Home Blog Page 3528

US extends military assistance to Ukraine as fears of Russian invasion soar, includes ammunition for front line defenders

OpIndia Staff
-
0
US extends military assistance to Ukraine as fears of Russian invasion soar, includes ammunition for front line defenders

On Friday, Ukraine received its first shipment of 2 lakh pounds of lethal assistance recently directed by US President Biden amid soaring fears of a Russian invasion. The shipment also included ammunition for the front line defenders of Ukraine and US commitment to bolster the defence.

The American Embassy in Kyiv in its tweet said that ‘the shipment – and $2.7 billion USD since 2014 – demonstrates US commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defences in the face of growing ‘Russian aggression’.

This comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine this week and approved military assistance of $200 million as part of American efforts to help Ukraine protect itself. Committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the official had said that the US would continue to provide Ukraine with the support it needs.

On January 19, Russia deployed more than 1,27,000 servicemen at the border with Ukraine with intentions to expand aggression towards Ukraine. The assessment by Ukraine had defined the situation in the region as ‘difficult’ and had said that Russia was trying to split and weaken the European Union and NATO.

The US also in its assessment report had mentioned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine at any point in time now. As reported earlier, the Russian troops have made their permanent camps in the Central and Eastern parts of the country and support around 35,000 rebels in eastern Ukraine.

According to the reports, Blinken yesterday met its Russian counterpart and tested Russia’s willingness to resolve the crisis diplomatically. Russia had has denied withdrawing its troops from the border and said that it has a right to deploy its forces wherever it likes on its own territory.

Reports mention Ukraine’s fear of being attacked with medium-range missile weapons named Iskander as 36 of them have made their base already by the border. Ukraine’s assessment comes as it attempts to get the whole world united against Putin seeking to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In 2014, NATO unanimously decided to suspend all practical co-operation with the Russian Federation, in response to the Ukraine crisis, but the NATO-Russia Council still remains intact.

‘Swear to Allah, I am a soldier of my community’: Punjab Congress chief Sidhu’s aide Mustafa threatens violence if Hindus hold events near his. Watch

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Swear to Allah, I am a soldier of my community’: Punjab Congress chief Sidhu’s aide Mustafa threatens violence if Hindus hold events near his. Watch

A video has surfaced in which the former Punjab DG Police Mohammad Mustafa, who is also the principal strategic adviser to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, is heard blatantly threatening Hindus of dire repercussions if they dare to hold their events near his event during a public meeting on January 20, Thursday.

Sharing the purported video, BJP’s national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi accused Sidhu’s aide of trying to incite violence and disturb communal harmony by giving provocative statements ahead of the Punjab assembly polls.

The video of the hate speech was first shared by Chiranshu Rattan, the spokesperson of the BJP Punjab youth wing. Soon it started doing rounds on social media. Ilmi captioned the video with a section of the Congress leader’s inflammatory statement made during an event held in the Baghwala Mohalla in Malerkotla district late on Thursday evening.

She Tweeted in Hindi which roughly translated to: “Swear to Allah, I am a soldier of my community, I want to tell the district administration, that it will not be good if Hindus are given a place next to my” PS of Malerkotla @sherryontopp while campaigning for his wife.”

‘I swear on Allah I will enter their houses and beat them up’, Punjab Congress leader blatantly threatens Hindus

In the video, Congress’ Mohammad Mustafa is heard threatening of creating a situation that cannot be controlled if Hindus were allowed to hold events near his event. Amidst loud cheers and claps, the Congress leader said: “Allah ki kasam kha ke kheta hoon inka koi jalsa nahi hone denge. Main quami fauji hoon, main quami sipahi hoon, mein RSS ka agent nahi hoon jo dar ke ghar mein ghus jaonga (I swear by Allah that I would not allow them to organise any event. I am a warrior and soldier of my community, I am not an RSS agent who will hide in fear.)

He added: “Agar dobara inhone aaisi harkat ki, khuda ki kasam inke ghar mein ghus kar marunga. Aaj mein sirf warning de raha hoon. Mein voto ke liye nahi lad raha…mein kaum ke liye lad raha hoon. Main zila police aur zila prashasan ko bhi batana chahata hoon…agar dobara aisi harkat hui…mere jalse ke barabar mein agar Hinduon ko ijaazat di gayi, toh mein aaise halat paida kar doonga ke sambhalne mushkil jo jayega” (If they again try to do something like this, I swear on Allah I will enter their houses and beat them up. I am not fighting for votes but for my community. I warn the district administration and police that if in future they allow Hindus to hold gatherings next to ours, I will create such an environment that it will be difficult for them to control.)

