Home Blog Page 2944

ISIS says its first Indian suicide bomber was a Christian who converted to Islam from Kerala, was called ‘Abu Bark Al-Hindi’: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
-
0
ISIS says its first Indian suicide bomber was a Christian who converted to Islam from Kerala, was called ‘Abu Bark Al-Hindi’: Here is what we know so far

As per the Islamic terrorist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the first Indian suicide bomber for them was a Keralite who converted from Christianity to Islam. The Islamic State revealed this in their propaganda magazine Voice of Khorasan. Following the claimed admission by the terrorist organisation, Indian central intelligence agencies have launched an investigation into the matter.

The suicide bomber is mentioned in the magazine’s (Voice of Koharasan) newest issue’s chapter “Memories of Shuhada,” which is a section dedicated to the memories of those who died fighting for ISIS. The identity of the Kerala terrorist was not mentioned in the story. According to the report, the suicide bomber was given the name “Abu Bakr Al-Hindi” and became interested in Islam in the UAE.

According to the magazine, after his conversion, Abu Bakr became interested in Jihadi philosophy and contacted ISIS sleeper cells in Dubai. He had planned to fly to Yemen for more instruction but was unable to do so, so he returned to his native state of Kerala. After spending some time in Kerala, he received word from his ISIS handlers that there was a chance in Libya, so he went there under the pretext of trying to find a new job. According to the report, he waged Jihad against the Libyan Army in Sirsit, ISIS’s stronghold, before turning into a suicide bomber and blowing himself up.

OpIndia recently reported on the Kerala engineer operating under the alias Abu Bakr. Abu’s repeated attempts to migrate to an IS-controlled area in Yemen failed due to logistical issues. Still, the opportunity to join the Libyan module ultimately came up with the support of his Gulf connections.

Abu received military training in Sirte after arriving in Libya. The current issue of the magazine mentions, “Brother Abu Bakr joined operation istishhadi (suicide attack). When the apostates reached gate 40, he was selected and carried out istishhadi operation on the murtaddin and attained martyrdom.”

Another Kerala engineer ‘Najeeb’ died in a suicide attack in Afghanistan

In March of this year, OpIndia reported that ISKP showcased another engineering student from Kerala in their publication Voice of Khorasan. In a report about his death, the Indian fighter was identified only by his assumed name, Najeeb Al Hindi, and he was described as a 23-year-old “engineering (M.Tech) student from Kerala.” The article had no more information on Najeeb, nor did it state when he died or the circumstances surrounding his death.

According to the ISKP publication, Najeeb only wanted to fight for the Islamic State and did not want to marry, but under the influence of friends, he married another jihadi girl from a Pakistani family. The ISKP propaganda journal linked Najeeb to Prophet Mohammad’s companion Hanzala Ibn Abi Mair, who was murdered in a fight on his wedding night.

ISIS stronghold in Kerala

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 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, stating that the ISIL Indian affiliate (Hind Wilayah), which was declared on May 10, 2019, has around 200 members.

Furthermore, a National Investigation Agency’s chargesheet filed in July 2020 in connection with the murder of Special Sub Inspector Wilson revealed a strong association between ISIS terrorists active and growing in the state.

The NIA is currently investigating cases related to IS operating recruitment centres in Kerala. Several non-Muslim women have also been radicalised and converted in the last few years and have been sent to Afghanistan and Syria to fight for the Islamic State.

‘Don’t worry, take rest’: Watch how AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi spoke to released Islamist, arrested for chanting ‘sar tan se juda’ against Raja Singh

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Don’t worry, take rest’: Watch how AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi spoke to released Islamist, arrested for chanting ‘sar tan se juda’ against Raja Singh

On Thursday, the Hyderabad Police released around 90 Islamists who had raised murderous ‘sar tan se juda’ beheading chants over T Raja Singh’s alleged ‘blasphemous’ comments. This is hours after the Police arrested Singh from his residence in Hyderabad.

According to the reports, the Islamists had protested overnight for two nights calling for the beheading of suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh who had also passed comments on Munawar Faruqui’s ‘comedy show’ where he had once mocked Hindu gods and goddesses. The Islamists were detained by the Police on August 23 and were released by the Hyderabad Police on directions of AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi.

Men, women and even children were involved in stone pelting as well as chanting the murderous chants calling for T Raja Singh’s beheading. As reported earlier, the AIMIM leader is said to have met the DCP South Zone and got these ‘protesters’ released.

