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Barack Obama spearheaded setting up of dangerous bio-weapon lab in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden secured funding for it: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Barack Obama spearheaded setting up of dangerous bio-weapon lab in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden secured funding for it: Reports

In a stunning disclosure, Russia said that US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden and his investment fund Rosemont Seneca financed the Pentagon’s bio-weapon programme in Ukraine.

According to the reports, Moscow said that Hunter Biden secured finance to fund the US military ‘bioweapons’ research program in Ukraine. The leaked emails, accessed by Hunter Biden’s laptop, showed that he had helped secure millions of dollars of funding for Metabiota, a Department of Defense contractor specialising in research on pandemic-causing diseases.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID), the George Soros Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provide financial support to the Pentagon programme, the Russian Defense Ministry added.

The commander of the Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces said there was a scheme of interaction between US government agencies and Ukrainian biological objects and revealed that there was a funding involvement close to the current US leadership, in particular, the investment fund Rosemont Seneca, headed by Hunter Biden.

The Russian Defence Ministry has said Hunter had a prominent role in making sure Metabiota was able to conduct its pathogen research just a few hundred miles from the border with Russia. Metabiota has worked in Ukraine for Black & Veatch, a US defence contractor with deep ties to military intelligence agencies, which built secure labs in Ukraine that worked on killer diseases and bioweapons, said Russia.

Apparently, Hunter Biden also introduced Metabiota to the Ukrainian gas firm – Burisma for a ‘science project’ involving high biosecurity level labs in Ukraine.

The Daily Mail report suggested that Hunter Biden and his colleagues at Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners (RSTP) regularly raised millions of dollars for technology companies. Metabiota was one of those firms in which Biden invested his money. The emails between Hunter and his colleagues excitedly discuss how the company’s monitoring of medical data may be useful in future as governments and companies look to spot outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Hunter Biden raised several million dollars of funding for the company from investment giants, including Goldman Sachs. The emails show Hunter was also particularly involved in Metabiota’s operations in Ukraine. Biden’s firm invested at least $500,000 in Metabiota through their firm Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners.

According to Lt General Igor Kirillov, head of the radiation, chemical and biological defence forces of the Russian Armed Forces, Hunter Biden raised funds close to $2.4 billion.

In 2014, when the funding was allegedly secured, Hunter served as a board member of the Ukrainian gas firm Burisma, owned by a former top government official and corrupt billionaire Mikolay Zlochevsky. His father, Joe Biden, was the Vice-President of the United States of America.

Meanwhile, the US government spending records show the Department of Defense awarded an $18.4million contract to Metabiota between February 2014 and November 2016, with $307,091 earmarked for ‘Ukraine research projects’.

The US-funded bio-weapon labs project has turned into a national security liability for Ukraine as Russian forces have uncovered these secret facilities run by the United States, exposing the nefarious designs of the US administration.

Barack Obama ordered the construction of Biolabs in Ukraine to create dangerous pathogens

Former President Barack Obama had pushed an arrangement to develop bio-weapon labs processing “especially dangerous pathogens” in Ukraine, reports suggested.

This comes days that Biden administration had informed the United States Senate that the US government is anxious over biological research centres slipping into Russian control as a consequence of the escalating fighting in Eastern Europe.

The latest reports confirm that Washington was working with Kiev on dangerous pathogens in those labs authorised by former US President Barack Obama himself. The now-deleted report titled “Biolab Opens in Ukraine” gives details how Obama, while serving as an Illinois Senator, helped negotiate a deal to build a level-3 biosafety lab in the Ukrainian city of Odessa.

The article also highlighted the work of former Senator Dick Lugar, who joined hands with senator Barack Obama to enter a partnership with Ukrainian officials. The report said that Lugar and Obama also helped coordinate efforts between the US and Ukrainian researchers to study and help prevent avian flu.

On June 18, 2010, the article “Biolab Opens in Ukraine” was published disclosing Obama’s role in setting up bio-weapons lab/ Image Source: National Pulse.

In one of its research papers, a US research lab explained how the Odessa-based laboratory is responsible for identifying especially dangerous biological pathogens.