What transpired

The former Punjab DG Police Mohammad Mustafa’s hate speech came in the wake of a verbal spat between supporters of Congress candidate Razia Sultana and AAP candidate Jamil-ur-Rehman. Tension started when stages of AAP and Congress were set up in the same lane within 20-25 feet in Baghwala Mohalla, which is near Sirhindi Gate and both programmes were scheduled to be held simultaneously on January 20 (Thursday) evening.

Reportedly the AAP workers raised slogans against police and even Navjot Singh Sidhu’s aide Mohd Mustafa.

Speaking about the incident Waseem Sheikh, the secretary of Muslim Sikh federation Punjab said: “DJ of Congress was causing disturbance to AAP’s function and speakers of AAP were also not audible. AAP supporters raised slogans from their venue and didn’t go near Congress’s stage.” When the tensions between the Congress and the AAP erupted, Waseem Sheikh was present at the venue.

BJP’s national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi asks EC to take cognisance of the Punjab Congress leader’s hateful speech

Responding to the same, BJP’s national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi said: “Our team and Chiranshu got video and it was a speech given by Mustafa while campaigning during the election in Malerkotla, which is a Muslim-dominated area. This is a hate speech and he is trying to incite violence and disturb communal harmony by giving such provocative statements ahead of the Punjab election.”

“The Election Commission should take cognisance of this video and should not allow Razia, who is an MLA from Malerkotla, to contest the election,” Ilmi added.

Who is Mohammad Mustafa

Notably, Mohammad Mustafa is the husband of Razia Sultana, the Congress candidate representing the Malerkotla constituency in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. He is also the former Punjab DG Police, In August last year, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu had appointed former IPS officer Mohammad Mustafa as his principal strategic adviser.

The development followed a day after Mustafa, the husband of Punjab Cabinet Minister Razia Sultana, had turned down Sidhu’s invitation to designate him as one of his four advisers.

“Mohd Mustafa is hereby appointed as the principal strategic advisor to the PPCC president, the undersigned, Navjot Singh Sidhu with immediate effect,” a statement issued by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee said.

“He would act as a PCC coordinator with the AICC on issues pertaining to his domain and any other matters that the president may deem fit,” it added.

“Love to be associated with Razia Ji and Mustafa sahib,” Sidhu said in a tweet.

Malerkotla is an assembly constituency in Punjab. The Muslim-dominated district has 3.24 lakh voters. In 2017, this constituency was won by Razia Sultana of the Indian National Congress. She had defeated Mohammad Owais from Shiromani Akali Dal with a margin of 12702 votes.

The 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections will be held in Punjab in a single phase on 20 February 2022 to elect the 117 members of the 16th Assembly of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and the results will be announced on March 10.

Delhi Police nabs arm supplier Hazi Shamim for planning to kill Kashmiri Pandit activist Sushil Pandit, Khalistani, Pakistani links emerge

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi Police nabs arm supplier Hazi Shamim for planning to kill Kashmiri Pandit activist Sushil Pandit, Khalistani, Pakistani links emerge

On Friday, the Delhi Police arrested a notorious arms supplier named Hazi Shamim from Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh in a conspiracy to kill a prominent Kashmiri Pandit Social Activist in New Delhi. The Police has also exposed the Khalistani and Pakistan links in the case and recovered 5 pistols, 20 live cartridges from Shamim.

55-year-old Hazi Shamim, popularly known as Shamim pistol was involved in an assassination plot on a human rights activist Sushil Pandit last year. He was arrested by the Police on Friday after they confirmed Shamim’s role as the supplier of weapons, that emerged during an investigation.

According to the Delhi Police Special Cell DCP Pramod Kushwah, two contract killers Sukhvinder Singh and Lakhan Rajput were arrested in February last year for planning to kill Pandit. During the investigation, the two disclosed that they were hired by Prince Kumar alias Tooti and were promised Rs 10 lakh each. The police had then registered a case against Tooti and arrested two more accused, Jagdeep alias Kaka and Rohit Chaudhary.

The investigation further revealed that Chaudhary’s brother Rahul who is an expert in drone handling was arrested by the Punjab Police for his alleged role in smuggling narcotic drugs into India from Pakistan using drones. “When Rahul was in jail, Chaudhary was contacted by some persons from Pakistan through one Randeep alias Romi, a member of banned terrorist outfit Khalistan Zindabad Force”, DCP Kushwah said.