On August 25, after the Islamists were released, the AIMIM leader called the protesters and extended support to them, the video of which went viral over social media. In the video, one of the protesters can be seen talking to Asaduddin Owaisi. Expressing concern, Owaisi on phone said, “Whatever happened was really bad. Mustafa Ali Muzaffar told me that the police had detained you all. Now there’s no need to worry. It’s 1:30 am. You all go home and take a rest. Your parents might be worrying”.

Meanwhile, the Islamist protestor who was talking to the AIMIM leader thanked him for his interference in the matter and said that Muzzafar corporator played a major role in their release. Corporator Mustafa Ali Muzaffar is an AIMIM leader from the Shalibanda area who was also part of the protests where the Islamists raised the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against T Raja Singh. Muzzafar had shared the video of the protest on his Facebook page with a hashtag that read, “Arrest Raja Singh”.

Earlier, it was reported that the Islamist protest was led by Syed Abdahu Kashaf who calls himself a political strategist and Social and Civil Rights Activist. He seems to be associated with the AIMIM party and its supremo Asaduddin Owaisi as he has worked as Social media Head of the party from 2012 to 2019.

On Thursday, the Telangana Police detained Raja Singh again for his alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Mohammad. The former BJP leader was arrested from his residence in Hyderabad. Earlier, he was arrested and released on bail in the Prophet remarks case.

Informing that Singh has been labelled as a rowdy sheeter at Mangalhat Police Station, the police said that Raja Singh committed ‘blasphemy’ by making objectionable comments on Prophet Mohammad in a video posted on his YouTube channel. According to the reports, as many as 101 criminal cases are registered against Singh, and he is involved in 18 communal offences registered in different police stations in the city.

Tense situation continue to prevail in the city of Hyderabad as the Police has imposed section 144 in the area.

Mark Zuckerberg admits on Joe Rogan’s show that Facebook suppressed Hunter Biden emails story just before US elections because FBI had told them to

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mark Zuckerberg admits on Joe Rogan’s show that Facebook suppressed Hunter Biden emails story just before US elections because FBI had told them to

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, who owns the social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, made an appearance on the popular Joe Rogan podcast ‘Joe Rogan Experience.

During the interview, Joe Rogan asked “How do you handle a big news item that is controversial? Like there was a lot of attention on Twitter when the Hunter Biden story came out during the elections.”

To this, Zuckerberg replied, “We took a path different path than Twitter. During elections, the FBI basically came to us. As a team, they said we need to be on high alert because of a lot of Russian propaganda during the 2016 elections. (They told the Facebook team) that there is going to be a similar kind of dump (of political controversy), so just be vigilant. Our approach is different from Twitter. Twitter tells directly that you just can’t share that particular thing. Facebook works with third-party fact-checkers. There was a 5-7 day period when that particular story was being flagged as potential misinformation. So its distribution on Facebook was limited. We were not ‘black and white’ like Twitter. But we limited the reach of the story so that a fewer number of people were able to see it or share it. ”

Zuckerberg further stated that if the FBI tells them to be careful about something they take it seriously. And that (hunter Biden laptop) story was flagged by them, so Facebook did what was necessary. He even lamented that despite limiting the reach of the story, Facebook was still criticised by many for not limiting it enough.

When Joe Rogan asked if the FBI specifically asked them to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story, Zuckerberg admitted that they did not mention it specifically, but Facebook did it anyway.

Zuckerberg’s admission that social media giant Facebook actively tweaked its algorithm to favour one particular candidate in the 2020 US elections and prevented him from facing negative public opinion at a crucial juncture in the election process has triggered some major reactions on social media.

While some people highlighted how Facebook actively tweeted its algorithm to favour one candidate in the US elections (Joe Biden), others pointed out the concern that Big Tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter are now deciding which stories would be consumed by the masses and how they will promote or suppress them based on Big Tech’s own definition of their legitimacy and usefulness.

The Hunter Biden emails story

It is notable here that in the last weeks of the 2020 US presidential elections, the New York Post had published an explosive story about Hunter Biden’s problematic emails with a Ukrainian gas company executive from Burisma. Twitter had censored the NY Post account and a number of major news outlets like the NY Times, Washington Post, CNN and others had gone overboard declaring it as fake news. After the elections were over and Joe Biden was declared president, it later became clear that the NY Post story was true. Twitter’s former head Jack Dorsey then expressed regret over censoring the story and blocking NY Post from their Twitter account.

