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British Journalist tries to shame India over ‘aid’ for not towing UK’s line on Ukraine issue, gets reminded of his country’s dark colonial history

OpIndia Staff
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British Journalist tries to shame India over ‘aid’ for not towing UK’s line on Ukraine issue, gets reminded of his country’s dark colonial history

India’s abstention in the UN on the resolution of aggression against Ukraine has surprised many foreign experts on international relations. But British News Presenter Alastair Stewart saw this as an opportunity to mock India over its decision to strategize its national interests and not towing the western line.

It came after India, along with 34 other countries decided to abstain on the draft resolution concerning the aggression on Ukraine after the Russian Invasion of the country in the last week of February. While an unprecedented number of 141 counties took the NATO line to unite against Russia, India taking a neutral stand pressed that ‘dialogue and diplomacy’ could only solve the conflict.

However, Understanding India’s nuanced stance on the issue underlined by its equations with Russia and the presence of stranded nationals in war-torn Ukraine seems well above the pay grade of some international diplomacy experts in the west. Many of this cabal have resorted to making racist, derogatory and patronizing snides against India, entrenched in their continued colonial outlook.

On Thursday, British News Presenter Alastair Stewart while noticing India’s abstention over the resolution commented, “Pretty predictable but India and Pakistan should hang their heads in shame and, henceforth, receive not a penny piece in aid from the UK.” While Stewart seems to be aware of the history of India’s continued non-alignment in world affairs, he did not miss an opportunity to ‘tell’ the former colony nations to be ‘ashamed’ of their sovereign decisions.

Moreover, his remarks on British ‘aid’ to India have caught much ire amongst Indians and on Twitter that they are giving a good class to Alastair Stewart in coloniality. Renowned Indian Author, Scientist and Political critic Anand Ranganathan reminded Stewart on Twitter, “This butler probably doesn’t know that in 1947, Britain owed India 1.4 billion pounds, that it finally returned in 2001,”

Indians reminded the entitled British presenter on the British loot of India, which from 1767 to 1938 amounted to over US$ 45 trillion. To put this into perspective, the total loot estimated is 15 times that of the current GDP of India (close to 3 Trillion USD). Krithika Sivaswamy replied, “You owe us, buddy. It’s out of magnanimity (most would agree it’s foolish) that we have ignored to ask the UK to return with interest the total debt, including war debts.”

Calling out the British Museum in London which is often termed as the British Warehouse of Colonial loot, a Twitter user compared it with a high definition version of Chor Bazaar in Mumbai.

Going beyond the past while considering the present scenario, Indian businesses continue to be one of the largest investors in the UK while the diaspora contributes to a whopping 6% of the British GDP. Contrasting this with British contributions to India, Twitter user Joseph T Noony asked, “The 1.6% Indian diaspora contributes a disproportional 6%(?) to UK’s GDP. What’s your contribution to India? $45 trillion loot? Pakistan?”

Indian experts also reminded Alastair Stewart that while India does not need the condescending ‘British aid’ anymore, it was already stopped in 2015.

Poor Stewart and his racist followers were seen justifying the cause of the Empire, while Indians did not leave a chance in giving them a good lesson in history. Self-appointed global analysts often put themselves on pedestals while preaching the world over ‘values’, but in reality, they buckle down under their self-imposed white-man’s burden.

Hindu group stopped from cleansing Shivalinga inside Dargah premises stating ‘urs’ on Maha Shivratri in Karnataka’s Aland, 167 arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Hindu group stopped from cleansing Shivalinga inside Dargah premises stating ‘urs’ on Maha Shivratri in Karnataka’s Aland, 167 arrested

A tense situation has prevailed near Ladle Mashak Dargah in the Aland town of Kalaburgi district, Karnataka, after a Muslim mob resorted to stone pelting against Hindu activists and police personnel on Tuesday.

According to the reports, Hindu groups had planned to offer puja to Raghavachaitanya Shivalinga located inside the Ladle Mashak Dargah premises.