Reports further mention that Romi assigned the task of killing the Kashmiri social activist to Chaudhary, who asked his associate Jagdeep alias Kaka to arrange someone to do so, and offered him ₹50 lakh. Kaka had already murdered someone in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on Chaudhary’s instructions.

Kaka wanted to execute the operation but agreed to Chaudhary who suggested the murder be committed by someone else so that they are not linked to the killing. Kaka sought Tooti’s help, who hired Sukhvinder and Rajput. The two came to Delhi and were provided with firearms and ammunition and a photo of the target. “The two were arrested before they could finish the job”, the police said.

The Delhi Police confirmed that the weapons and bullets were supplied by Hazi Shamim and had attempted anticipatory bail after learning about the arrest of Chaudhary. The bail was however rejected. “Shamim went on the run and a non-bailable warrant was issued against him. He was arrested on January 19,” added the DCP.

Pertinently, Hazi Shamim has been supplying illegal arms for more than 15 years and deals in sophisticated arms including foreign make arms. He has been arrested several times in several cases for operating an illegal venture.

Kushwah said that Police had recovered 30 pistols, one rifle from Shamim in 2014 and also 84 pistols in 2018. It is reported that Shamim procured raw material from Munger in Bihar and assembled the weapons in Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra does a swift u-turn after she declared herself Congress’ CM candidate for UP: All you need to know

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra does a swift u-turn after she declared herself Congress’ CM candidate for UP: All you need to know

A day after Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra declared herself the Chief Ministerial candidate of Uttar Pradesh in the 2022 State Assembly elections, she reversed her stand, claiming that it was a “statement made in irritation.”

“I am not saying that I am the (CM) face (of Congress in the Uttar Pradesh elections)… I said that (you can see my face everywhere) in irritation because you all were asking the same question again & again” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told ANI.

The Congress party presented its manifesto for Uttar Pradesh ahead of the assembly elections on Friday, claiming that only the Congress could provide a fresh vision to the state’s youngsters. Besides that, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had clearly hinted that she would be the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh.

When asked by a journalist about who would be the Congress’ CM face in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi responded, “Can you see any other face?” “If I am the one who is seen everywhere, why is that question even being asked?” She also added that her party in Uttar Pradesh prefers that the focus is on development rather than the negative propaganda based on caste or communalism that is currently circulating.

Interestingly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has now made a u-turn. While her connotation was extremely evident when she implied that since it is only her face that is seen everywhere, then naturally she would be the CM face for Uttar Pradesh, she has now said that she made that statement out of “irritation”. One also has to wonder why she would get “irritated” when asked a question that is a natural inquisition given that Congress has not announced a CM face for Uttar Pradesh while for BJP, it has clearly been Yogi Adityanath. In fact, even for SP it is clearly Akhilesh Yadav.

Priyanka Gandhi has been spotted aggressively campaigning for the forthcoming state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. She is leading the Congress campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly election, which begins on February 10. Because of Covid, the Election Commission has prohibited political parties from holding rallies and roadshows, but it has permitted door-to-door and virtual campaigning.

While Priyanka Gandhi is busy engaging with women and promising to improve women’s status in society, Dr Priyanka Maurya, the state vice-president of the Mahila Congress in Uttar Pradesh since 2019 and the face of the party’s women’s manifesto “Shakti Vidhan,” has made serious allegations against Congress. She claimed that the party’s ticket allocation in the state was manipulated and that Congress denied her an election ticket because she refused to pay a bribe.

DSLSA moves Delhi HC for recovery of Rs 20 lakh fine imposed on Juhi Chawla, 7 months ago, for 5G lawsuit: What happened

OpIndia Staff
-
0
DSLSA moves Delhi HC for recovery of Rs 20 lakh fine imposed on Juhi Chawla, 7 months ago, for 5G lawsuit: What happened

The Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) has filed a plea with the Delhi High Court asking it to instruct Bollywood actor Juhi Chawla and two others to pay up the fine of Rs 20 lakh imposed on them for filing a case opposing the rollout of 5G technology. The fine was imposed on the actor and two others by Delhi HC in June last year after it dismissed the petition filed by actor Juhi Chawla against the 5G rollout in the country calling it a publicity stunt.

DSLSA’s lawyer, Saurabh Kansal, argued that though the order imposing the fine was issued in June it is yet to be implemented. Kansal argued before the court that the appeal against the order was filed only after the DSLSA issued a notice of recovery and that the division bench had not granted a stay.