“This laboratory was reconstructed and technically updated up to the BSL-3 level through a cooperative agreement between the United States Department of Defense and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine that started in 2005. The collaboration focuses on preventing the spread of technologies, pathogens, and knowledge that can be used in the development of biological weapons,” the report read.

The report further said that the updated laboratory served as Interim Central Reference Laboratory with a depozitarium (pathogen collection). According to Ukrainian regulations, it has a permit to work with both bacteria and viruses of the first and second pathogenic groups.

“The US-funded lab studied viruses such as Ebola and viruses of pathogenicity group II by using of virology, molecular, serological and express methods,” the report said. In addition to research on pathogens, the lab also provided special training for specialists on biosafety and biosecurity issues during the handling of dangerous biological pathogenic agents.

US-funded laboratory studied deadly pathogens such as Ebola, Congo Fever, etc./ Image Source: National Pulse.

This shocking revelation comes at a time when the United States government is facing intense scrutiny over funding risky, “gain-of-function” research in Wuhan at a Chinese Communist Party-run lab with military ties, which may have been the source of the coronavirus pandemic.

US-funded bio-weapon labs in Ukraine

Recently, the Russian Defence Ministry had stated that they had found evidence of US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine, which had urgently destroyed samples of deadly pathogens when the ‘military operation’ started.

This is two days after Russia claimed that Ukraine was close to building a plutonium-based dirty bomb nuclear weapon. On March 6, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry had tweeted that Russian forces found evidence that Kyiv was eradicating traces of the military-biological program in Ukraine, financed by the Pentagon.

On several occasions, Russia had accused the US and Ukraine of developing bio-weapons close to its borders. In 2021, while talking about the inability of the World Health Organisation to establish the origin of the Covid-19 virus, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told Kommersant reporter that Russia believed the US was developing bioweapons near its borders.

The war between Russia and Ukraine broke out on February 24 when Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine through neighbouring countries.

LoP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri calls AAP government’s model of education a sham: Here is how Delhi’s education system fared vis-a-vis other states

Pallav
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LoP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri calls AAP government’s model of education a sham: Here is how Delhi’s education system fared vis-a-vis other states

Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, the leader of the opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi for claiming to have the finest education model in the country. Bidhuri added that the assertion is a farce and that the situation on the ground is dire. He also gave some statistics to back up his claim that Delhi’s education system is in disarray.

On Twitter, he posted a video of himself speaking in the assembly. He wrote, “Kejriwal government’s model of education has completely failed. Leader of Opposition Ramveer Singh Bidhuri exposed the education model in the budget session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly!”

Bidhuri began by stating that Delhi schools have performed poorly in national performance rating. We dug further into Bidhuri’s claims and discovered that what he asserted was genuine. The AAP government’s chest-thumping on education reform in Delhi does not correspond with factual results.

As per the Performance Grading Index of 2019-2020, Delhi does not even stand in the top 5 of the list which includes all the states and the Union Territories. Delhi’s position is sixth on the whole list.

Delhi stands at 32nd position in terms of performance in the domain of learning outcome

Going into further detail, one can see how the boast of Delhi having the best performance in the country in the sector of education is simply a sham. In the performance in the domain of learning outcome, Delhi stands in the 32nd position among all states and UTs. Delhi is in the 6th position from the bottom. This implies that even after hefty spending in the name of education, students of schools in Delhi are performing very poor.

Learning outcomes and quality.

Going more deep into this domain, it was found that the performance of students was decreasing with an increase in their standards. This again exposes the claim of the best education system in the country.

Categorywise learning outcomes.

The score of Delhi is 124 in the learning outcome domain whereas Uttar Pradesh has got 132 marks. This makes us discern that even with comparatively lower equity and access, along with not so good infrastructure, students in schools of UP are performing better than those of Delhi.

Even in the case of infrastructure, Delhi is not the best. Delhi stands second to Punjab in this category.

Infrastructure and facilities.

Also, in terms of Equity, Delhi is in 5th position in the list.

Equity ranking.

