judiciary, Justice Pandey alleged that the only criteria for the appointment of judges in the Collegium system are casteism and nepotism.
Judicial appointment process in India
In India, a collegium consisting of the Chief Justice of India and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court screens, scrutinizes, and recommends the candidates for appointments to the Supreme Court. The government cannot suggest any names to the collegium. In the case of High Courts, screening of candidates for appointment to high courts is done by a collegium of chief justices of respective high courts and four senior-most judges on the HC bench.
In addition to this, the deliberations of this collegium are mostly opaque and not disclosed to the public. There is high scope for nepotism and elite self-recruitment to top courts in this collegium system. The reason cited for this system is to ensure the independence of judges.
Many actresses have accused Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Khan of sexual harassment in the wake of the MeToo movement. There is also much resistance to Sajid Khan’s participation in Bigg Boss 16. Meanwhile, an old interview of Sajid is making the rounds on the internet. He is seen in this video chatting to Kiran Juneja on her show ‘Koshish Se Kamyabi Tak.’
In the popular video, he discusses his character, his engagement with Gauahar Khan, and his numerous relationships. When presenter Kiran asked him about his split with Gauahar Khan, Sajid answered, “I had a pretty loose character at the time.”
“I was hanging out with many girls and lying a lot,” he stated, adding that despite being engaged to Gauahar, he used to say ‘I love you’ to numerous girls and go out with them, with every lady proposing marriage and many girls becoming serious. “I might have had 350 marriages”, Sajid claimed.
Arranged marriages, according to Sajid, work in India because it takes time for two individuals to create a friendship after marriage, which helps them preserve their bond. Relationships, he asserted, inevitably have ups and downs and It is up to each individual.
Gauahar Khan, the winner of ‘Bigg Boss 7,’ got engaged to Sajid Khan, brother of Farah Khan in 2003. However, owing to personal circumstances, the two subsequently parted ways. She then began dating Kushal Tandon. However, their romance did not endure long. Gauahar Khan then married choreographer Zaid Darbar in December 2020.
Sajid Khan, a Bollywood filmmaker who was sidelined in the profession after sexual harassment allegations were levelled against him, is making a comeback on the reality show Bigg Boss. Following the news of Sajid’s participation in Bigg Boss, there has been much outrage, especially on social media and everywhere else.
During the 2018 MeToo movement, which saw women speak out about sexual harassment, Rachel White, Saloni Chopra, Sherlyn Chopra, Aahana Kumra, and Mandana Karimi, among others, made allegations against Sajid Khan. Sherlyn Chopra had levelled serious allegations on filmmaker Sajid Khan, such as being forced to touch his private parts.
Kanishka Soni, Sherlyn Chopra, and Mandana Karimi have publicly criticised the producers for putting Sajid Khan as a contender on ‘Bigg Boss 16’. Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal also wrote to the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur requesting that Sajid Khan be removed from the reality show Bigg Boss.
In February 2020, Delhi was gripped with communal tension as Muslim mobs started running rampage, targeting Hindus, their houses and businesses. As is the nature of the Left and Islamist cabal, facts were discarded to peddle a narrative that the violence was perpetrated by the Hindu community specifically targeting the Muslim community. Today, Delhi High Court rejected the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid in connection with a case pertaining to the bigger conspiracy in the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots, involving offences under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
“We don’t find any merit in bail appeal, appeal is dismissed,” the bench led by Justice Siddharth Mirdul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar said.
The division bench comprising Justice Siddharth Mirdul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar had reserved their decision on Khalid’s bail application on September 9. Khalid had moved to the Delhi HC after he was denied bail by the trial court on March 24. He was arrested on September 13, 2020, and has been in the custody since then. Umar Khalid had challenged the lower court’s order rejecting his bail application on the grounds that there is no evidence linking him to the violence that erupted in Delhi during the riots.
The conclusions drawn by the High Court while dismissing the bail plea of Umar Khalid reinforces the fact that there was indeed a larger conspiracy at play, to be carried out while the then US President Donald Trump was in Delhi, targeting Hindus. This reinforcement in turn busts the narrative that the Left cabal was trying to peddle for the two years about the violence being targeted specifically at the Muslim community, branding the anti-Hindu violence as “anti-Muslim pogrom”.