In its execution petition, DSLSA asked the court to assist in the issuance of orders to attach and auction moveable and immovable properties for recovery of fine or directions for civil imprisonment of Juhi Chawla and others.

“More than 7 months have passed since this Hon’ble court had imposed cost upon Plaintiffs (Chawla and others), which was directed to be paid within seven days to DSLSA, but the Plaintiffs have failed to deposit the cost imposed by this Hon’ble Court,” the plea filed through DSLSA’s lawyers Saurabh Kansal and Pallavi S Kansal submitted.

Meanwhile, the Bollywood actress’s lawyer informed Justice Amit Bansal that an appeal against the single judge’s judgement is pending before a division bench and will be heard on January 25, and begged the court to postpone the execution petition for the time being.

“Let us see what happens before the division bench,” said the Delhi HC court while deferring the hearing on the execution petition until February 3.

Delhi HC imposes fine of Rs 20 lakh on Juhi Chawla and 2 others for abusing the process of law 

On June 4, 2021, the Delhi High Court had dismissed the petition filed by actor Juhi Chawla against the 5G rollout in the country, adding that the lawsuit was filed to garner publicity.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakhs on actor Juhi Chawla and others who had filed the petition, observing that the petitioner had abused the process of law by circulating the web link of the hearing on social media websites that had led to the hearing being disrupted by unknown miscreants who sang songs from the actress’s movies. 

Moreover, the court had also noted that the plaint was defective and not maintainable. It ruled that Chawla did not comply with the mandate under Section 80 of the Code of Civil Procedure. It additionally said that the plaint was not verified.

Actor clarifies her stance on the much-talked-about 5G lawsuit initiated by her

Following the court order, Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla had finally broken her silence clarifying her stance on the much-talked-about 5G lawsuit initiated by her. Chawla who was fined Rs. 20 lakh fine by the Delhi High Court for abusing the process of law has released a video on Instagram asking people to decide ‘if it was a publicity stunt’.

FBI slammed for trying to downplay motives behind Texas synagogue siege where Islamic terrorist was heard ranting about ‘f*cking Jews’

Dibakar Dutta
-
0
FBI slammed for trying to downplay motives behind Texas synagogue siege where Islamic terrorist was heard ranting about ‘f*cking Jews’

Days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tried to downplay the anti-Semitic nature of the terror attack at a Texas synagogue, its Director Christopher A. Wray has now conceded that it was an act of terrorism against the Jewish community.

On Thursday (January 17), Wray informed, “This was not some random occurrence. It was intentional, it was symbolic and we’re not going to tolerate antisemitism in this country.” He made the remarks during a webinar organised by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

It must be mentioned that the FBI had earlier tried to trivialise the actions of slain terrorist Malik Faisal Akram, who took 4 Jews hostage at the Texas synagogue for 11 hours before being gunned down.

While speaking about the matter on January 16, FBI officer Matthew DeSarno had claimed, “We do believe from our engagement with the subject that he was singularly focused on one issue and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community. We are continuing to work to find the motive and we will continue on that path.”

Criticism of FBI for trivialising anti-Semitism of Islamist

The attempt by the FBI to dismiss the ‘anti-Semitic’ angle irked several politicians and members of the Jewish community. Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard had pointed out, “Instead of trying to be “woke”/politically correct and targeting parents who care about what schools are teaching their children, the FBI/Dept of Homeland Security should focus on actual threats like the jihadist who terrorized the Texas synagogue.”

Journalist Todd Starnes remarked, “The FBI says they have no idea why a Muslim man, who pledged allegiance to a jailed Muslim terrorist, would take Jews hostage inside a Texas synagogue. Yes sir – it’s a genuine headscratcher.”

Fox News journalist Lucas Tomlinson also highlighted the U-turn of the flip flop of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Viral audio clip reveals how terrorist wanted to kill Jews

During the hostage situation, Malik Faisal Akram dialled his brother Gulbar in Blackburn in the United Kingdom and talked about ‘f*cking Jews’ before being gunned down by FBI officials. The Jewish Chronicle revealed how the Islamist had plans to import terrorists from the UK to the USA.

“I’m opening the doors for every youngster in England to enter America and f*** with them…Live your f***ing life bro, you f***ing coward. We’re coming to f***ing America. F them if they want to f*** with us. We’ll give them f***ing war,” Akram was heard as saying.

