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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shares first deepest images of early cosmos formed after Big Bang: Details

OpIndia Staff
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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shares first deepest images of early cosmos formed after Big Bang: Details

NASA on Monday released the deepest, and the sharpest infrared view of the Universe to date captured through NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space science telescope. The rare image named ‘Webb’s First Deep Field’ showcases thousands of galaxies including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared, reportedly of early cosmos formed after Big Bang.

Releasing the first full-color image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope on Monday, US President Joe Biden praised the country and said that these unique images are going to remind the world that America can do big things. “We can see possibilities no one has ever seen before. We can go places no one has ever gone before”, he said during a public event at the White House in Washington.

According to the reports, the picture depicts SMACS 0723, a 4.6 billion-year-old galaxy cluster that acts as a gravitational lens, magnifying the considerably more distant and extremely faint objects behind it. Webb’s sharp near-infrared view has also brought out faint structures in extremely distant galaxies, offering the most detailed view of the early universe to date.

“Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb’s view for the first time. This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground”, the official statement by NASA read.

Elaborating more about the achievement, NASA’s Administrator Bill Nelson said that the image captured was just a tiny sliver of the so vast universe. “This mission was made possible by human ingenuity – the incredible NASA Webb team and our international partners at the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Webb is just the start of what we can accomplish in the future when we work together for the benefit of humanity”, he added.

Meanwhile, John Mather, Webb’s senior project scientist at NASA stated that scientists were first thrilled to know that Webb was alive and that it has survived all hazards to be one golden eye in the sky. He added that with the help of Webb, the scientists and researchers will be able to get answers to many questions like- ‘What happened after the big bang? How did the expanding universe cool down and make black holes and galaxies and stars and planets and people?’

“Astronomers see everything twice- first with pictures, and then with imagination and calculation. But there’s something out there that we’ve never imagined, and I will be as amazed as you are when we find it”, he added.

To note, the James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s leading observatory for space science. Reports mention that Webb will investigate mysteries in our solar system, as well as distant worlds orbiting other stars, and will investigate the intriguing architecture and origins of our universe and our position in it.

The telescope was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America, on December 25, 2021. It underwent months of commissioning after completing a difficult deployment procedure in orbit when its mirrors were adjusted and its sensors were prepped for science. Its cost is estimated at around $10 billion.

The recent picture released by NASA depicts the 4.6 billion-year-old galaxy cluster named SMACS 0723. According to the reports, the researchers will soon discover more about the galaxies’ masses, ages, histories, and compositions as Webb searches deeply for the universe’s first galaxies.

Uddhav Thackeray likely to dump ‘United Opposition’ Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha days after MVA govt collapses in Maharashtra

OpIndia Staff
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Uddhav Thackeray likely to dump ‘United Opposition’ Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha days after MVA govt collapses in Maharashtra

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is likely to announce support for National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu. As per Times Now report the majority of the votes during the July 11 meeting of Shiv Sena leaders went to Murmu. The official announcement is yet to be released, and party leader Sanjay Raut said it might happen in a day or two.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Raut said extending support for Murmu would not mean that Shiv Sena was back with Bharatiya Janata Party. He said, “We discussed Droupadi Murmu (NDA’s Presidential candidate) in our meeting yesterday. Supporting Droupadi Murmu does not mean supporting BJP. Shiv Sena’s role will be clear in a day or two. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray will make a decision.”

He further added, “Opposition should remain alive. We also have goodwill towards the Opposition’s Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha. Earlier, we supported Pratibha Patil, not the NDA candidate. We supported Pranab Mukherjee also. Shiv Sena does not take decisions under pressure.”

Earlier, it was reported that Uddhav Thackeray might extend support for Murmu to avoid a further split in the party. Party sources revealed that during the meeting that was held on Thackeray’s resident Matoshree, an overwhelming number of Shiv Sena leaders, including MLAs and MPs, wanted the party to announce support for Draupadi Murmu. The meeting lasted over two hours.