Secondly, Bidhuri stressed that the condition of Delhi University colleges funded by the Delhi Government is very poor. The government is unable to pay salaries to the teaching and non-teaching staff in the colleges fully funded by the Delhi government.

Delhi Universities experiencing funding crisis even as AAP boasts about its superior education model

According to a November 2021 news report, 12 Delhi University colleges financed by the Delhi government are experiencing a funding crisis since their assigned funds have been reduced.

Subodh Kumar, chief of the Maharaja Agrasen College staff association and coordinator of all 12 colleges, explained the scenario, saying professors want the teaching-learning process to continue, but the state government is not allowing it. Mr Kumar called it ‘inhuman treatment,’ and said teachers will be obliged to demonstrate in order to fight the government’s arm-twisting. Teachers have been compelled to resign as a result of the issue, he claimed.

“Then they (govt) alleged corruption in colleges and despite various audits, they did not find anything. After the pandemic, they said they don’t have money and slashed the budget. Earlier we (the college) were getting Rs 28 crore which has been brought down to Rs 16 crore,” he further added.

In addition, when it comes to vocational education, for which the Delhi Government has positioned itself as a forerunner, the situation is dire. Bidhuri stated that teachers and instructors in vocational institutes are struggling with their salaries with the government being careless about them.

According to some reports, 6 years have gone by, yet the salary of Delhi’s vocational instructors has not increased.

In Delhi government schools, vocational trainers were hired in 2015, but their pay has remained the same since then. On October 20, 2019, Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia promised Vocational Trainers at Thyagaraj Stadium that their salaries will be increased as soon as possible, however, it is already 2022, and the pay has not been raised.

Similar is the case with guest teachers in schools and colleges who have been assured of pay hikes but nothing solid has manifested to date.

Russian prank callers fool UK Home Secretary Priti Patel into a 15 minutes call, had pranked UK Defence Secretary earlier

OpIndia Staff
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Russian prank callers fool UK Home Secretary Priti Patel into a 15 minutes call, had pranked UK Defence Secretary earlier

Two Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus (real names Vladimir Kuznetsov and Aleksei Stolyarov) managed to trick UK Home Secretary Priti Patel into a 15 minutes long phone call. Posing as Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the duo discussed the ongoing Ukrainian war and Britain’s support for Ukraine with the Home Secretary. Patel was the second UK Minister to become a target of the comedy duo after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had a 10 minutes long Teams call with them.

Sitting in her office in front of a Union Jack and a Ukraine flag, Patel discussed all aspects of the Ukraine war, including the refugee crisis and UK’s response to that. Experts were debating whether the video was spliced, to attach different answers to different questions to make the Home Secretary’s answers look silly upon viewing.

At one point, the pranksters asked Patel if UK will be afraid of the Neo-Nazis from Ukraine, and she replied ,”Clearly they’re not, the support is very significant here, it really is.” She also admitted during the call that they pressurized Kenya and UAE to support Ukraine in the ongoing war against Russia.

As the call went on, reality slowly dawned on Priti Patel as the caller kept saying more and more absurd things, including praising the fair trial of Julian Assange, who the caller claimed drank a lot of UK’s blood.

Earlier, the pranksters had released the video of their call with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, in which Wallace told the pranksters that Britain wanted Ukraine to join NATO but was blocked by other countries.

The government sources in Britain have alleged that these prank calls are part of Russian propaganda, and an attempt to spread disinformation using edited clips. Vovan and Lexus have been accused of having links with Russian intelligence in the past, a charge they have denied.

These are not the first instances of UK politicians falling prey to prank calls. In 2018, Boris Johnson, who was foreign secretary at the time, had an 18 minutes phone call with a prankster pretending to be Armenian Prime Minister. In another instance, a prank caller pretending to be the chief of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in the UK was put through to former Prime Minister David Cameron.

‘Modi Story’: A volunteer-driven initiative launched to tell untold stories and inspiring moments from Narendra Modi’s life

OpIndia Staff
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‘Modi Story’: A volunteer-driven initiative launched to tell untold stories and inspiring moments from Narendra Modi’s life

On Saturday, a volunteer-driven initiative in the name of ‘Modi Story’ was launched by Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni, Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter, to gather inspiring moments from PM Modi’s life. The initiative aims at bringing forth Narendra Modi’s remarkable life narrative through the eyes of individuals who have got a glimpse of his life.