The Hindu groups wanted to cleanse the idol by performing puja after some miscreants had thrown human faeces on the Shivalinga recently. Hence, the Hindu activist group Sri Rama Sene had proposed the purification of the Raghavachaitanya Shivalinga at the dargah on March 1 to mark Maha Shivaratri.

Ahead of the events, the Kalaburagi police had prohibited the entry of Sri Ram Sene founder Pramod Muthalik, Hindu activist Chaitra Kundapura and Siddalinga Swami in the Kalaburagi district till March 3. However, the Hindu groups took out the procession from Aland’s bus stand as planned amidst the prohibitory orders.

As the Hindu groups marched towards the dargah, a Muslim mob assembled outside the premises to stop the peaceful rally. Apparently, the local Muslims had planned a procession to mark Shabab-e-Barat to pay respects to the dead at the shared dargah on the same day.

The Muslim mob assembled near the dargah flashed sharp weapons, sticks and other armaments as Hindu groups approached the dargah. The dargah committee office-bearers locked the gate, saying they would not allow them inside.

The enraged mob pelted stones at them as they encountered Hindu activists, leaving many injured. The mob also pelted stones on the vehicles of Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba, former MLA BR Patil, including the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police.   

As tension gripped the city, the police officials deployed additional forces to maintain law and order. The police used drones to keep a strict vigil on the activities as there were rumours that stones have been stocked on the terraces of the houses to attack the Hindu groups.

Later in the day, the district administration finally achieved a breakthrough after holding a series of negotiation talks with both groups. The district authority allowed 11 people to purify the Shivalinga and offer puja as a compromise between the two sides.

The Kalaburgi police have arrested more than 167 persons, including ten women, for their role in the clashes in Aland. The police have also extended prohibitory orders until March 5 to restore peace, law and order.

Meanwhile, a Muslim mob assembled on the streets of Kalaburgi to condemn the arrests of attackers. They demanded the release of persons accused of pelting stones at Hindu groups and police personnel.

Delhi Police opposes bail plea of sedition accused Sharjeel Imam, say he may threaten witnesses, re-engage in riot-like activities

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Police opposes bail plea of sedition accused Sharjeel Imam, say he may threaten witnesses, re-engage in riot-like activities

On Wednesday, the Delhi Police opposed the bail plea of the JNU student Sharjeel Imam who has been arrested in a sedition case and said that he had instigated a particular religious community against the government during the anti-CAA protests in Delhi. Opposing the bail plea of Delhi riots accused, the Police said that if granted bail, Imam could influence the witnesses by threatening them and re-engaging in riot-like activities.

The Delhi Court on January 24 framed charges against the Imam for allegedly making inflammatory speeches at Aligarh Muslim University and in the Jamia area during the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. According to the Police, Imam’s speech which he had addressed to the Muslim community was specifically to instigate violence and he had also misled the students by mentioning fake detention camps.

The Delhi Police in its reply to the Delhi High Court said that the case is sensitive and if Imam is approved bail, he may evade the process of law and jump, threaten the public witnesses and may indulge in similar crimes again. The Police also said that Imam had tried to spread false rumours of genocide in Assam through his speeches. He through his speeches, instigated a particular religious community of Assam to cut it off from central India.

Further according to the Police, the statements made in the speech come under Section 124A and 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Police also said that the location of the accused’s phone was at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019 and at Shaheen Bagh on December 15.

On December 13, 2019, Sharjeel Imam had spread misinformation and had incited the gathering to revolt against the government. He had asked the general public to block the ingress and egress to 500 cities in India, which have a substantial Muslim population. He had also promoted enmity between different groups of society on religious grounds.

Sharjeel Imam had applied for bail in the case registered against him and said that all the co-accused, who were arrested for allegedly causing the violence, have been granted bail in the case while he was still in prison for over 20 months. The bail application further mentioned that Imam had not even been named in the FIR and was deliberately targeted by the investigation agency.

Earlier the trial court had also denied Imam’s bail plea and had claimed that free speech was not to be exercised at the cost of communal peace and harmony. The trial court had ruled that the evidence presented in the case showed that Imam had influenced the act of rioting and mischief.