The court, in its conclusion, said, “As per the charge sheet as discussed above & the materials collated during the investigation, if taken at face value, there appears to be a premeditated conspiracy for causing disruptive chakka-jam and pre-planned protests at different planned sites in Delhi, which was engineered to escalate to confrontational chakka-jam and incitement to violence and culminate in riots in the natural course on specific dates. The protest planned was “not a typical protest” normal in political culture or democracy but one far more destructive and injurious and geared towards extremely grave consequences. Thus, as per the pre-meditated plan, there was an intentional blocking of roads to cause inconvenience and disruption of the essential services to the life of the community residing in North-East Delhi, creating thereby panic and an alarming sense of insecurity. The attack on police personnel by women protesters in front only followed by other ordinary people and engulfing the area into a riot is the epitome of such a pre-mediated plan and as such the same would prima facie be covered by the definition of a ‘terrorist act'”.
One of the operative portions in this part of the conclusion drawn by the court is not only the fact that if the charges are taken on face value, there was a premeditated conspiracy for causing chakka-jam, which was a disrupting and destructive protest, unlike usual protests in the normal course of politics, but also the fact that the attack on police personnel by women protestors, followed by others, was proof of such a premeditated plan. The court says in this portion that such a premeditated act would be prima facie covered by the definition of “terrorist act”.
The court further says, “Further, as per precedents, terrorism is an act done with a view to disturb the even tempo of society, create a sense of fear in mind of a section of society. The argument of the appellant is objectively that although there was a sense of insecurity instilled in public by his speeches but he had nothing to do with it and referred to the charge sheet to argue that there is no statement of any witnesses, which could be termed as inculpatory against him. However, this court has to see whether the perpetrators individually or in connection with each other are responsible for it. As already mentioned above, different roles were ascribed to different people (accused) in carrying out the said conspiracy. Different protected witnesses have stated the role of the Appellant and other accused persons and about the open discussion on violence, riots, finance and weapons. Further, the weapons used, the manner of attack and the resultant deaths and destruction caused indicates that it was pre-planned. Acts which threaten the unity and integrity of India and cause friction in communal harmony and create terror in any section of the people, by disturbing the social fabric is also a priori a terrorist act”.
In this portion, the High Court observes that while the defence has claimed that there is no statement by any witness which could be termed as inculpatory against him, the fact is that in the conspiracy, different people were ascribed different roles to carry about and that several witnesses have named Umar Khalid and other accused persons indulging in open discussion about violence, riots, financing the violence and acquiring weapons. The court also says that the weapons used and the manner of attack indicates that the violence was pre-planned.
The court said in para 65, The name of the appellant finds recurring mention from the beginning of the conspiracy till the culmination of the ensuing riots. Admittedly, he was a member of the WhatsApp group of Muslim students of JNU. He participated in various meetings at Jantar Mantar, Jangpura Office, Shaheen Bagh, Seelampur, Jaffrabad and Indian Social Institute on various dates. He was a member of the DPSG group. He referred to the visit of the president of USA to India in his Amrawati Speech. The CDR analysis depicts that there had been a flurry of calls that happened post riots amongst the appellant and other co-accused. The cumulative statement of the protected witnesses indicates the presence and active involvement of the appellant in the protests, engineered against the CAA/NRC. Admittedly these protests metamorphosed into violent riots in February 2020, which began by firstly choking public roads, then violently and designedly attacking policemen and random members of the public, whereat firearms, acid bottles, stones etc. were used, resulting in the admitted and sad loss of 53 precious lives and the destruction of property worth several Crores. These protests & riots prima-facie seem to be orchestrated at the conspiratorial meetings held from December, 2019 till February, 2020.
There are several important points made in para 65 that must be broken down for an accurate analysis:
The court categorically states that his name finds recurring mention from the beginning of the conspiracy till the culmination of the violence in February.
He was a member of the WhatsApp groups where violence and the conspiracy itself were being discussed, including the DPSG group.
He had referred to the visit of the President of the USA in his Amravati speech – it is a part of the conspiracy charge sheet that violence was planned to coincide with this day.
When the violence started, CDR shows that there was a flurry of calls to and from Umar Khalid and other co-accused.
Witness statements indicate the active participation of Umar Khalid in the protests.
These protests culminated in violent riots in February 2020, which began with choking roads and then violently attacking police personnel and random members of the public.
Firearms, stones, acid bottles etc were used.
These protests & riots prima-facie seem to be orchestrated at the conspiratorial meetings held from December 2019 till February 2020.
While saying that the court is not commenting on the merits of the case, the court also said that for the purpose of this bail application, the charges against Umar Khalid appear prima facie true.
“Further, on the in-depth and considered perusal of the charge- sheet, the accompanying documents and in view of the discussions herein above, only for the limited purpose of the present bail; this court expresses the inescapable conclusion that allegations against the Appellant are “prima facie true” and hence, the embargo created by Section 43D(5) of UAPA applies squarely with regard to the consideration of the grant of bail to the Appellant. Thus, the Appellant‟s application seeking regular bail is rejected”.