As per reports, sixteen MPs of Shiv Sena have urged Uddhav Thackeray, who was recently ousted from the Maharashtra CM’s position after facing a huge rebellion, to support the NDA presidential candidate, Droupadi Murmu, instead of the Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha.

Last week, Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale had written to Uddhav Thackeray asking the party to support Droupadi Murmu. “Droupadi Murmu comes from the Adivasi community and has a seminal contribution to social life,” said Shewale, asking Thackeray to issue instructions to the party MPs accordingly.

Notably, an Economic Times report suggested former Maharashtra CM and his close aides were not keen to support Murmu, but they may go against their wish to avoid a further split in the party. Furthermore, BJP leader Girish Mahajan had earlier warned Shiv Sena that if the party failed to listen to its MP, they should be ready for a possible split among its members. He said, “He (Thackeray) should also listen to his own voice and his MPs. If they don’t make a decision (in favour of the BJP candidate), then there may be a split among its MPs too.”

Following the meeting, the Shiv Sena chief has reportedly assured his MPs that he will make the final decision on this issue in the next 2-3 days. The presidential election is scheduled for July 18.

SC extends interim bail of Mohammed Zubair in Sitapur case; to remain in jail in connection with other cases

OpIndia Staff
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SC extends interim bail of Mohammed Zubair in Sitapur case; to remain in jail in connection with other cases

The Supreme Court Tuesday (July 12) extended the interim bail granted to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair until further orders in the case filed in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh. Zubair, however, would remain in Delhi Police custody in connection with another case filed against him.

The UP police have been granted 4 weeks by the top court to submit a counterclaim in the case. The matter has been scheduled for final disposition on September 7, 2022, reports Live Law.

The matter was listed before the SC division bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna.

Notably, the apex court bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari had earlier on July 8, granted interim bail to Zubair for 5 days in the Hindu saints defamation case in UP. The matter again came up for hearing in the Supreme Court today, as the five days ended today.

Zubair petitioned the Supreme Court challenging a lawsuit filed in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district over a tweet in which he referred to Hindu seers as “hate mongers.”

Mohammed Zubair to still remain in jail

Despite the bail, the alleged ‘fact-checker’ Mohammed Zubair will remain in police custody as the bail has only been granted in the FIR dated 1 June 2022. 

On June 1, Khairabad Police of Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh filed a First Investigation Report (FIR) against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for using derogatory language against Mahant Bajrang Muni Udasin, Rashtriya Sanrakshak of Rashtriya Hindu Sher Sena along with Yati Narsinghanand and Swami Anand Swaroop. The FIR was registered based on the complaint of Bhagwan Sharan, district head of Rashtriya Hindu Sher Sena, under sections 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Delhi Court defers bail hearing of Mohammed Zubair in the 2018 Tweet case

Meanwhile, the Delhi Court, which was scheduled to hear the bail plea filed by Zubair seeking bail in the Delhi FIR registered against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity through his tweet made in 2018, has deferred the hearing. It will now hear the matter on July 14.

Zubair had been denied bail by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria in this particular case on July 2.

Alt News co-founder sent to 14 days of judicial custody in case filed in Lakhimpur Kheri in UP

In addition to these two cases, Zubair is also facing charges in a case filed against him in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri. Only yesterday, (Monday, July 11), the Alt News co-founder and alleged ‘fact checker’ was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the Mohammadi Session Court in the case filed against him in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Additional charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 153B, 501(1)(B) and 505(2), are pressed against Mohammed Zubair.

Earlier, an arrest warrant was issued against the Alt News co-founder based on a complaint filed, through the court, by Sudarshan news journalist Ashish Kumar Katiyar on September 18 last year. Based on that complaint, the police have now initiated proceedings to take Zubair into their custody.