The media favouring of Joe Biden was not limited to suppressing the NY Post story and declaring it as fake. The pool of journalists who followed Biden around during his campaign never asked him about it. When one journalist, CBS News’ Bo Ericson had managed to ask, he was pushed back angrily by his own colleagues and other journalists.

I hate you f*cking Indians: Mexican-American woman’s racist tirade goes viral, arrested after she assaults Indian women, pulls a gun out

OpIndia Staff
-
0
I hate you f*cking Indians: Mexican-American woman’s racist tirade goes viral, arrested after she assaults Indian women, pulls a gun out

On Wednesday (August 24), a Mexican American woman assaulted a group of 4 Indians, following a racist rant in the parking lot of a business establishment in Plano in Dallas city of Texas.

As per reports, the accused was identified as Esmi Armendarez Upton. The video of the nasty confrontation had gone viral on social media, leading to her arrest on Thursday (August 25).

“I hate you f*cking Indians…You come to our country and want everything free. I am Mexican-American. I was born here. Were you born here? Everywhere I go, you fucking Indians are there,” Esmi was heard as saying.

“If life was so great in India, why the f*ck are you here? Turn your camera off. I am happy to talk,” Esmi warned before proceeding to hit one of the Indian women in the face. The victims were returning home when the Mexican American woman confronted them in the parking lot, without any provocation

She also tried to pull out a gun from her purse and threatened to shoot the Indian group. In a longer version of the video, the woman was heard referring to the Indians as ‘curry ass bitches.’

While stating that her ethnicity is ‘Mexican’, she then assaulted another woman in the group. Esmi told the victims that she hates Indians because of their accents. She also claimed that Indians were migrating to the United States en masse to reap its benefits.

After realising that the victims were calling the cops, Esmi turned ‘apologetic’ and claimed that she overstepped her boundaries. According to her Linkedin profile (which now stands deleted), the Mexican American woman is a realtor for California Federal Bank and parishioner at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Plano.

Victims share ordeal

The four Indian women were identified as Bidisha Rudra, Rani Banerjee, Sabori Saha and Anamika Chatterjee.

In her Facebook post, Bidisha said, “Four friends who were spending a nice evening in a free democratic country with rule of law were verbally abused using racial slurs and thereafter, threatened and body shamed by a complete stranger.”

She further added, “We feared for our lives because she was extremely agitated and seemed totally out of control. We called cops who came in time and diffused the situation.
Is this a way to live in a free civil society??????”

While recounting the ordeal, Rani Banerjee told WFAA, “Suddenly, we heard this woman yelling at us and started coming toward us. We were shocked by the racial slurs that she used and combative attitude.”

Arrest of the racist woman

After the video went viral on social media, netizens were quick to find her Facebook profile. The Plano police arrested Esmi on Thursday (August 25) for Assault bodily injury and terroristic threats. She is now held on a bound amount of $10,000.

“This incident is currently under investigation by the Plano Police Department’s Crime Against Persons Unit as a hate crime. Additional charges may be forthcoming,” the police said in a statement.

Thakur Raja Singh gets support from BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh, Brijbhushan Rajput criticizes the party too over the issue

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Thakur Raja Singh gets support from BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh, Brijbhushan Rajput criticizes the party too over the issue

After BJP suspended yet another leader for alleged blasphemy against Prophet Mohammad, this time Telangana MLA Thakur Raja Singh, the party is facing harsh criticism from its vocal online supporters, who accuse the party of bowing down to the demands of radical Islamists. Now, it seems that this criticism is shared by some of the party’s leaders also, as an MLA from Uttar Pradesh has openly voiced his dissent against the party on the issue.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Brijbhushan Rajput, who is the MLA from Charkhari in Uttar Pradesh for the second term, wrote a Facebook post on Thursday, 25th August 2022 in which he clearly criticized his party’s top leadership. Brijbhushan Rajput wrote that it is right of the party leadership to suspend someone but it is the failure of the ruling party that those who insulted the Indian Army and abused Hindu deities are roaming freely on bail.

This Facebook post by the BJP MLA Brijbhushan Rajput has come after BJP MLA T Raja Singh was suspended from the party for his allegedly blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Muhammad. Earlier, BJP had suspended former spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi leader Naveen Kumar Jindal over the same charges. T Raja Singh was arrested on Thursday after earlier he was arrested and then released on bail on Tuesday. Brijbhushan Rajput has also changed his display picture with a photo of Raja Singh with a note saying ‘I support Raja Bhai’.