The entire premise of the Left and Islamist cabal, which has been repeated ad nauseam since 2020 is that the riots erupted specifically against the Muslim community at the provocation of BJP leaders like Kapil Mishra and Anurag Thakur. This conclusion was drawn even though the first murder that occurred during the riots was that of constable Ratan Lal. In fact, violence had erupted against the Hindu community ever since December 2019, as detailed in our report.
It is pertinent to note that one the chargesheets specifically says that the violence was initiated by the anti-CAA protesters and the Muslim community specifically against those who were protesting in favour of CAA.
Excerpt from Delhi Riots chargesheet
The first evidence of Umar Khalid’s role in the Delhi Riots came when a speech made by him surfaced. The speech was allegedly made on the 20th of February in Amravati. In the speech, he was clearly heard saying that on the 24th of February, when President Donald Trump visits India, Muslims should ‘show’ the visiting US president that the people of India are fighting against the ruling party of India.
The entire speech was about 17 minutes long where Khalid invoked the false narratives of ‘targeted mob lynching’ against Muslims and then went on to say that when the Muslims did not revolt against the Ayodhya judgement by Supreme Court, the government took it for granted that they can bring any law against Muslims.
Inciting the crowd further, saying the CAA has been brought to harm Muslims, Khalid says that the people should show the government its ‘Aukaad’, and take to the streets to throw it out. He further says that if enough people take to the streets, first the CAA will go, then the NPR and then NRC, eventually the government will also go.
It was 4 days after this speech, on the 24th of February, as Umar Khalid had predicted, that riots broke out. Ankit Sharma was stabbed over 50 times by the mobs of Tahir Hussain. Dilbar Negi’s arms and legs were chopped off and he was burnt alive by Muslims. Amidst chants of Allahu Abkar and Nara e Taqbeer, Hindus were specifically targeted.
In the chargesheet filed in FIR 114, the role of Umar Khalid in the conspiracy hatched is mentioned clearly. It says that Tahir Hussain was connected to Khalid Saifi of United Against Hate Group and through Saifi, he was also in touch with Umar Khalid. Khalid Saifi, it says, had arranged a meeting between Umar Khalid and Tahir Hussain on the 8th of January at Shaheen Bagh. In that meeting, it was decided to take ‘big action’ so the government gets shaken up on the issue of CAA and NRC and also, ensure that the international community takes notice of that action.
In the chargesheet, it is also mentioned that Umar Khalid had told Tahir Hussain not to be concerned about the funding for the riots as the Popular Front of India (PFI) would provide the funding as well as logistic support. It was categorically mentioned that the riots were to take place when President Donald Trump would visit India.
From everything that is alleged in the chargesheet, it is clear that Umar Khalid was perhaps one of the masterminds who was also constantly in touch with Pinjra Tod activists who are also accused of grave sections. Khalid Saifi of UAH, who is also a close associate of Umar Khalid was coordinating with Tahir Hussain after their initial meeting in Shaheen Bagh on the 8th of January. Further, Tahir Hussain was coordinating with other rioters and instigators.
In the court observations today, it is evident that the prosecution has made a strong case where there is ample evidence that goes to show that there indeed was a conspiracy hatched to target Hindus of North East Delhi, coinciding with the day that Donald Trump would be visiting, so as to maximise the attention the violence would get. In such a scenario, the narrative built by the Left cabal, alleging that this was violence against the Muslim community summarily falls flat, or at the very least, appears to be crumbling as facts that were long known are now being ratified by the court of law.
Kerala Lokayukta, the state’s anti-corruption authority, has ordered an investigation against former health minister KK Shailaja and a few others in connection with alleged corruption in the acquisition of PPE kits and other medical equipment during the first wave of Covid-19 infections in India. The CPI(M) leader has been summoned by the agency on December 8.
Kerala Lokayukta has issued notice to the state’s former health minister KK Shailaja and a few others in connection with alleged corruption in the purchase of PPE kits and other medical equipment during the initial period of #COVID19.
The revelations came after Congress leader Veena S Nair filed a lawsuit alleging that kickbacks were received in the purchases made in the year 2020.
According to the lawsuit, PPE kits were purchased for Rs 1,550 each unit, which they claimed was substantially higher than the open market price at the time. The Congress has also accused corruption in the purchase of other medical equipment, such as gloves, thermometers, and oxygen metres, in addition to PPE kits.