In his complaint, Katiyar had stated that the Alt News co-founder played a malicious role in uniting Muslims, across the world, against India and peddling communal discord even during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“We are not tacos”, Hispanic journalists hit back at US first lady Jill Biden for comparing the Latino community in the USA to breakfast tacos

OpIndia Staff
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“We are not tacos”, Hispanic journalists hit back at US first lady Jill Biden for comparing the Latino community in the USA to breakfast tacos

US first lady Jill Biden is facing a severe backlash from the Latino community in the country after she compared them to tacos, a traditional Mexican food. Speaking at the 2022 UnidosUS Annual Conference held in Texas, the first lady said that the Latino community is “as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio”.

The comparison left the Latino community baffled, and led to a scathing response from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). In their response to Jill Biden’s remark, NAHJ wrote, “NAHJ encourages @FLOTUS & her communications team to take time to better understand the complexities of our people & communities. Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by various diasporas, cultures & food traditions. Do not reduce us to stereotypes.”

While educating the first lady on Latino culture, NAHJ wrote an iconic line “We are not tacos”, that has resonated with every Latino living in the United States whose vibrant culture has been reduced to a food item.

During her speech, Jill Biden said, “The diversity of this community, as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is your strength.” However, the first lady didn’t realise how racist it would sound to the Latino community.

After her comments, many users across the United States joined in to remind the first lady that Latinos aren’t tacos.

While US President Joe Biden is known for his public gaffes, including last week’s incident when he read a teleprompter’s instructions to his audience, Jill Biden has generally managed to avoid that. However, her comparison of Latinos to tacos is not going to go down well with a community that is already shifting away from Democrats to Republicans.

Indonesia: Islamic college shuts down a student magazine after it exposes sexual assault on campus. Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Indonesia: Islamic college shuts down a student magazine after it exposes sexual assault on campus. Here is what we know so far

A State-run Islamic college named Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ambon in Indonesia has courted controversy after its administration shut down the publication of a student magazine over its investigation of sexual assault cases on campus.

The institute is located in Ambon city in the Maluku province of Indonesia. In March this year, the student magazine Lintas published detailed testimonies of 25 female and 7 male survivors of sexual violence.

The incidents took place on campus between the period 2015-2021. Several episodes of sexual assault also took place during field research trips or at the homes and offices of lecturers. Owing to a thorough investigation, Lintas was able to identify a total of 14 perpetrators.

The accused included 8 lecturers, 3 employees, 2 students and 1 alumnus. Lintas undertook a 5-year-long probe, starting in 2017, to ascertain the facts of the case.

One of the lecturers named as an accused by the student magazine had asked a survivor to delete sexually explicit messages. After the episode of sexually inappropriate behaviour was exposed by Lintas, 5 people known to the lecturer assaulted 2 staff members of the magazine.

The victims were identified as M. Nurdin Kaisupy and Muh. Pebrianto, who worked as a reporter and designer for Lintas.

In an article titled, ‘IAIN Ambron prone to Harassment‘ and published by Lintas, a victim narrated how she was sexually harassed in classrooms, homes of the institute’s employees, and the boarding houses of the lecturers.

The unnamed victim had also revealed about other episodes of sexually inappropriate behaviour by a lecturer during a follow-up exam at his house. Another female student was also victimised by the same lecturer.

They were reportedly rubbed on their backs and held by the waist on multiple occasions. The accused has refuted the allegations and claimed it to be nothing but slander.

On March 17, the Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ambon rector, Zainal Abidin Rahawarin, directed the campus security to shut down the student magazine. He ordered them to seal the newsroom, and seize the equipment belonging to Lintas.

While accusing the magazine of ‘defaming’ the Islamic institute, Rahawarin reported a total of 9 students to the police for exposing sexual assault incidents on campus.

Despite assuring action as per protocol against the perpetrators of sexual violence, the IAIN Ambron rector did not set up a task force as mandated in such cases since 2019.