Brijbhushan Rajput implied that so-called comedian Munawar Faruqui made insulting remarks about Lord Shri Ram and Goddess Sita and got away with that. He said in his Facebook post, “A cheap comedian abused our deities Shri Ram Ji and Mata Sita. Did anyone in India raise the beheading slogans against him? We all demanded legal action. To demean us in this country, his programs are being booked in different cities.”

About T Raja Singh, Brijbhushan Rajput wrote, “The law is taking and will take its own course on what T Raja Singh has said. The court granted bail, but those who have raised slogans of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ in the middle of the roads of Hyderabad, should be put in jail without delay. Those fanatics should be told, that there is no Sharia rule in the country, there is a rule of the Constitution.”

About T Raja Singh’s suspension from the party, Brijbhushan Rajput wrote in his post, “You suspended from the party, it’s your right. But if those who celebrate the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, insult the army, make indecent comments on our gods and goddesses, are roaming freely on bail, then it is also your failure.”

On Thursday, the Telangana Police detained suspended BJP leader Thakur Raja Singh again for his alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Mohammad. The former BJP leader was arrested from his residence in Hyderabad. This is two days after he was arrested and released on bail in the Prophet remarks case.

‘Will hold protests if not cancelled’: VHP writes to Delhi police seeking cancellation of Munawar Faruqui’s ‘Dongri to nowhere’ show in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Will hold protests if not cancelled’: VHP writes to Delhi police seeking cancellation of Munawar Faruqui’s ‘Dongri to nowhere’ show in Delhi

Surendra Kumar Gupta, the Delhi unit chief of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, wrote to Delhi police on Wednesday, August 25, urging them to cancel the upcoming show ‘Dongri to nowhere’ of controversial ‘comedian’ Munawar Faruqui. The show is scheduled for August 28 at the Kedarnath Stadium in Delhi’s Civic Centre. The Hindu outfit said that they will hold protests against the show if it is not cancelled.

In a letter written in Hindi, Surendra Kumar Gupta said, “This individual mocks Hindu gods and goddesses in his show. As a result of this, communal tensions were triggered in Bhagya Nagar. We urge you to immediately cancel this show, or else, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists will oppose the show and hold protests against the same.”

VHP’s letter to Delhi Police urging it to cancel Munawar Faruqui’s upcoming show in Delhi

Notably, the upcoming Delhi show, which is a part of Munawar Faruqui’s ‘Dongri to nowhere’ tour is scheduled to be held on August 28 at the Kedarnath Stadium in Delhi’s Civic Centre. The ticket for the show is available on Paytm Insider.

The controversial stand-up comedian has recently seen many of his live shows of ‘Dongri to nowhere’ being cancelled over his past indecent remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. On August 21 (Sunday), his show scheduled to be held in Mumbai’s YB Chavan Auditorium was cancelled after event organisers did not get the required permissions.

Police cancels Bangalore show of Munawar Faruqui, the ‘comedian’ claims it was cancelled due to his health issues

Prior to this, the Bengaluru police denied permission to Munawar’s show ‘Dongri to nowhere’ in the city, which was scheduled to take place on Friday, August 19. Interestingly, Manuwar Faruqui had then lied about missing his flight due to health issues which had led to the cancellation of his Bangalore show, as it has come to light that the show was cancelled on the directions of the Police following a letter of opposition by the Hindu organisation Jai Shri Ram Sena. 

In what has transpired, Faruqui was scheduled to present his solo show ‘Dongri to Nowhere’ in Bangalore on Friday, which he had already presented in several other cities and is scheduled to present in more cities in the coming days as part of his comedy tour.

After his show in Bangalore was cancelled, Munawar Faruqui posted on Instagram that he missed his flight due to his health issues, and the program has been postponed to next week. But later it was revealed that his health was not the reason for the cancellation, as the police directed the organisers to cancel the show.

Sources known to OpIndia confirm that Jai Shri Ram Sena (JSRS) gave a memorandum to the Puttenhalli police station asking to cancel the show of Faruqui since he is accused in an ongoing criminal case of making insulting remarks about Hindu deities. The event’s organiser was then instructed to cancel the event by the police station’s SHO, who had called him.

Two arrested in the Sonali Phogat murder case, Goa police adds IPC section 302 to the case after autopsy revealed multiple blunt force injuries

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Two arrested in the Sonali Phogat murder case, Goa police adds IPC section 302 to the case after autopsy revealed multiple blunt force injuries

On Thursday, 25th August 2022, Goa Police arrested two people in connection with the death of BJP leader and Tik Tok star Sonali Phogat. According to police, Sudhir Sangwan and Sukhwinder Vasi, who accompanied Sonali Phogat to Goa on August 22, have been arrested after they were named as accused in the murder of Phogat.