KK Shailaja, the health minister at the time, justified the move by claiming that PPE kits were purchased at higher prices during the early days of the pandemic due to unavailability and that it was done with the agreement of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
It may be recalled that in April this year, in response to an RTI application, it was also learnt that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Finance Minister of the state TM Thomas Isaac were not only aware but had also sanctioned the purchase of PPE kits at an increased rate during the first phase of the Covid pandemic.
Corruption allegations against KK Shailaja
KK Shailaja who was the health minister when Kerala was among the worst-hit states by Covid-19, was facing corruption allegations by the opposition for inflated expenditure during the purchase of PPE kits. Shailaja Teacher, who got several awards from Indian media for delivering the highest Covid cases in India, was dropped as a minister in the new cabinet of the Left government in Kerala after their re-election in 2021.
In a clarification, KK Shailaja justified the purchase of PPE kits at higher prices stating that the order was to be procured swiftly considering its size.
“We purchased PPE kits wherever they were available at higher prices. After some time, when the production picked up, including in foreign countries, the supply improved and the prices decreased. Then we were able to buy PPE kits, which we had earlier bought at Rs 1500/unit, at Rs 500,” she added while clarifying her stance in December 2021.
The day was August 28, 2022. India had defeated its arch-rival, Pakistan, in the group stage match of the Asia Cup. The Dubai International stadium, which hosted the match, was filled with the loud cheer and applause of Indian fans.
But far off in Leicester in England’s East Midlands region, things were starting to take an ugly turn. A casual banter between Indian and Pakistani supporters turned serious when the latter snatched and disrespected the Indian National Flag on Belgrave Road in Leicester.
A man, dressed in black, was seen pushing and shoving Indian supporters who came in his way. The video of the incident went viral online with claims that racist slogans such as ‘death to Muslims’ and ‘death to Pakistan’ were raised in Hindi.
Without evidence, this was given Hindu-Muslim angle by some Muslim community leaders in Leicester. An email by Leicestershire Police to the Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths unfortunately repeated this falsehood, wrongly implicating India fans. This further escalated tensions. pic.twitter.com/ri6ONCb6OG
The foundation was being carefully laid for a story of false victimhood and the special reference to ‘racist chanting in Hindi’ suggested that the conflict was the handiwork of the Indian Hindu diaspora.
One of the first individuals to lend credence to this disinformation was Leicestershire Police Chief Inspector, Paul Allen. In a letter to the Leicester Council of Faiths on August 31, he reiterated the false claim that a small group of people called for the death of Muslims and Pakistan.
However, just a day later, he backtracked from his claims and asserted that there was no evidence for any such racist chanting. However, the damage had already been done.
Screengrab of the email transcript by Allen paul, image via Insight UK
Pakistan was able to settle scores with India during its second encounter with India in the Asia Cup on September 4. Off the field, its supporters attacked a Hindu home celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi.
“Eggs were thrown into the house, attempted knifing of a young Hindu male and his aunt was punched on the nose when she came to save him. The incident took place while guests were arriving for the Ganpati Darshan,” informed Insight UK.
The accused men also received overwhelming support from their co-religionists on social media. The Leicester Police again took cognisance of the matter. Both Hindu and Muslim leaders made a joint appeal on September 5 in the hopes of restoring peace in the city.
Screengrab of the tweets by the police
“Hindus listened to their leaders but 100s of Muslims, some from outside Leicester gathered & orchestrated approx 50 Hindu hate attacks. 1 Hindu youth was stabbed & another barely escaped. Hindu homes attacked, windows broken & Bhagwa flag debased,” informed the Twitter handle.
Hindus listened to their leaders but 100s of Muslims, some from outside Leicester gathered & orchestrated approx 50 Hindu hate attacks. 1 Hindu youth was stabbed & another barely escaped. Hindu homes attacked, windows broken & Bhagwa dhwaj debased. pic.twitter.com/VVrGmrO5m8
Homes, cars and properties belonging to the Hindu community, which were easily identifiable with sacred symbols, were damaged. And thus began the month-long orgy of violence by Islamists, fuelled by disinformation against the Hindu community.
Fake news peddled by Islamists led to real-life violence against Hindus
On September 11, Australian researcher Sarah L Gates pointed out how Islamists had resorted to making outlandish claims to deviate public discourse from the targeted attacks on Hindus.
One of the conspiracy theories peddled by the extremists was that a copy of the Quran was ‘ripped apart’ by Hindutva supporters.