“The tone and tenor of the incendiary speech tend to have a debilitating effect upon public tranquillity, peace, and harmony of the society. It is no gainsaying that fundamental right of ‘freedom of speech and expression’ cannot be exercised at the cost of communal peace and harmony of the society”, the trial court was quoted.

It is important to note that Imam is also accused to be the mastermind of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. However, the Delhi court on January 24 ordered the imposition of several other sections including sedition, punishment for unlawful activities (UAPA) against Sharjeel Imam. The sections will be invoked over the toxic speeches made by him during the anti-CAA protests in Delhi.

Biden administration mulling whether to apply or waive sanctions against India over S-400 deal with Russia: US Diplomat

OpIndia Staff
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Biden administration mulling whether to apply or waive sanctions against India over S-400 deal with Russia: US Diplomat

On Wednesday, March 2, USA diplomat Donald Lu said that the Biden administration is considering whether to apply or waive sanctions against India for its purchase of the S-400 Triumf missile defence system from Russia under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The speculations of US imposing sanctions on India after India abstained from voting against Russia in the UNSC and then UN.

According to Lu, the Biden administration has yet to decide whether or not to impose sanctions on India under CAATSA. “What I can say is that India is a really important security partner of ours now and that we value moving forward that partnership,” he said.

Notably, despite a warning from the then-Trump administration that proceeding with the contract could result in US sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), India had struck a USD 5 billion deal with Russia in October 2018 to buy five S-400 air defence missile systems.

CAATSA is a tough US law that was brought in 2017 and authorises the US administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defence hardware from Russia.

India has been a leading buyer of Russian arms and ammunition. Notably, the US Government has delayed enforcing a statute that would have imposed sanctions on India for trading with Russia as the US deepens its ties with India as a key regional counterweight to China. Moreover, India has increased the purchase of military equipment from the USA, including helicopters and transport planes.

Speaking to the Sun, Lu remarked that India had just cancelled orders for Russian MiG-29 fighter planes, helicopters, and anti-tank weapons and that the new penalties would encourage other countries to do the same.

He told legislators that Russia is unlikely to be able to sell new systems or provide maintenance for current ones.

It may be recalled the Indian Defence Ministry had on January 14, 2022, decided to withdraw tenders for deals related to buying short-range surface-to-air missiles and 14 helicopters. The decision was taken after Prime Minister Modi took a review meeting with the Defence Ministry officials, including the then Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, where it was felt that strong measures would have to be taken to ensure that the country moves firmly towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the defence sector.

India abstains on UNGA and UNSC resolution that condemns Russia’s action against Ukraine

The remark by the US diplomat came after India maintained its neutral stance on Wednesday, abstaining from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution strongly condemning Russia’s actions against Ukraine.

India’s abstention was in line with what the government previously described as the country’s consistent position, which permits it to reach out to both sides in the crisis and find a solution via diplomacy and negotiation.

The UNGA resolution was similar to one circulated in the UN Security Council’s 15-member body last Friday, on which India had also abstained. After permanent member Russia exercised its veto, the UNSC resolution, which had 11 votes in favour and three abstentions, was blocked.

Following the Council’s failure to adopt the resolution, the Security Council agreed on Sunday to call a special “emergency special session” of the 193-member General Assembly to address the problem. India once again chose to abstain reiterating that “there is no other choice but to return back to the path of diplomacy and dialogue”.

Since the Russia-Ukraine invasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, expressing concern over the violence.

The repeated attacks against Sara Ali Khan by Islamists: What it means and why the Hindu community would be remiss to dismiss it

Nupur J Sharma
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The repeated attacks against Sara Ali Khan by Islamists: What it means and why the Hindu community would be remiss to dismiss it

On Mahashivratri, when Hindus worship Lord Shiva, Sara Ali Khan, the daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, was abused and attacked on social media yet again because she posted a picture of performing puja at the Omkareshwar Temple Jyotirlinga. Members of the Muslim community descended in her mentions on Instagram abusing her for performing ‘Shirk’. ‘Are you a Muslim?’ was a common comment under her picture.