The clampdown on a student magazine by the administration of the Islamic institute prompted demonstrations from over 2 dozen journalists, student media outlets and even the Alliance of Independent Journalists in Indonesia.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for the immediate intervention of the Religious Affairs Minister of the country, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. It has sought revocation of the ban on Lintas and a comprehensive probe into the allegations of sexual assaults.

Jhansi, UP: After stalking and harassing, Danish Khan attacks a minor girl with blade, slashes multiple times on face and neck

OpIndia Staff
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Jhansi, UP: After stalking and harassing, Danish Khan attacks a minor girl with blade, slashes multiple times on face and neck

An instance of a man attacking a minor girl has come to light in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi on 11 July where one Danish Khan severely wounded a girl with a blade while she was on her way to tuition classes. Danish then escaped from the scene. The injured girl was transferred from the Civil Hospital to the Medical College, where she remains in critical condition. The doctors have treated several injuries on her face and neck.

The victim is said to have received 31 stitches on her face and neck.

As per reports, the girl lives in Jhansi on Gwalior Road. She is a 12th-class student. She was heading to English tuition near the mission compound on Monday at approximately 4 o’clock. Danish Khan, a local of the village of Karari, stood on the road blocking it. He attacked the girl with a blade and severely wounded her. The victim was saved by another girl’s intervention. The girl, who was bleeding, anyhow managed to make it to coaching where the teacher took her to the hospital.

The victim’s mother told, “For the past two years, Danish Khan has been harassing my daughter. He had obtained her phone number from the coaching centre. He kept calling from several numbers. He used to put pressure on her to start a ‘friendship’ with him. Every day on her way to coaching, he used to harass her.”

“He used to threaten her as well. My daughter did not tell anyone in the home anything because she was afraid. He attacked when my daughter refused to speak to him. Danish is about 8 to 10 years older than my daughter, ” the victim’s mother further remarked. The victim’s father is no longer alive. She is the eldest of three sisters.

In this case, Inspector Tulsiram Pandey, in charge of the Kotwali police station, stated that as soon as the incident was reported, the location of the incident was surveyed. Three teams have been constituted to arrest the suspected Danish, and they are undertaking raids to apprehend him.

Government schools in Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s home district Dumka modified to Urdu schools, Friday declared holiday: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Government schools in Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s home district Dumka modified to Urdu schools, Friday declared holiday: Report

Following Jamtara in Jharkhand, the subject of converting several schools in Dumka, the hometown of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has now gained attention. According to reports, more than 33 such schools have been discovered, which, although being government-run, do not grant holidays on Sundays but rather on Fridays.

According to a report by Hindustan, after the case of schools being converted into Urdu schools in Jamtara, Jharkhand, it was learned, that there are more than 33 such schools in Dumka that have been transformed into Urdu schools.

Additionally, it is noted on their midday meal menu that food is provided there on Sundays and that Friday is a holiday. The schools that were turned into Urdu schools without the administration’s knowledge are said to be situated in Muslim-dominated localities.

In Shikaripada, there are ten Urdu schools, whereas Jama, Jarmundi, Kathikund, and Dumka each have two. Similarly, Raneshwar has 8 Urdu schools, and Saraiyahat has 7 Urdu schools.

District Education Superintendent Sanjay Kumar Das has remarked that he has requested reports from every block on these modifications made to government schools. It is being determined under what circumstances, the weekly holiday has been granted in government schools on Friday, and how Urdu is related to these institutions. Sanjay Kumar Das has stated that once the report is received, he would conduct his own inquiry and take action against the perpetrators.

It is worth noting that the schools in Dumka where these modifications are observed are government institutions rather than madrasas. The Dumka MP had written a letter to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, describing how more than 100 Muslim-dominated schools in the area are given a Friday weekend rather than a Sunday off and the plot to convert regular Hindi schools to Urdu schools.

State Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto stated that as soon as he received this information, he spoke with the relevant officials and requested a report within a week. On this premise, further action will be taken, and government directives will be implemented.