Sudhir Sangwan is the PA of Phogat, while Sukhwinder Vasi is his friend.

Goa police also added murder charges to the case of Sonali Phogat’s death after her autopsy report came. The autopsy report said that ‘multiple blunt force injury marks’ were found on the body. It is notable that while it was being claimed that Sonali Phogat had died of heart attack, her family members refused to accept it and was saying that she was raped and murdered.

The report says that the cause of the death is kept reserved pending chemical analysis, histopathology, and the serological reports of the tissues preserved. It also mentions that there are multiple blunt force injuries over the body. In view of these things, the postmortem report said that the manner of the death is for the investigating officers to ascertain.

Sonali Phogat’s postmortem report mentioned that there were several injuries on the body. Image Source: Twitter handle of Jan Ki Baat

After the autopsy report came out, Sonali’s brother Rinku Dhaka filed an FIR against her associates, and a case of murder under Indian Penal Code section 302 was registered against associates Sudhir Sangwan and Sukhwinder Vasi. The police called both of them for questioning and then arrested them. Both of them had accompanied her to Goa.

Sonali Phogat’s family members claimed that she was raped before her murder. On Monday, August 22, the 42-year-old BJP leader and TikTok star Sonali Phogat died of a heart attack. The BJP leader was in Goa at the time of her untimely death.

Sonali Phogat who was in Goa with some of her employees had complained of uneasiness to her staff on Monday after which she was rushed to the  St Anthony Hospital in Anjuna in North Goa district on August 23, where she was declared dead.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “This is very sad news. We spoke to goa CM and police officials. The family has written a complaint there that they suspect someone.”

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh is personally monitoring the probe into the Sonali Phogat death case.

From invitations to weddings to ‘don’t carry your fame everywhere’: YouTuber MrBeast’s tweet on his first encounter in India draws varied reactions

OpIndia Staff
-
0
From invitations to weddings to ‘don’t carry your fame everywhere’: YouTuber MrBeast’s tweet on his first encounter in India draws varied reactions

Popular YouTuber MrBeast is in India. On August 24, he shared his experiences in India that he found amusing. In a tweet, he said while he was walking down the street, someone stopped him and asked for a picture. When asked which video of MrBeast was his favorite, the person replied he did not know MrBeast and only wanted a photograph with a ‘tall white guy.’

MrBeast wrote, “I was walking around in India, and someone asked for a picture. So I asked my translator to ask him what his favorite MrBeast video is, and he said that he doesn’t know what a MrBeast is and just wanted a photo with a tall white guy lol.” His followers, especially from India, found it amusing and wished him luck on the trip.

One of his admirers even asked him if MrBeast wanted to attend his sister’s wedding.

Twitter user eternitwt said, “Welcome to India, if ur not Indian ur a celebrity is a basic rule of thumb.”

Twitter user Manish Pandey said, “hahahahaha – reminds me of what happened with a few creator friends in some Tier 2 city :).”

Twitter user Indomorphic said, “The thing your going to sooner or later notice is the vast difference and extremities in every aspect related to this country. Welcome to India. I hope you have a nice time!”

However, not everyone saw the funny side of his tweet, some netizens even mocked and trolled him.

Foreigners often get warm attention in India

It is not uncommon for a foreigner in India to get approached by someone for a photograph. It could be the result of the fascination with foreign tourists, or people may get curious about seeing someone who does not look like them. Whatever the reason may be, it is a very common occurrence.

With over 103 million subscribers on YouTube and a cult following on all social media platforms, MrBeast is one of the most successful YouTubers across the world. His real name is Jimmy Donaldson. Born in Kansas, United States, 24-year-old Jimmy started his YouTube career when he was only 13 years old in 2012. He is known for his high-budget videos, gaming live streams, and Philanthropy.

Hyderabad: Influencer Syed Abdahu Kashaf arrested for raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against T Raja Singh, released after an hour

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Hyderabad: Influencer Syed Abdahu Kashaf arrested for raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against T Raja Singh, released after an hour

On Thursday, 25th August 2022, Hyderabad police arrested influencer and so-called social activist Syed Abdahu Kashaf for raising ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans against the suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh. However, after an hour, he was released on bail.

It is notable that there were massive protests on the streets of Hyderabad over the alleged blasphemous remarks by the BJP leader T Raja Singh against the Prophet Muhammad. Beheading calls were openly given in these so-called protests. Influencer and alleged social activist Syed Abdahu Kashaf was present in one such protest and supported these slogans both on the streets and on a television channel.