“Announcing the launch of MODI STORY, a volunteer-driven initiative to bring together inspiring moments from Narendra Modi’s life, as narrated by his co-travelers. Inaugurated by Smt. Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi,” the portal tweeted. Meanwhile, BJP leaders and several Union ministers including Smriti Irani, Anurag Thakur also tweeted about The Modi Story on March 26.

According to the website modistory.in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the root of the making of New India. He has inspired the common Indians to come together, aspire for greatness and carry in the spirit of ‘we the people’. “There are many people, from far and near, who have caught a glimpse into Modi’s life, his intent, integrity, and intensity. They came away inspired, keen to infuse the same ‘can do’ spirit in everyone. Modi Story’ is about such voices”, the website reads.

It adds that the initiative is about raising the collective voices and telling people’s contributions in the making of a New India. “If one Modi can give the country new momentum, imagine a nation with thousands of such inspired individuals”, the website said further inviting stories from individuals in written, video, or audio format.

Meanwhile, in the video shared by the BJP on its Twitter handle, Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni who launched the voluntary initiative could be heard saying that PM Modi was a good friend of her when she was in Delhi. “He used to visit us now and then. We were good friends. And that continues to be till today”, she stated.

Apart from Gandhi, classical dancer Sonal Mansingh, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Kishorilal Agrawal, Badminton player Pullela Gopichand, former finance secretary Hasmukh Adhia, and many more could be seen recalling their inspiring moments with the PM Modi.

‘They have threatened to kill us once they are out on bail’: Kin of Birbhum violence victim

OpIndia Staff
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‘They have threatened to kill us once they are out on bail’: Kin of Birbhum violence victim

The kins of the deceased eight people who were mercilessly assaulted and burnt alive in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on the night of March 21 (Monday) are living under constant fear. While some had named TMC block president Anarul Hussain as the key conspirator of the attack, a few others had lamented about the alleged state police’s negligence in handling the case. Now, another kin has come forward to speak out about the threats they have been receiving, making it impossible for them to go back home.

Speaking to News 18, one Mafiza Bibi of Rampurhat, whose mother died in the carnage alleged that Bhadu Sheikh’s goons are now threatening her with life. She was quoted by the media outlet as saying, “They are saying when their people will come out of bail, they will kill us. He openly said this to me. I have complained to the police. They have said they will come.”

According to a News 18 journalist who visited the village where the heinous incident occurred on the night of March 21, this was discovered to be the villagers’ common fear. The villagers explained to the journalist why the village remains deserted, saying, “If such threats continue despite the police being stationed there temporarily, it does not give us the confidence to return to the village.”

Victim’s kin allege state police negligence, accuse TMC leader Anarul Hussain of masterminding the massacre

Notably, prior to this, Mihilal Sheikh and Banirul, two relatives of the deceased victims also alleged the state police’s negligence in handling the case. They also named TMC block president Anarul Hussain, who was later arrested, as the key conspirator of the attack

According to the victims, when the incident occurred, women and children had locked themselves in a room out of fear. The attackers were aware of this, still, they set the room ablaze. The victim’s family further claimed that not eight, but ten members of their household were burned to death on Monday night, and instead of returning the bodies to them, the police buried them in the village overnight.

The victim’s kin also refuted the allegation that the incident was an act of retribution for the killing of a panchayat official of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state.

Mihilal’s brother disputed the police version as well as the family of the slain TMC leader, who accused Mihilal, his brother-in-law Sona, and Fatikh of murdering him.

Meanwhile, a 15-member CBI team, led by deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Akhilesh Singh reached Rampurhat village in West Bengal to probe the Birbhum violence on Saturday. The team also included Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) experts from New Delhi.

On Friday, March 25, the Calcutta High Court had transferred the investigation into the violence in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, in which 8 persons were brutally thrashed before being burnt alive, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Until now, an SIT formed by the Mamata Banerjee government in the state was handling the probe into the case.