It is worth noting that just a few days ago, a similar case from Jharkhand came to light in which the local Muslim community exerted pressure on a school to amend the school policies to suit their majority. Following this, the school prayer and method of prayer were both altered.

Kerala: Bomb hurled at RSS office in Kannur

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Bomb hurled at RSS office in Kannur

On Tuesday, the window panes and furniture of the RSS base were damaged and shattered after a bomb was hurled at its office located in Payyannur, Kannur. While there are no injuries and casualties reported after the attack, the BJP suspects CPM to be behind the attack.

According to the reports, the incident happened on Tuesday morning in the area which is close to the local police station. BJP leader Tom Vadakkan held the state administration responsible for the attack and said that such attacks reflected the administration’s failure in maintaining proper law and order. “It is shocking and unfortunate that the law and order situation has deteriorated to the level of hurling bombs at social organizations. And that is not acceptable in civil society”, he said.

Further, he was quoted saying that many RSS workers working for the society were attacked in the past and this kind of law and order situation has to be quickly dealt with. “The police and the state administration are answerable for this. The people of Kerala are not going to take this lying down”, he added.

Calling Kannur a sensitive place, Vadakkan reiterated that the state government will be held responsible for damages to any political office in the state. “The police’s connivance is very dangerous. There are instances where the police station is 100 meters away and still nothing happens. Offices are to be protected specially in a sensitive district like Kannur”, he said.

RSS offices and workers have been on the target of political opponents in Kerala since long. In 2021, a 27-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker named Pramuk Sanjith was killed by Subair, Salam, and Isahak, all of them natives of Kerala. The incident took place on Kinassery near Palakkad-Thrissur National Highway. There were a total of 15 wounds on Sanjith’s body.

On April 16, 2022, a 45-year-old RSS worker named Srinivasan was attacked by a group of assailants at his shop in the heart of Palakkad town. The BJP then alleged that the Social Democratic Party of India, the political offshoot of the Political Front of India (PFI), was behind the killing of Srinivasan. Reportedly, the incident occurred less than 24 hours after a PFI leader was killed in a village near Palakkad.

Also, in February this year, 26-year-old RSS worker Sharath Chandran of Thrikunnapuzha was killed, and his friend Manoj was injured after a group of 15 persons attacked them at Kumarapuram in Alappuzha. The BJP had then suspected that CPM and DYFI workers were responsible for the killing. However, the police had maintained that the murder had nothing to do with political rivalry.

Propaganda outfit NewsLaundry starts campaign to doxx, do hitjobs against activists exposing Islamist, Hinduphobic networks: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Propaganda outfit NewsLaundry starts campaign to doxx, do hitjobs against activists exposing Islamist, Hinduphobic networks: Here is what happened

In the media ecosystem now, there are several propaganda portals that are exclusively trying to publish hitjobs to discredit the evidence unearthed by activists that expose the global Islamist and Hinduphobic network. Post the arrest of Mohammad Zubair, the co-founder of AltNews, several activists have been trying to unearth links of AltNews with George Soros, the “philanthropist” who vowed to destroy PM Modi and other nationalist leaders (and put up a billion dollars for it), and details of their association with other foreign entities that force one to question the motives of AltNews. One such propaganda portal that has actively been trying to doxx, endanger and discredit such activists is Newslaundry.

On the 10th of July 2022, Twitter handle @mission_bhasma posted screenshots of a conversation he had with a Newslaundry journalist who seems to have been exclusively assigned by the outfit to doxx such activists and write hit jobs against them.

The Twitter account told OpIndia that the following conversation was held between him and Prateek Goyal, a “journalist” with Newslaundry. Posting the screenshots, @mission_bhasma said that the “journalist” wanted details of an activist @thehawkeyex and the handle that had tweeted and complained against Mohammad Zubair, the tweet, on the basis of which, an FIR was filed against the AltNews co-founder.