An FIR was registered against Syed Abdahu Kashaf in Hyderabad following the slogan calling for beheading of Raja Singh. According to a report by Aaj Tak, the DCP of the cybercrime branch said that he will soon be produced before the court. Syed Abdahu Kashaf posted a video on social media on Monday. In this video, a mob was seen raising the slogan ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’, demanding the beheading of T Raja Singh for his allegedly blasphemous remarks. This protest was going on in Hyderabad outside the DCP office of the South Zone. In this video, Syed Abdahu Kashaf was asking the locals to keep protesting against T Raja Singh.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Telangana Police detained suspended BJP leader Thakur Raja Singh again for his alleged ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Mohammad. The former BJP leader was arrested from his residence in Hyderabad. This is two days after he was arrested and released on bail in the Prophet remarks case.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ‘schools’ Kejriwal, asks how many new schools have Delhi govt started in the last 7 years

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ‘schools’ Kejriwal, asks how many new schools have Delhi govt started in the last 7 years

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma lambasted Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for his remark on the Assam state government’s decision to merge schools, which recorded zero pass percentage in class X examinations this year, with other schools.

Chastising Kejriwal for his habit of ‘commenting on something without doing any homework’, Sarma tweeted, “Dear @ArvindKejriwal Ji – As usual you commented on something without any homework! Since my days as Edu Minister, till now, please note, Assam Govt has established/ taken over 8610 NEW SCHOOLS; break-up below. How many new schools Delhi Government has started in last 7 yrs?

Taking a dig at the Delhi government, the Assam CM in his subsequent tweet listed the number of private schools the Assam govt has provincialised or taken over since 2013. Himanta Biswa Sarma then went on to ask Kejriwal to produce his numbers.

“Provincialisation or taking over Pvt schools into govt fold since 2013: Elementary 6802; Secondary 1589. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya:81. Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Avashik Vidayalaya:3. Adarsha Vidyalaya:38. Tea Garden Model School:97. Curious to know Delhi’s figures!”, read Sarma’s second tweet.

The Assam CM was responding to Kejriwal’s August 24th Tweet wherein he remarked that closing schools was not the solution. “Closing schools is not the solution. We just need to open many new schools all over the country. Instead of closing the school, improve the school and make education right,” the AAP supremo tweeted in Hindi as he shared a report on the same by India Today.

Kejriwal’s remark came after the Assam government started taking action against 34 government or provincialized schools and 57 recognized venture schools with zero pass percentages in the HLSC/SHM examination this year.

The Assam CM had categorically mentioned that his government would be taking action against schools that registered zero pass percentage in HSLC (High School Leaving Certificate) and AHM (Assam High Madarsa) examinations, 2022.

However, Sarma was not the only one who took a jibe at the AAP Supremo for his unwarranted remark. Countering Kejriwal’s tweet, Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika wrote on his official twitter handle, “Firstly, schools in Assam are not being closed, rather amalgamated to improve the overall educational environment! Secondly, respected CM @ArvindKejriwal ji has no right to speak on educational upliftment as his fake ‘Delhi Model Schools’ have been busted from time to time.

Hazarika, who holds the portfolios of water resources, information and public relations among others, further slammed Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi for “destroying” the education quality in Delhi which has brought down the pass percentage of Class 10 from 90.09 percent in 2011 to 81.27 percent in 2022.

824 out of 1,027 schools in Delhi do not have a headmaster, NCPCR seeks explanation

Interestingly the supporters of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have perpetually boasted that a revolution has taken place in the field of education in Delhi. They are never tired of saying that Delhi’s government schools have turned world-class. However, the AAP’s false claims have frequently been exposed.

In fact, only recently, on April 12, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) sought an explanation over 824 vacant posts of principals in Delhi government schools. In a letter to Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, the apex child rights body said a team led by chairperson Priyank Kanoongo visited several schools in the national capital and found discrepancies with regard to the infrastructure and other aspects. It further added that most of the schools visited by the teams did not have a Head of School (HoS), and the post was lying vacant.

In another letter to the Chief Secretary, the NCPCR said that Bharatiya Janata Party MP Manoj Tiwari visited Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Sabzi Mandi, Timarpur, Delhi, where he found major problems related to the hygiene in the school building. The apex body said such issues might lead to serious accidents in the school.

1...2,9432,9442,945...7,627Page 2,944 of 7,627