In one of the pictures, one individual belonging to the Muslim community said that it is understandable that despite being a Muslim, she wears short clothes and acts in movies, but performing Shirk is an absolute sin.

The Quran stresses in many verses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharīk). It warns those who believe their idols will intercede for them that they, together with the idols, will become fuel for hellfire on the Day of Judgment (21:98). Shirk in Islam is, therefore, idolatry, polytheism, and the association of God with other deities.

In this context, the comment of the Muslim individual becomes extremely important. For the average Muslim, it would appear, no sin is greater than that of Shirk – worshipping Hindu deities, in the context of India.

For most, social media comments are just that – social media comments that must be summarily ignored as the rants of deranged minds who have nothing better to do in life, except of course, when they abuse the likes of Rana Ayyub – then they become the symbols of Hindu terrorism – but we will discuss that some other day.

The attacks against Sara Ali Khan aren’t new or one-off. She was abused for visiting the Ujjain Mahakal Temple, the Kedarnath temple and even for wishing Home Minister Amit Shah on his birthday.

Repeatedly, on almost every Hindu festival, Islamists descend in her mentions abusing her for committing Shirk, for being a bad Muslim – some abuse, some post Quran verses, some issue threats and others simply ask her to leave Islam if she is so drawn towards Kafirs and their religion.

I would be remiss if I did not admit that the attacks against Khan have become so frequent, that when she was attacked recently, I paused before covering and eventually, let it slide. How many times do we cover the same issue, I had remarked – she gets abused every single day. It was only later that I realised that my reaction was precisely the problem and how I had done injustice to the subject by not covering the latest incident.

Essentially, by not covering the vile attack against Khan, I ended up normalising the barbaric Islamic attack on anyone who shows reverence to the Hindu faith. I let down ex-Muslims, anyone who worships Hindu Gods and Goddesses and most of all – Hindus.

Let me explain how.

As the editor-in-chief of OpIndia, there is a deep sense of realisation that we are not really like Times of India. We don’t cover everything. We don’t write 100 reports a day and cover every incident under the sun. OpIndia has a specific brief. We cover what we think is necessary for the cause of Hindus and Bharat.

The unbridled hate of the Islamists, directed towards the Hindu community, our faith and our Gods and Goddesses has been a large part of what we aim to cover in OpIndia. While the mythical beast of Islamophobia is mainstreamed, the irrepressible hatred against Hindus, their genocide, their murders and iconoclasm has been summarily ignored in the pages of history and therefore, the real and present dangers that Hindus face have been buried under sheets of secularism, political correctness and the importance we seem to give to the phenomenon of Sarva Garam Vada Pao, foisted upon us by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The attacks we see against Sara Ali Khan aren’t random – we have seen such concerted attacks before by the Muslim community and they have, almost always, stemmed from the same malaise that cannot be ignored no matter how repetitive it gets. The unintended consequence of ignoring the attacks against Khan, just because they have become usual and repetitive, only ends in the normalisation of hatred against Hindus and their Deities, a consequence we must be mindful of.

Every time such attacks happen, one has to hear canards about Islam being a religion of peace and all the violence that has somehow been sanctioned by Islam are misinformation being spread by Islamophobes. Then comes the reply that all religions are the same and therefore, indoctrinated elements exist in all religions. Essentially, the apologists of Islam say that all religions are equal (teaching love, brotherhood and peace) and such comments on posts like Sara’s should be ignored because a few bad apples do not define the adherents of faith in totality.

At the very outset, it suffices to say that no other religion in the world, at this point in time in history, lays out a doctrine for the torture, subjugation, conversion and humiliation of all the people who refuse to believe in their faith, other than Islam.

No other religion in the world has left behind a trail of mangled bodies, blood and gore in its wake as much as Islam and what is worse is that this carnage was sanctified in their religion, in fact, it is one of the necessities of their religion. Moral relativists and apologists of Islam often say that Islam is a religion of peace and it is its adherents who have distorted the peaceful version of Islam. 