This account says they saw vids of a Koran ripped up in Leicester by Hindutva pussies. There are countless threats to come there from outside and sort the Hindus out. This is not abating. pic.twitter.com/gBPVWhsnGQ
On September 13, a conspiracy theorist and Muslim fanatic by the name of Majid Freeman alleged that 3 men had tried to abduct a teenage Muslim girl. “CONFIRMED: An incident took place this morning not far from a college in Leicester,” he tweeted.
“A Muslim teenager was approached by 3 men but she ran away into the school. The college & police are aware of it and the family have been given an incident number by Leicester Police,” he claimed.
Screengrab of the tweet by Majid Freeman
The conspiracy theorist even claimed to have met the family of the girl, who was traumatised by the alleged kidnapping attempt. “The girl is very shaken but she is ok alhamdulillah. They’ve reported the incident to the police. Hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of this and the people behind it are caught,” he said.
Screengrab of the tweet by Majid Freeman
The fake news was then amplified by other Islamists, who alleged the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the alleged abduction attempt. The Hindu man, falsely accused of kidnapping the Muslim girl, was doxxed on Facebook and his residential address was leaked on social media.
On September 14, the Leicester police debunked the disinformation through a press release. It said, “Yesterday we issued an appeal following a report that a teenage girl had been approached by three men in the area of Richmond Way, Leicester, on Monday morning.”
“A full investigation has been carried out. Following extensive enquiries, we have established that the incident did not take place and no offence was committed,” the cops confirmed.
The deliberate attempt by Majid Freeman to stoke hysteria in the Muslim community and lay the foundation of violence against the Leicester Hindus did not stop the city Mayor to arrange a meeting with him.
In a bid to control the unrest in Leicester, Chief Superintendent Adam Slonecki granted dispersal and stop search powers to the police. “Incidents of violence will not be tolerated and the orders have been authorised to protect our communities and provide safety to those living in the area,” it said in a statement.
On September 16, the police informed that a total of 27 people were arrested in connection with the violence.
A total of 27 arrests have now been made as part of our policing operation in the East Leicester area.
Islamists also tried to use the trope of provocation to justify their attacks on the Hindu community. They claimed that Hindus raised anti-Islamic slogans whereas they only chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Vande Mataram.’ Majid Freeman was yet again at the helm of this fake news.
Second Claim: Racist Hindu mob raised anti-Islam slogans on streets was widely shared by Islamists & local media (without any evidence).
Fact: Mob was shouting slogans of ‘Vande Mataram’ & ‘Jai Shri Ram’ to protest the violence against them, indicating no communal angle.
Islamists began making calls for mobilisation, which eventually led to the targeted attack on a Hindu temple. In a viral video, an Islamist was seen desecrating a Hindu place of worship and uprooting a saffron flag.
The Leicester police took cognisance of the matter and tweeted, “We are aware of video circulating showing a man pulling down a flag outside a religious building on Melton Road. This appears to have taken place while officers were dealing with nearby public disorder. We do not tolerate violence or disorder and are investigating the incident.”
We are aware of video circulating showing a man pulling down a flag outside a religious building on Melton Road. This appears to have taken place while officers were dealing with nearby public disorder. We do not tolerate violence or disorder and are investigating the incident.
Islamists then came up with the claim that a mosque was attacked, a piece of fake news that was promptly debunked by the Leicester police.
In a statement, it said, “We’ve seen reports on social media that a mosque is being attacked. Officers on the ground have confirmed this is not true. Please only share information on social media you know to be true.”
We’ve seen reports on social media that a mosque is being attacked. Officers on the ground have confirmed this is not true. Please only share information on social media you know to be true.
A day later, Islamist ‘scholar’, Mohammed Hijab, was seen mocking Hinduism and inciting Muslims to attack the Hindus. In a video that has now surfaced on social media, he was seen interacting with mask-clad Muslim men and encouraging them to teach the local Hindu population ‘a lesson’.
“When I was on social media, I saw these people (Hindus) getting brave. How come today it is like pin-drop silence?” the British Egyptian ‘scholar’ was heard as saying. He claimed that no Hindus were in sight after realising that Muslim mobs were coming at them in hordes.
“Cause they (Hindus) fear us when they are near us”, responded an Islamist from the crowd. Pumped by the support of the like-minded people in the crowd, Hijab said, “Deep down, they know we got the truth. If you want respect, then, learn to respect.”
Muslim fundamentalist Mohammed Hijab who previously had led violence against Jews in London, is now in #Leicester with a mob of masked men and planning similar assault on local Hindu community. We demand arrest of Mohammed Hijab immediately.@leicspolicepic.twitter.com/Nl8kmupY5b
“If they (Hindus) believe in reincarnation, what a humiliation of them to be reincarnated into some pathetic, weak, cowardly people like that,” the Islamist went on an anti-Hindu tirade.