In its order, the Calcutta High Court stated, “we are of the opinion that the facts and the circumstances of the case demand that, in the interest of justice and to instil confidence in the society and to have a fair investigation to dig out the truth, it is necessary to hand over the investigation to the CBI.”

Birbhum massacre

On March 22 late-night, a group of enraged miscreants set ablaze around 12 homes which resulted in the gruesome death of eight people including women and innocent children in Birbhum’s Rampurhat. The autopsy report of the burnt bodies shows that the people were beaten before they were locked in their homes before the houses were set on fire. The massacre had taken place in retaliation of the alleged murder of a TMC leader.

Jharkhand: Days after 181 Christians reconverted to the original tribal Sarna faith, 61 tribal Christian families do Gharwapsi

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Days after 181 Christians reconverted to the original tribal Sarna faith, 61 tribal Christian families do Gharwapsi

While Christian missionaries operating in the rural hamlets of Jharkhand have been luring vulnerable tribals with land and money in order to convert them, members of various Hindu outfits have been working tirelessly to free these innocent tribals from the clutches of such evangelists.

A week after 181 tribal community members were converted back to their Sarna religion in different villages of Jharkhand’s Garhwa district, hundreds of people from 61 families of Vanvasi (tribal) Samaj in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district did the same on March 25, 2022.

According to reports, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Department Minister Kalicharan Mandal had organised a program for the return of these 61 Sarna tribal families in the Sahibganj district.

In fact, VHP’s Kalicharan Mandal has been running a ‘ghar wapsi’ or the reconversion programme in five villages in the district’s Barhait block. In the program, all the Christian converts who wished to revert to their original faith were welcomed as per the tribal tradition. Kalicharan Mandal and Upendra Kushwaha, regional head of the VHP, are in charge of the programme. Their goal is to persuade people who have been duped into becoming converts by the Christian Missionaries operating in these hamlets to return to the Hindu fold.

As soon as the VHP members learn of such an incident, they rush to the scene and rescues the innocent and vulnerable Adivasi, people belonging to the Pahadia caste, Dalit society, and the poor from the clutches of Christian missionaries.

181 Christian converts in Garhwa district, Jharkhand perform Gharwapsi to tribal Sarna religion

It is worth noting that recently as many as 181 members of a tribal community whose ancestors had embraced Christianity many years ago were converted back to their Sarna religion in different villages of Garhwa district in Jharkhand.

The Dharma Jagran and Tribal Suraksha Manch organised the Saraedih Village Tribal Conference for the return of the Sarna tribals. In the program, all the Christian converts who wished to revert back to their original faith were welcomed as per the tribal tradition of washing their feet.

About 104 members of 18 families from the Vishrampur Goraiyabkhar village, 42 members of 7 families from Khunti Tola Karachali village and 35 members of 8 families from Mahangai village left Christianity and returned to Sarna religion. 

Two similar cases, two different rulings: How Supreme Court differentiated between Hindu Temples and Christian Missionaries

OpIndia Staff
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Two similar cases, two different rulings: How Supreme Court differentiated between Hindu Temples and Christian Missionaries

The Supreme Court’s recent observations in two similar cases, one concerning the management of a temple and another with monitoring activities of Christian missionaries, has raised apprehensions on the perils that the Hindus await.

Deciding on two similar cases, listed in a span of less than a week, the Supreme Court has given two differential interpretations on the very similar issue of managing religious places of two different faiths – one Hindu temple and the second being Christian missionaries. This has now intensified a debate on how Hindus have been left to be dependent on the courts to even practise their faith.

On March 19, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear a petition challenging the Madras High Court order that had dismissed a plea seeking appointment of a trustee committee headed by a retired judge in all Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu.

The petition filed by the Hindu activist group – ‘Hindu Dharma Parishad’ had sought appointment of Arangavalar Committee (Trustee Committee) headed by retired Judge in all Hindu temples with a social activist, a devotee, a scheduled caste and a woman as its members to manage the temples in Tamil Nadu.

A Supreme bench of justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari issued notice to the state of Tamil Nadu and others seeking their responses on the plea against the Madras High Court order. On December 9, the Madras High Court’s Madurai bench had dismissed Parishad’s writ seeking the similar relief.