And therefore, any threats made by the Muslim community has to be amplified and taken seriously, not ignored and normalised. Almost on a daily basis, we hear “Gau Mutra” jibes being thrown at Hindus. While it is just “trolling” for those who want to apologise for Islam’s deep-seated hatred, it is an indication of the malaise that ails the Muslim community, as evidenced by the fact that even the Pulwama terrorist used the “Gau Mutra” jibe in his video. He blew himself up. One has to then wonder what really is the difference between those who make these comments online and those who blow themselves up offline.

For thousands of years, Hindus have been subjugated by the Islamist invaders who have raped Hindu women, beheaded our kings, murdered our children all for the ultimate goal of the establishment of the Caliphate. There are countless tales of how the Islamic invaders murdered Hindus and kept their wives, mothers and daughters as slaves – the spoils of war.

The barbarity was so perverse, that Hindu women often chose to jump into the fire and give up their lives after Hindus were defeated in war, lest they were taken slaves by Islamic invaders. You might wonder why they didn’t simply slit their wrists instead of stepping into the burning fire – well – they did not want their corpse to be desecrated by the followers of Islam who had laid siege on their land. 

The brutality is not just limited to Islamic invaders. In the modern political landscape of India, Hindus were humiliated during the partition as well. One recalls how the Khilafat movement claimed the lives of countless Hindus during the Moplah massacres by Islamists and even the Direct Action Day, spearheaded by Jinnah. After the countless deaths of Hindus, our own, MK Gandhi, asked Hindus to simply lay down their lives if the Islamists chose to claim it. 

During partition, Hindus were mutilated and their women raped. At the altar of ‘secularism’, which the Atheists love to espouse, India decided to not conduct a full exchange of population, a suggestion that was made by various luminaries at the time including Dr B.R. Ambedkar, and thus, began another cycle of subjugation in modern India. This year itself, we saw riots by sections of the Muslim community and aided by the Left against the Hindus.

The saga of brutality continues to this day not just in India, but also, against the minority Hindus of Pakistan and when India decided that the minority Hindus could take refuge in India, their natural home post-partition, the Islamists ran riots yet again. They stabbed a Hindu over 50 times simply because he was Hindu and chopped off the arms and legs of another before burning him alive.

Therefore, every comment against Sara Ali Khan is not just an attack against her, but when Islamists abuse her for visiting temples, it is essentially their hate for Hindus, Hinduism, Polytheism and their generational need for iconoclasm. Every temple desecrated, every Hindu killed, every incident of abuse, offline or online, needs to be documented with clinical precision and an unswerving commitment – documenting the siege against our people and our faith cannot be cast aside simply because it is repetitive.

‘Leave no one behind’: Indian students allowed to bring pet animals along in evacuation flights. Watch visuals

OpIndia Staff
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‘Leave no one behind’: Indian students allowed to bring pet animals along in evacuation flights. Watch visuals

Amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, some of the Indian nationals who were being evacuated were worried about their pet dogs and cats. On March 2, the Indian government issued a special advisory allowing the Indian nationals to bring along their pets from Ukraine back to India. After the advisory was issued, visuals surfaced on social media platforms where Indians have seen boarding evacuation flights with their pets.

Union Minister General (Rtrd) VK Singh, who is currently in Poland coordinating the evacuation drive under Operation Ganga, shared multiple posts of pets being rescued along with the Indian nationals. In a 21-second video shared on Twitter, Singh was seen petting the dog brought by one of the evacuees. He wrote, “Some of the evacuees brought their four-legged best friends as well. Good to have all of our Indian Students aboard on the Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster ready to return to the safety of our motherland.”

Quoting a post by Journalist Manav Yadav who had shared the story of dog Neela being brought back with his owner Yukta from Ukraine, Singh said, “Happy to be of service. I am sure Neela would have been a well-behaved passenger. Will see both of you again when I am back.” Yukta had thanked Singh for his support in bringing back her dog to India.

News Agency ANI shared a post about an Indian Zahid who had brought back a dog that originally belonged to his friend in Ukraine. He said, “I have brought my friend’s dog with me from Ukraine. Many people who had dogs left them behind in Ukraine, but I brought back this dog along with me.”