In the posted screenshots, the Newslaundry journalist, Prateek Goyal, asks @mission_bhasma over WhatsApp if he can help him get the details of two Twitter handles, @thehawkeyex and @balajikijaiin.

The first handle is one that regularly posts his OSINT research exposing the Islamist, Hinduphobia networks across the globe. This handle had done extensive work exposing the donation fraud of Rana Ayyub, which is now under investigation by ED and is now actively working to unearth details about AltNews, Mohammad Zubair, Pratik Sinha and their seemingly clandestine foreign funding.

The second handle, @balajikijaiin, was one that had tweeted, tagging the police and reporting the Hinduphobic tweet of Mohammad Zubair. Soon after, his handle had been deactivated, sending the Liberals into a tizzy, trying to ascertain his identity, presumably trying to doxx him.

When ‘Bhasma’ responded to Prateek, saying that he is busy for the next couple of days, Prateek insisted saying that he needs the information urgently. He hoped that ‘Bhasma’ would take out the time to help him “today”, given the “urgency of the matter”.

It appears that after this exchange, ‘Bhasma’ did not respond to Prateek. The next morning, Prateek messaged again asking him how he was. On the 3rd of July, Prateek asked again if it would be possible to get information on the two handles, so he could presumably doxx them. ‘Bhasma’ responded by saying that these activists were Hindus and after the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal, he was not comfortable revealing their details. “I will not risk Hindu Lives”, he said.

The concerns about the safety of these activists hardly moved Prateek. He then asked if he could get information on the handles “off the record”. ‘Bhasma’ said that he knows how Zubair and their ecosystem operate, therefore, on or off the record, he would not be providing any details. However, he did offer to provide information on the funding of Mohammad Zubair and the transaction details as proof. To this, Prateek simply said “I will get back to you”, and thereafter, never did.

The exchange between ‘Bhasma’ and Prateek Goyal only proves how Newslaundry has decided to put in harm’s way every individual who dares to go against their established narrative. In the Kanhaiya Lal case, it was his neighbour who had leaked his details, leading to his beheading. In the case of Umesh Kolhe, it was his Muslim friend. In fact, the actions of Zubair led to several Hindus being fired in the UAE in the past and has now led to death, and rape threats being issued to former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

Newslaundry knows fully well that if the identity of these activists is revealed, the risk that they may be at the receiving end of death threats is real and present. Therefore, their urgency to find personal details about them so they can run their hit jobs reeks of a sinister agenda. It almost seems like they are out to extract their pound of flesh after these activists exposed Mohammad Zubair, AltNews, the Islamist and Hinduphobic networks, and several other exposes (like that of Rana Ayyub) that go against their agenda.

One hit job already published, another on the way, by the same Newslaundry journalist

That this is a planned campaign by Newslaundry is evidenced by the fact that the same journalist, Prateek Goyal, has already published a hit job against another activist who has been exposing these networks. On the 9th of July, after failing to get information on the other activists, the same journalist published a hit job against Vijay Patel.

Newslaundry article

At the very outset of the article, they not only reveal where Patel stays, but also their own intentions as to why they are targeting him.

The reason why Vijay Patel was targeted was because several pro-Hindu handles and publications supported him in his endeavours and because he was exposing AltNews, Mohammad Zubair and Prateek Sinha.

Excerpt of Newslaundry article

In the rest of the article, Newslaundry first sneakily publishes his details by talking about his previous company and its details and then, goes on to talk about the 17 articles that Vijay has posted, exposing AltNews.

The entire Newslaundry article was about discrediting the research by Vijay Patel that could prove to be inconvenient for AltNews and its founders. That Newslaundry is doing AltNews’ bidding is also proved by the fact that the Newslaundry journalist simply refused to explore the proof against AltNews and their funding when offered by the Twitter handle he was communicating with.

Thus, it becomes evident that Newslaundry is now on a mission to extract retribution from those whose research could prove to be costly for Mohammad Zubair, now in jail and awaiting bail, for his allegedly clandestine funding from dubious countries like Pakistan and Syria and Hinduphobic tweets that could hurt the communal harmony in the country.