“Hindutva (Hindus), you are trying to act like gangsters…Don’t ever come out like that again (referring to the protests by Hindus in Leicester). Do you understand? Are they going to come out again?” he continued his threats.
Amidst the war cry of Allah hu Akbar, Mohammed Hijab cautioned that he and his supporters would be there if Hindus ‘dared’ to protest against the violence, committed by his co-religionists.
In an Instagram post, Hijab was seen leading a frenzied mob of Islamists, with their faces covered in masks. “Muslim patrol in Leicester,” he wrote in his post.
On September 18, a Twitter user named aart123 posted a 1-minute long video, alleging that a bus belonging to Angel Tours has been ferrying ‘masked Hindutva thugs’ to Leicester. It also claimed that the supposed mobilisation of Hindus was being done at the behest of a Hindu temple.
Soon after, Islamists dug out a year-old picture which showed a group of BJP supporters, standing in front of an Angel Tours’ bus’. “This is the coach in Leicester Angel Tours belonging to Ealing Temple London and the group openly supports BJP,” wrote one Ash.
This is the coach in Leicester Angel Tours belonging to Ealing Temple London and the group openly support BJP. pic.twitter.com/NZfl7a8NeQ
This was despite the fact that the owner of the tour company, Angel Tours, denied all the allegations, and said that his buses did not go to Leicester for the past 2 months.
He clarified that the buses of his company always stop in front of the temple as it is a major landmark and people are well-acquainted with the place. The owner, Yatin Bhimani, said that his buses are parked there only for convenience, and his coach company has no link with the temple.
Based on the fake news that RSS workers were bussed to Leicester with the help of a Hindu temple, Islamists called for a mass mobilisation outside the Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir in London from 12 pm onwards on September 25.
The said Hindu temple is located off Ealing Road in Wembley in northwest London. In a tweet, Australian research scholar Sarah L Gates pointed out how an Instagram account named ‘Apna Muslims’ had been instigating violence against the Hindu community.
In a story, the handle demonised the Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir as the ‘hornet’s nest of Nazi Hindutva’ and called for gathering outside its premises. In this way, ‘Apna Muslims’ laid a perfect ground for Islamists to justify any attacks on the temple.
So what are you going to do? Dress up like ISIS then scream at the Hindus to denounce RSS – a non terror entity?
The Instagram account (now deactivated) boasted of 1240+ followers and was dedicated to promoting Islamist causes in the United Kingdom. Following the threat, the Chairman of the temple was forced to issue a statement of peace while being gheraoed by two Muslim men, sporting skull caps and long beards.
“We are a peaceful community and have always been living in harmony with multi-faith surroundings. (We are doing so) for the past many decades without any problems and hope to do it forever”, the temple Chairman was heard as saying.
“Let us all hold unity and respect for each other,” the temple Chairman concluded. One Muslim man, standing by his side, appeared to nod in agreement.
“We strongly encourage everyone to do so. We believe that these protests (outside the temple premises) should not take place for the sake of peace and harmony of all the communities,” he emphasised.
The disinformation peddled by Islamists was legitimised by leftist news media outlets. Understanding the close nexus between the two is crucial to understanding the victimisation of the Hindu community. And Opindia has been the frontrunner in debunking disinformation about the Leicester violence.
BBC provided a platform to Islamists to amplify fake news
Majid Freeman, who has been at the helm of this disinformation campaign about Hindu mobs attacking Muslims, was interviewed by the BBC to set the narrative in favour of the perpetrators.
A @LeicsPolice statement has confirmed that Majid Freeman lied about Hindus acting against Muslims in Leicester. Why are the BBC interviewing someone who has already been proven a liar? Why no interview of the Hindu community who suffered the attacks from #Islamists for weeks? pic.twitter.com/tBHDu9FkEz
While BBC acknowledged the fact grudgingly, there were subtle hints that showed the intention of BBC, where they continued to whitewash the Jihadi elements who instigated violence against Hindus.
In a recent report titled “Did misinformation fan the flames in Leicester?”, BBC said, “Some people link the disorder and the reaction to it to the Hindutva ideology. They believe that Indian politics is being imported to the city, but thus far the BBC has found no direct link to such groups in the run-up to the disorder”.
After days of trying to push the narrative that Hindus were responsible for the violence while using Hindutva as a euphemism, this seemed to be the best acknowledgement that we could possibly get from BBC that it was indeed the Islamists who went on a rampage against Hindus.