Another student Gautam had brought back a cat from Ukraine. He said, “his cat has been with me for the past four months. It stayed with me in the bunker, and then we crossed into Poland together.”

Govt of India relaxed conditions to import pets from war-hit Ukraine

On March 2, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, issued an official memorandum relaxing the conditions to import pets from war-hit Ukraine.

In the memorandum, the ministry issued specific guidelines that the Indian nationals have to follow if they want to bring their pets along from Ukraine. The pet owner is required to produce a pet passport, vaccination documents along with other details. Proper certification from a vet and mandatory quarantine was also advised in the memorandum.

‘Wanted Dead or Alive’: Russian Businessman announces $1million bounty on President Vladimir Putin

OpIndia Staff
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‘Wanted Dead or Alive’: Russian Businessman announces $1million bounty on President Vladimir Putin

A Russian-born entrepreneur has put a $1 million bounty on the head of President Vladimir Putin.

Recently, Russian-born entrepreneur Alex Konanykhin offered $1 million to any military officer who catches Russian President Vladimir Putin “dead or alive” for allegedly committing “war crimes” in his invasion of Ukraine.

“I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws,” wrote Konanykhin on Facebook.

In his post, Konanykhin claimed that Putin is not the Russian president since he came to power as the result of a special operation of blowing up apartment buildings in Russia, then violated the Constitution by eliminating free elections and murdering his opponents.

“As an ethnic Russian and a Russian citizen, I see it as my moral duty to facilitate the denazification of Russia. I will continue my assistance to Ukraine in its heroic efforts to withstand the onslaught of Putin’s Orda,” added the businessman.

The post was accompanied by an image with a photo of Putin that read, “Wanted: Dead or alive. Vladimir Putin for mass murder.”

Facebook post of Alex Konanykhin/ Image Source: Petr Dragoun

The Russian-based businessman has now deleted the post.

However, in another post, Alex Konanykhin asked a thousand other people to chip in a million each to the bounty to make it a billion.

According to a report, Konanykhin shares a rough past with the Russian government. Konanykhin, who studied at the Moscow Physics and Technical Institute, entered into several businesses, including banking, stocks and real estate.

He had built an empire of over 100 firms worth about $300 million by 1992. He was even a part of then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s first delegation to Washington that year.

In 1996, during his stay in the US, Konanykhin and his wife were arrested by federal immigration agents on charges of violating the conditions of their American visas. The arrests had come after Russian authorities had alleged that he embezzled $8 million from the Russian Exchange Bank in Moscow.

During the trial, Konanykhin had testified that some of his corporate aides at the Russian Exchange Bank began pressurising him for money and issued threats. He had said that he left for Hungary, where he received more threats, prompting him to flee to the Czech Republic and then to New York.

ICC to start investigation against Russian President Putin over war crimes

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has also announced it will be investigating Russia over possible war crimes committed following the invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan revealed that he believes “alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine” and an investigation into Russia’s actions will be launched as rapidly as possible.

He had said the probe was initiated after 39 countries that are parties to the Rome Statute had petitioned the ICC to begin an investigation.

The announcement comes days after widely-banned cluster munitions killed one child and two adult civilians at a preschool in Okhtyrka, Ukraine.

The ICC prosecutor had claimed that there was a “reasonable basis” to believe that war crimes have occurred during the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

Ukraine: Russian forces take control of Kherson in the south, mayor says there are no Ukrainian troops in the city

OpIndia Staff
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Ukraine: Russian forces take control of Kherson in the south, mayor says there are no Ukrainian troops in the city

On March 2, Kherson, one of the major cities of Ukraine reportedly came under Russian control, as per reports.

Ihor Kolykhaiev, Mayor of Kherson, wrote a post on his Facebook account asking the residents to follow the orders of the Russian soldiers. Kherson houses around 2,90,000 people, and it is located at around 480 KM south of Kyiv. The Russians had claimed they had captured the city hours before the official announcement from the Ukrainian officials.