Encouraged by the Supreme Court’s order that interfered in the management of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu, the activist group – ‘Hindu Dharma Parishad’ filed another petition in the Supreme Court urging them to establish a board to make surveillance and monitor the activities of Christian missionaries in the country.

The petition filed by Parishad was almost similar to the one they had filed earlier asking to set up a committee to manage Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu, except this time it was Christian missionaries.

However, the Supreme Court intriguingly took a different stand in the matter as it refused to entertain a petition filed by a Hindu activist group. On March 25, just a week later after it had issued a notice in Hindu temples petition, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition filed by Hindu activist group – Hindu Dharma Parishad seeking to establish a board to make surveillance and monitor the activities of Christian Missionaries in the country.

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and AS Bopanna had rejected the petition filed by Hindu Dharma Parishad, citing Madras High Court’s order, that stated the plea cannot be entertained as the jurisdiction lies within the state and there was an act in place that provides for prohibition of conversion from one religion to another by the use of force or allurement or by fraudulent means.

In its petition in the top court against the high court order, the petitioner argued that for the last few years, some anti-social elements and anti-nationals are forcibly converting people from Hinduism to other religions, especially Christianity.

However, the Supreme Court rejected the arguments made by the petitioner and had disposed of the writ petition filed by Hindu Dharma Parishad claiming that it had no merit.

It is rather interesting to know the rationale behind Supreme Court’s contrasting observations in two similar petitions concerning managing religious activities in a secular state. While the petition seeking to regulate Hindu temples gets easily listed and also Supreme Court exhibits its eagerness to issue notice. However, when it comes to regulating the missionary activities of the church, the judiciary has yet again turned a blind eye.

West Bengal: ‘Go Back, Go Back’, locals protest as Minister Firhad Hakim enters Amta to meet the family of deceased student leader Anish Khan

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: ‘Go Back, Go Back’, locals protest as Minister Firhad Hakim enters Amta to meet the family of deceased student leader Anish Khan

On Friday, TMC leaders Firhad Hakim and Pulak Roy visited the Amta village in Howrah to meet the family members of the deceased student leader Anish Khan, who was murdered earlier last month. The locals protested and raised the slogans of ‘Go Back’ as the ministers moved towards the Khan’s house to meet his family on March 25.

According to the reports, the furious villagers surrounded Hakim’s car and stopped him from entering the village. They questioned why was the minister was visiting the village after 42 days of Anish’s murder by the cops. The locals also reiterated their demand for a CBI probe into the case.

This is a day after the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe into the killings in Birbhum’s Rampurhat. One of the protestors expressed anger that the CBI probe was ordered in Birbhum’s Rampurhat case but not in the death case of Anish. He also mentioned that Hakim had arrived in the village for a religious program and not to meet the family members of Anish.

On February 20, Anish Khan, a student who was staging a protest for around 130 days against the Mamata Banerjee government, was murdered by four unidentified people in Howrah. The incident since then has triggered massive protests by the students against the West Bengal government, who accuse the Mamata Banerjee-led government of killing the protesting student.

As reported earlier, Anish Khan was a student leader of the radical Islamic organization Indian Secular Front. The family of the deceased 28-year-old student had then said that one of the accused was wearing a police uniform and was carrying a firearm, while the others were wearing the uniforms of civic volunteers. The family members also alleged that the victim was thrown off from the second floor. The local police however rejected the allegations claiming that none of the policemen was sent to any such location for any kind of questioning.

It is important to note that Firhad Hakim had earlier claimed that there was a possibility of a conspiracy behind the murder. “Such incidents can only be seen in states like Uttar Pradesh. The assailants may have come from outside the state. Police will conduct a thorough investigation and arrest the culprits,” he had said.

However, a few hours before Hakim was sent back, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met Anish’s father Salem Khan at his residence. Salem reiterated his demand for justice for his son. The father of the deceased had earlier expressed his displeasure with a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Mamata Banerjee government and had instead demanded an independent inquiry into the case. The Calcutta High Court had, however, ruled out the possibility of a CBI probe and had asked Salem Khan and his family to instead co-operate with the SIT.