The Guardian whitewashed Islamist violence in Leicester
Opindia exposed the tactics, adopted by The Guardian journalist Aina J Khan, to blame the violence against Hindus in Leicester on themselves.
In an intellectually dishonest piece, Khan had distinctly associated religious identity with groups of Hindu protestors, with phrases such as “unplanned protest of Hindu men,” and “Hindu men were filmed marching.”
However, she shrewdly chose not to point out the religious affiliation of the man who desecrated a Hindu temple and uprooted a saffron flag. In a bid to shield her co-religionist who desecrated the Hindu place of worship, Aina J khan used the bait of a ‘good Imam.’
The Guardian journalist thereby shifted the public discourse from the vicious attack on a temple by her co-religionist to the alleged benevolence of a ‘bystander’ Imam. When OpIndia pointed out the obvious discrepancy in her reportage, Aina J Khan cried foul and dubbed the criticism as ‘Islamophobia.’
Screengrab of the Guardian article
On October 17, the anti-semitic organisation ‘Stop Funding Hate (SFH)’ went on an unhinged tirade against Opindia for exposing ‘The Guardian’.
‘Stop Funding Hate’ desperately wanted to strip OpIndia of advertisement revenue for showcasing the true plight of Leicester Hindus to the world, who were left at the mercy of Islamists and their sympathisers in the media industry.
In a tweet, SFH wrote, “If you’re concerned about the toxic narratives being promoted on OpIndia, there’s a way to take action. Go to this webpage and take a screenshot showing the advertiser. Tweet the screenshot to the brand.”
Screengrab of the tweet by ‘Stop Funding Hate’
Reuters journalist blamed the violence on fake news from India
In a propaganda piece published in ‘Context’ (a media platform run by Thomas Reuters Foundation), Chandran alleged that disinformation, which supposedly originated in India, was the cause of Hindu-Muslim unrest in Leicester city in England’s East Midlands region.
“Rumour had it that a Muslim girl had been kidnapped and a Hindu temple had sent masked thugs into combat,” she wrote, without mentioning that both these rumours were conceived in Leicester and disseminated by the Islamists living there.
OpIndia pointed out how Rina Chandran resorted to false balance despite the fact that it was only the Hindu community which has been at the receiving end of violence. The ‘brown sepoy’ shrewdly pointed out the fake stories without specifying the group that spread it in the first place.
Screengrab of the article by Rina Chandran
For the fake abduction story of a Muslim girl, she conceded that it was debunked by the police without mentioning that Islamists deliberately spread it to create a foundation for violence against Hindus.
Chandran employed a similar strategy for the fake story about ‘truckloads of RSS workers’ being brought to Leicester by ‘Angel Tours.’ Citing BBC and Logically, She then relied on ‘experts’ such as Logically and BBC, who claimed that disinformation that supposedly led to the unrest in Leicester came from India.
The assertion was based on the fact that the majority of the tweets about Leicester violence originated from India. Given that the Hindu population in India is close to a billion and that the community was concerned about the atrocities committed by Islamists in far-off Leicester, it explains why most tweets demanding justice for Hindus were from India.
Chandran then downplayed the attack on the Hindu temple and went on to insinuate the hand of the BJP government in violence, committed miles away in Leicester.
The Wire gave a platform to Islamist who claimed Leicester violence was provoked by RSS
In such an attempt to whitewash the crime of Muslims, the leftist portal The Wire interviewed UK-based author and journalist Amrit Wilson, who claimed that the violence was provoked by RSS.
In the interview, Wilson claimed that coachloads of RSS supporters were brought to Leicester from other places in UK to provoke trouble and conflict. She claimed that this was done with the objective of ‘strengthening the narrative that Hindus are victims.’
Quoting Wilson, The Wire journalist Sumedha Pal tweeted, “Coach Loads of RSS supporters went to Leicester to provoke conflict which can then be used in India to further Islamophobia & strengthening the narrative of Hindu victimisation.”
She claimed that RSS is working towards creating the narrative of Hinduphobia, to label any criticism of PM Narendra Modi as anti-Hindu. The journalist also claimed that RSS has closed links with Zionist organisations, and is following the strategy of Zionists to label any criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
This was despite the fact that OpIndia had already debunked the conspiracy theory. In conclusion, religious affiliation and nationality (to some extent) were at play in the series of attacks against Hindus in Leicester.
This explains why the likes of ‘journalists’ Kallol Bhattacharjee and Deepal Trivedi are now trying to blame it on Gujaratis (ethnic angle) and discounting the Islamist angle.