Kherson is strategically important because it provides land connectivity to Crimea.

Ihor Kolykhaiev, Mayor of Kherson’s post on Facebook. Translated by Facebook.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an early morning address on Thursday, urged the people of Ukraine to keep resisting the Russian Army. In a social media post, he had said, “We are a people who in a week have destroyed the plans of the enemy.” Notably, he did not comment on if Russia has taken control of the major cities, including Kherson. He claimed the Russians would be driven out from the locations they had entered.

New Agency AFP said one million people have already fled from Ukraine since Russia initiated military action. Gennady Lakhuta, head of the regional administration, wrote in a post on Telegram messaging service that the Russians have occupied the majority of the locations in the city. He said, “The (Russian) occupiers are in all parts of the city and are very dangerous.”

Natalie Gallon, Reporter at CNN, said in a social media post that the Russian troops were seen walking under stress after the intense fight. Kherson houses a key bridge that connects Crimea to the rest of Ukraine.

Russia’s military action against Ukraine

On February 24, Russia announced military action against Ukraine. In the last one week, Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the situation. Meanwhile, India has abstained from voting against Russia in the United Nations Security Council. Reportedly, there were around 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine when the war broke. Over 12,000 Indians have been evacuated from the war-torn country. Out of these 12,000, over 6,000 have been brought back to India. Indian Air Force has also joined the evacuation process.

Four Union Ministers have been coordinating the evacuation from the neighbouring countries. On Wednesday, Indian Embassy in Ukraine had issued an urgent advisory to the Indian nationals in Kharkiv to leave the city immediately and provided a list of three locations in three different directions, including one in Russia where they can go for further evacuation.

Ukraine holding Indian students hostage in Kharkiv to use them as human shield, Russian President Putin informs PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Ukraine holding Indian students hostage in Kharkiv to use them as human shield, Russian President Putin informs PM Modi

Amidst escalating tensions in Ukraine, Russia has alleged that the Ukrainians were holding a group of Indian students hostage to use them as human shields.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi – the second in less than a week, during which the Russian President revealed to him that Ukrainian forces are using Indian students as human shields to gain leverage in the ongoing conflict with the Russian troops.

Russian President Putin also assured India that its military was doing everything possible to ensure the safe evacuation of Indians from the “war zone”.

According to the readout of the conversation issued by the Kremlin, Putin has instructed his military to ensure “urgent evacuation of a group of Indian students from Kharkov (Kharkiv) through the humanitarian corridor along the shortest route to Russia”.

“At the same time, according to the latest information, these students are actually taken hostage by the Ukrainian security forces, who use them as a human shield and in every possible way prevent them from leaving for Russia. Responsibility, in this case, lies entirely with the Kiev (Kyiv) authorities,” the Kremlin readout said.

The conversation between PM Modi and President Putin took place some hours after Indians stranded in the east Ukrainian city of Kharkiv were asked to leave and proceed towards three locations Pesochin, Babaye (both in Ukraine) and Bezlyudovka (in Russia) within four hours, even on foot if necessary.

The Indian embassy in Ukraine had issued an urgent advisory to all Indians in Kharkiv to leave immediately due to the deteriorating situation. Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, now hosts the largest number of Indians in Ukraine.

According to the Indian readout of the conversation between Modi and Putin, the two sides reviewed the situation in Ukraine, especially in the areas around Kharkiv where many Indian students are stuck.

“They discussed the safe evacuation of the Indian nationals from the conflict areas,” the readout read.

The Russians had agreed to provide a safe passage to Indians through their territory, the Russian envoy had informed yesterday.

India says no reports of any student held hostage

In another statement, the MEA added that India has “not received reports of any hostage situation regarding any student” amid war in Ukraine. The readout said that the Indian government has requested the Ukrainian government for arranging special trains to take students out of Kharkiv and neighbouring areas.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry had also stated that Russian armed forces are ready to take all necessary measures for the safe evacuation of the Indian citizens.

“And send them home from the Russian territory with its own military transport planes or Indian planes, as the Indian side proposed to do,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.  