ED chargesheet reveals Amnesty may have taken foreign funds without permission under guise of FDI through dubious front, report reveals

OpIndia Staff
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ED chargesheet reveals Amnesty may have taken foreign funds without permission under guise of FDI through dubious front, report reveals

Days after the prosecution complaint was filed against Amnesty International India in a money laundering case, the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that Aakar Patel who was the director of Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd (AIIPL), was also the Trustee of Indians for Amnesty International Trust (IAIT) from 2015 to 2019.

The report further revealed that the AIIPL and IAIT were both located on the same premises and were interrelated to each other in their function. According to the reports, the IAIT had complete authority over AIIPL from 15 July 2013 to 12 November 2014, sharing functionaries for the majority of the time since the formation of these two organizations.

The ED investigation into the so-called human rights organization began when the CBI filed a complaint against it for violating FCRA guidelines. The CBI had filed charges against AIIPL, IAIT, Amnesty International India Foundation Trust, and others under Section 120(B) of the IPC, as well as Sections 11, 35, and 39 of the FCRA (Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act), 2010.

Based on the CBI FIR, the ED filed a case and launched an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act of 2002. (PMLA). The ED discovered during its inquiry that Amnesty International India Foundation Trust was registered under FCRA to receive foreign money in 2011-12. However, the registration was eventually withdrawn due to negative feedback about the organization. That is when the organization began to allegedly circumvent Indian rules to acquire international contributions without approval.

According to the ED, once Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT)’s FCRA registration was canceled, they constructed profit-making entities to solicit foreign cash in the pursuit of export of services and FDI. To avoid the FCRA method, the group founded AIIPL and IAIT in 2013-14 and 2012-13, respectively, and obtained currency in the form of service export and FDI.

Amnesty International, UK reportedly contributed Rs 51.72 Crore to AIIPL in the guise of FDI and also as payment for the export of services under this new manner of accepting foreign funds even after the termination of the FCRA license. However, the organization could not provide any documentary evidence for the same. No invoices or documentation of agreements between the two parties were filed to the Authorised Dealer Banks for the so-called export of services to Amnesty UK. Similarly, the funds collected in the guise of FDI were utilized for Amnesty International’s standard “civil society activity.” As a result, the organization had breached standards by misusing FDI.

Exposing Amnesty, the ED has also provided a list of initiatives that appear to have been undertaken primarily for financial advantage. There were 47 projects mentioned, including ‘Access for Justice’ in Kashmir (GBP 46,867-Rs 44.5 lakhs), Human Cost of Coal Research Project (USD 90,000.00-Rs 71.5 lakhs), and Mobile Developing and field testing technology (CHF 80,000.00- Rs 64.8 lakhs).

“The scrutiny of the bank accounts maintained by M/s. Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd & M/s Indians for Amnesty International Trust (IAIT), it appeared that M/s AIIPL was misusing the funds received in the guise of FDI for other activities viz; charity, contribution to fund such trusts, which was no way connected the activities for which the FDI had been received and getting contribution from the overseas donor to expand its NGO activities under the mask of service consultancy”, the chargesheet report read.

Hours after ED filed a prosecution complaint against Amnesty International India, the NGO in a series of tweets targeted the national agency and accused it of having violated the principles of natural justice. “The malicious intent of the Enforcement Directorate is evident from the fact that they have yet again issued multiple press releases even before legal notices have reached Amnesty India and Aakar Patel. This is a violation of the principles of natural justice”, it claimed. The NGO also claimed that the organization’s bank accounts had been frozen and that the case was based on the selective leak of information.

In October 2018, the central agency opened an investigation into Amnesty International based on a case registered by the CBI against AIIPL, IAIT, Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT), and Amnesty International South Asia Foundation (AISAF) under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and FCRA (Foreign Contributions Regulation Act).

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