Leader of the Indian Secular Front and Islamic cleric Abbas Siddiqui also met Salem on Friday afternoon. While, both Chowdhury and Abbas could meet Salem, the transport minister was significantly stopped from visiting Anish’s home.

‘Maulana will decide about hijab and not Judge’: What ex-Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi said on love jihad, hijab, and Kashmiri Pandits

OpIndia Staff
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‘Maulana will decide about hijab and not Judge’: What ex-Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi said on love jihad, hijab, and Kashmiri Pandits

In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar’s local editor Upmita Vajpayee, former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi discussed several topics concerning Muslims, including the Muslim population, multiple marriages, triple talaq, love jihad, hijab, and Kashmiri Pandits. Quraishi, a renowned Muslim person, has always spoken out in support of Muslims and has stepped in to refute and mock any facts that show Muslims on the darker side.

This interview comes at a time when the Whole Islamist and liberal lobby is busy repudiating the movie The Kashmir Files as a farce. Here are a few excerpts from the interview which was published by Dainik Bhaskar.

Are Muslims growing faster than Hindus?

On being asked if the Muslim population is growing faster than the Hindu population, Quraishi responded saying there is no data to support such facts. He said, “For many years, it has been perpetuated that Muslims have a large number of children and they marry four times. The tagline “we five our twenty-five” was also coined, however, research shows that this is not the case.” Denying the role of Islam in the increase of the Muslim population, he said, “It is true that Muslims have the lowest rate of family planning, but this has nothing to do with religion.

To portray the growth rate of the Muslim population slow, he resorted to some calculations and a mathematical model. He stated, “Prof Dinesh Singh of Delhi University created a mathematical model for me. To inquire, as it is claimed, I asked him, ‘tell me when the majority of Muslims will be formed?’ I would become the country’s Prime Minister. Sir, you cannot become for 1000 years, he remarked.”

Is it because of the population that Muslims have more than one marriage?

“Having four wives is impossible in terms of gender ratio. There are 920-22 females for 1000 males. That is, not every man will get even a woman,” he replied. But, adding more on the merits of more than 1 marriage, he said, “Even if it is available, it is beneficial to the general public. When two women marry two men, they have more offspring; when two women marry one man, they have fewer children.”

Referring to a 47-year-old report, he cited that the study conducted by the Government of India in 1975 discovered that Muslims had the lowest incidence of multiple marriages among all castes, but this is simply put on Muslims. Elaborating on the reference of multiple marriages in Islam, he said, “There is only one verse in the Qur’an which talks about it, it also talks about marriage with unmarried and orphan women.”

On the question of Love Jihad

“There is love jihad between me and my wife, in my house daughters also do love jihad. Love has no limits,” Quraishi replied. At one point he contended that there is no love jihad but then he firmly stated that love jihad has affected the Muslim girls most. Then again he added, “The educated Muslim boys are taken away by Hindu educated girls. No one has seen it from the angle of Muslim women.”

Quraishi also added that the anti-conversion law in Madhya Pradesh is to defame Muslims. “The more you try to defame a Muslim, the less it is. That’s why this law was brought,” he said.

The Kashmiri Pandit-Muslim equation

Quraishi agreed that there were atrocities with the Kashmiri Pandits, however, they were not alone in this and Muslims in the valley were also affected. He further added, “Humanity should be meant, not religion.” He stated that The Kashmir Files is dividing the masses just like the terrorists.

Yogi’s triumph for democracy or communalism?

Quraishi remarked that the victory of Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh is the victory of communalism. “Polarization has been an election gimmick for the last 20 years. The situation is such that even two children are fighting face to face, then it is called polarization,” he added.

What about this phase of polarization?

He stated that maximal polarisation happened during Partition, then at the time of Babri and that the country is now in its third phase of polarisation. The country’s people are becoming increasingly communalized. However, surprisingly, he attributed the secular nature of India to Hindus. He said, “India is secular because Hindus are secular. When the partition took place, Pakistan became a Muslim country, but India became a secular country, not a Hindu country. Then everything became normal, so I hope the time will pass now.”