Earlier, there were allegations that Zelenskyy’s regime was using civilians as human shields to prevent the forward movement of the advancing Russian army. Reports suggested that Ukraine has allegedly put Indian students in a hostage-like situation at the Poland border. 

Ukraine establishes hotline for evacuation

Hours after Russia alleged that Ukrainian troops are using Indians as human shields to protect themselves, Ukraine claimed to have established an emergency hotline for African, Asian and other students wishing to leave Ukraine because of Russia’s military operation.

Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said that the stranded students could dial the hotline for their safe evacuation. He added that they are working intensively to ensure their safety and speed up the passage.

The Foreign Ministry said that they had offered the students to leave the territory of Ukraine via the Ukrainian-Polish border. “They offered to go through the territory where active hostilities are taking place,” the statement said.

As per the reports, around 3,000 students are still stranded in these cities, the majority in Kharkiv.

It is notable here that many Indian students had shared videos saying they are being harassed by Ukrainian authorities and prevented from boarding trains.

US says no incidents of using civilians as human shields

Meanwhile, the US Department of State on Wednesday said that they have not seen any verified report of Ukraine using Indian students as human shields.

The State Department claimed that these allegations are commonly used in Russian disinformation.

“We have seen no verified reports of these incidents, and these types of reports about using civilians as human shields are commonly used in Russian disinformation,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. 

Varanasi: Members of Hindu Yuva Vahini welcome Mamata Banerjee with Jai Shri Ram chants and black flags

OpIndia Staff
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Varanasi: Members of Hindu Yuva Vahini welcome Mamata Banerjee with Jai Shri Ram chants and black flags

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was welcomed in Varanasi by members of Hindu Yuva Vahini with loud chants of Jai Shri Ram and black flags along with slogans like ‘Mamata Banerjee go back’. This incident took place on Wednesday 2nd March 2022 in the evening when Mamata Banerjee had arrived at Varanasi to address an election rally with Akhilesh Yadav to campaign for the candidates of the Samajwadi Party ahead of the seventh phase of voting in the ongoing assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh.

Many videos have gone viral on social media in which Mamata Banerjee and her cavalcade are seen obstructed by the outraging people who are raising slogans and chanting Jai Shri Ram. A Twitter user India Untold has posted one such video in which police are seen chasing a few such activists. The one who is seen talking in this video had said, “My name is Nitish Singh. I am City Secretary of Hindu Yuva Vahini. Today Mamata Bano, who is responsible for the genocide of Hindus in Bengal, has arrived at Kashi. By chanting Jai Shri Ram aloud, we want to bring this to her notice that this Bharat is the land of Sanatan Hindus and that this is not Bengal where you can insult Hindus and go away with it. This is Uttar Pradesh.”

Shashi Kumar, the social media co-convenor of the Uttar Pradesh state BJP has written in his tweet, “Mamata Bannerjee had the taste of her own medicine. She faced huge protests in Varanasi. People didn’t let her cavalcade move, welcomed her with black flags, and Jai Shri Ram. She had to cancel so many of her scheduled programs.” He has also posted a video with this tweet.

It is notable that Mamata Banerjee is holding a rally with Akhilesh Yadav in Airhe village of Varanasi to campaign for the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its allies in Varanasi – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency – on 3rd March 2022, ahead of the seventh and final phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections. In the last phase on 7th March 2022, a total of 54 constituencies including eight in Varanasi will go to the polls.

This is not the first time that Mamata Banerjee is was greeted by the Jai Shri Ram slogans. Hindu activists have been doing that various occasions after she had ppenly displayed her hatred for the slogan. In January 2021, she was seen walking out of the stage refusing to address the public gathered at Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial for Netaji birth anniversary celebrations, because the crowd was chanting Jai Shri Ram.

Mamata Banerjee who was sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lamented of “being disrespected” because she could not stand the slogans of Jai Shree Ram, Bharat Mata ki Jai, etc when she was invited to address the event. After that, she was greeted with the Jai Shri Ram slogan on several occasions.

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