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court rejected the bail plea of so-called activist and former JNU student Umar Khalid in connection with a case pertaining to the bigger conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots, involving offences under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
“We don’t find any merit in bail appeal, appeal is dismissed,” the bench led by Justice Siddharth Mirdul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar said.
The division bench comprising Justice Siddharth Mirdul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar had reserved their decision on Khalid’s bail application on September 9. Khalid had moved to the Delhi HC after he was denied bail by the trial court on March 24. He was arrested on September 13, 2020, and has been in the custody since then.
Umar Khalid had challenged the lower court’s order rejecting his bail application on the grounds that there is no evidence linking him to the violence that erupted in Delhi during the riots.
The High Court on September 9, reserved its judgment on Khalid’s appeal after the completion of the arguments put forth by both parties.
The FIR filed against Khalid includes serious allegations such as Sections 13, 16, 17, and 18 of the UAPA, Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, and Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act of 1984. He is also charged with a number of offences listed in the Indian Penal Code of 1860.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad appearing for Delhi Police said that Khalid is one of the brains behind the riots and that he acted as a silent whisperer. He also presented Khalid’s Amravati address, proving that it was a premeditated speech in which the focus was not only CAA NRC but other alleged problems directly relevant to the Islamist community such as Triple Talaq and the Babri Masjid, among others. He said that Khalid was involved in managing the protest to sow dissatisfaction among the minorities.
Umar Khalid was booked under UAPA
The Delhi Police apprehended Umar Khalid on September 13, 2020, and charged him on November 22, 2020, under several provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code. In July 2021, Khalid filed a bail application.
It may be noted that Khalid’s bail plea has been rejected thrice since his arrest in September 2020. Most recently, the Delhi Court had refused bail to so-called activist and former JNU student Umar Khalid on 24th March in connection with a case pertaining to the bigger conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots, involving offences under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). The order was issued today by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat.
In an incident hurting Hindu sentiments in Andhra Pradesh, a Nandi idol in a prominent Shiva temple in Kanaparthi Village of the Prakasam district was vandalised. The incident occurred on the intervening night of October 16, Sunday, and October 17, Monday. On Monday morning the matter was brought to the attention of the temple priests.
Authorities in the area said that the unidentified culprits broke into the temple’s premises and vandalised the Nandi idol in an effort to steal it. An investigation has been launched, and the idol has been sent to forensics for further assessment.
“The idol was damaged by unknown people and it is suspected that they were thieves who had entered the temple to steal some properties. We have inspected the CCTV footage and a special team led by the Circle inspector (CI) has been formed to probe the case,” a police official said.
SHOCKING: Nandi idol vandalised in ancient Shiva temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district; probe underway https://t.co/1Va5IeVNcS
Reportedly, no arrests have been made in the matter till now. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government over the delay in action against the culprits. “When Hindus were worshipping Lord Mahadeva, his beloved Nandi was found ruthlessly vandalised in Kanaparthi Village of Prakasam district. What are you doing Jagan Mohan Reddy? No action, no arrest, no investigation. Such kind of incidents have happened more than 200 times in this state and not a single culprit has been found,” stated BJP national secretary and Andhra Co-Incharge Sunil Deodhar.
In a highly disturbing incident, when whole world was worshipping #Mahadeva on Monday morning, his beloved #NandiVandalised ruthlessly in Kanaparthi village, Bapatla Dist, AP.
“You are totally Anti-Hindu Chief minister. Please don’t test the anger of the Hindus in the state. BJP workers on Monday conducted agitation and today’s state president has demanded a high-level inquiry. BJP will not allow this to happen we will go ahead with a strong agitation against all Anti-Hindu activities that are taking place in the state,” Deodhar further added.
Attacks on Hindu temples have increased in the recent past in India and across the globe. On September 27, OpIndia reported that two Muslim ladies were apprehended for vandalising the idol of the goddess Durga at a Navratri pandal in Hyderabad. The women stormed a pandal in the city’s Khairatabad neighbourhood and shattered a part of the Durga idol.
OpIndia also recently reported how ahead of Durga Puja, unknown vandals smashed Durga idols at the Kashipur Sarbajanin Durga Temple in Mehendiganj Upazila in Barisal, Bangladesh.
In another incident on September 8, one Taufeeq Ahmed was arrested for allegedly damaging an idol of a deity at a Hindu temple in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. With a “tilak” on his forehead, Ahmed allegedly entered the temple gates and started smashing the idol of the deity while yelling “Jai Shri Ram.”