Questions are raised about EVMs, Akhilesh said that he is winning in the postal, how did he lose in EVMs?

Quraishi said that he is in support of the Electronic Voting Machine. “I consider EVMs to be reliable because Bharatiya Janata Party would not have lost Bengal elections had it gone wrong. The BJP had left no stone unturned in the Bengal elections. There is no question of returning to the ballot,” he stated.

Faith in the Election Commission lost?

“Yes, sorry but it’s true,” Quraishi said. “The country had the highest faith in the Election Commission. It hurts me to even say that. I don’t want to say anything about this,” he added.

Is the controversy over whether the hijab is part of the Quran fair?

Hijab, according to Quraishi, is not a commandment in the Quran, although both men and women are expected to dress modestly. He said, “Sikh turban, vermilion is allowed in school uniform, then what is the problem with hijab?”

He said that it is not the Judge who will decide about the hijab but the Maulana. “Will it be right if Maulana starts giving IPC decisions?” he added.

In another interview given to Times of India last year, Quraishi stated that Islam is the pioneer of the concept of family planning and it is a myth that polygamy is rampant in India. He was speaking about his book. Batting for Islamic nations like Bangladesh, Iran, and Indonesia, he stated that these countries are doing better than India when it comes to family planning.

Gandhi family loyalist Digvijay Singh opposes memorial for Hindus killed by Islamists, says it will ‘disturb communal harmony’ in Bhopal

OpIndia Staff
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Gandhi family loyalist Digvijay Singh opposes memorial for Hindus killed by Islamists, says it will ‘disturb communal harmony’ in Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Friday to facilitate the establishment of a museum to commemorate the genocide against the Kashmiri Pandit community in Jammu & Kashmir. The decision seems to have irked the Gandhi family loyalist and Congress leader Digvijay Singh.

Taking to Twitter, Digvijay Singh said that he does not support the establishment of a Genocide Museum in Bhopal.

Digvijay Singh said in a tweet, “I am totally against the creation of Genocide Museum in Bhopal. Will not let the communal harmony of Bhopal get disturbed. I oppose it”.

It is pertinent to note that the announcement of the establishment of a Hindu Genocide museum comes after the release of the movie “The Kashmir Files” which shows the truth about the Hindu genocide in Kashmir in the 1990s.

CM Chouhan made the announcement in response to a request made by Vivek Agnihotri, filmmaker of the film ‘The Kashmir Files,’ he said, “Today Vivek Ji has given the idea to build Genocide Museum. The state government will give you all kinds of cooperation including land. I respect your sentiments.”

Essentially, by opposing the Genocide Museum, Digvijay Singh, probably with the sanction of his party, is opposing a museum that would show the reality of how Islamists massacred Hindus in Kashmir in the 1990s, leading to their genocide and exodus from the state.

The Kashmir Files has proven to be a transformative experience for Hindus. The film, which is based on true accounts of Kashmiri Pandits, takes viewers to the early 1990s when turmoil in Kashmir began as a result of escalating Islamic Jihad, pushing the great majority of Hindus out of the valley. Those who refused to leave were killed by Kashmiri Jihadi Muslims.

The audience’s reaction to the film has been extraordinary. The film has become the talk of the town since it tells the heartbreaking account of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s by Islamic terrorists in the valley.

However, Congress has been opposing the movie tooth and nail.

While Digvijay Singh says that a museum showing the genocide of Hindus would hurt “communal harmony”, it is important to remember that he was one of the greatest proponents of the fake “saffron terror” bogey. Digvijay Singh was also present when Aziz Burney had released his repugnant book that claimed that the 26/11 terrorist attack by Pakistani terrorists was actually a conspiracy by the RSS. The book’s name was “26/11 – RSS ki Saazish”. During the launch, Digvijay Singh was present on the stage and made remarks against Hindus, propagating the mythical saffron terror bogey.

After trying to implicate Hindus in terror attacks by Islamists, the Congress is now voicing its opposition to a memorial that would remember the victims of Jihad specifically in Kashmir that led to the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.

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