He announced, “I’ve asked Allah for this death, Allah is with me, I’m not worried in the slightest.” The radical Islamist further inquired, “Why do these f***ing motherf***ers come to our countries, rape our women and f*** our kids? I’m setting a precedent… maybe they’ll have compassion for f***ing Jews.”

His brother Gulbar tried to persuade Akram to surrender but it was in vain. “(I have been) praying to Allah for two years for this. I’d rather live one day as a lion than 100 years as a jackal. I’m going to go toe-to-toe with [police] and they can shoot me dead … I’m coming home in a body bag. I promised my brother on his deathbed that I’d go down a martyr.”

The Islamist expressed happiness that his actions drew the attention of the world to the Muslims in the US, who according to him were being oppressed. He also demanded the release of Pakistani neuroscientists cum Al-Qaeda terrorist Aafia Siddiqui. “I’m bombed up, I’ve got fucking every ammunition,” he had announced.

It must be mentioned that Akram, a Tablighi Jamaat member, had entered the synagogue by pretending to be a homeless man. Despite the existence of ample evidence, the Federal Bureau of Investigation initially tried to downplay the Jewish hatred in the mind of the terrorist.

Former BSF jawan kills puncture shop worker Dilshad Hussain for abducting, raping his minor daughter: What happened

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Former BSF jawan kills puncture shop worker Dilshad Hussain for abducting, raping his minor daughter: What happened

On Friday (January 21), a former jawan of the Border Security Force (BSF) named Bhagwat Nishad shot dead a 25-year-old man, who kidnapped and raped his minor daughter. The incident took place outside the Gorakhpur civil court in Uttar Pradesh.

As per reports, the accused rapist has been identified as Dilshad Hussain. He had gone to the Court in connection to the rape case. At about 1:15 pm on Friday, Hussain had asked his lawyer Shankar Sharan Shukla to meet him at the court gate.

Before Hussain could meet his lawyer, Bhagwat Nishad took out his licensed pistol and shot Hussain on the head. The rape accused died on the spot. The former BSF jawan was immediately apprehended by two security guards and the manager of the car parking lot.

While speaking about the matter, SSP Vipin Tada informed, “A youth was shot dead at the Civil Court gate and the assailant has been arrested. The body has been sent for postmortem and after the report arrives, a case will be registered.”

According to ADG Akhil Kumar, a probe will be initiated to investigate how Nishad entered the court. “A probe will be conducted to know how the retired jawan entered the Civil Court campus with a weapon. Action will be taken against whoever is found guilty,” he emphasised.

Following the incident, several lawyers took out protests highlighting the security situation in the court. They were later pacified by ADG Akhil Kumar, who assured of strict action against the security lapse.

The Background of the Case

A resident of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Hussain used to operate a puncture shop outside the residence of the victim in the Badhalganj area of Gorakhpur.

In February last year, Hussain abducted the minor daughter of the ex-BSF jawan. A case of kidnapping and rape was registered against him under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Child Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on February 17, 2020.

About a month after the abduction on March 12, the cops nabbed the accused from Hyderabad in Telangana. Hussain was jailed for some time but released on bail a couple of months ago. The rape accused had gone to the court in connection to the case but was shot dead by the victim’s father.

Attorney General K K Venugopal gives consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Attorney General K K Venugopal gives consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati: Details

Attorney General K K Venugopal agreed on Friday to allow a Mumbai-based activist Shachi Nelli to file criminal contempt of court charges against Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, claiming that his recent remarks against the Constitution and the Supreme Court were a direct attempt to weaken the court’s authority in the public’s eyes.

In an official statement, the Attorney General of India said: “I have gone through your letter and watched the video of the statements made by Yat Narsinganand which have been explained to me. I find that the statement made by Yati Narsinganand, that “Those who believe in this system, in these politicians, in the Supreme Court, and in the Army will all die the death of a dog.” is a direct attempt to lower the authority of the Supreme Court in the minds of the general public. This would certainly amount to contempt of the Supreme Court of India.”

“I accordingly grant consent to initiate proceedings for criminal contempt of the Supreme Court of India in terms of Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 read with Rule 3(a) of the Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the Supreme Court of India, 1975,” he added.

Shachi Nelli had written to KK Venugopal a week earlier requesting permission to initiate contempt proceedings against Narsinghanand for his remarks in an interview on social media on January 14.

The activist wrote in his letter: “On being asked about the court proceedings in the Haridwar hate speech case, Yati Narsinghanand went on to state that ‘we have no trust in the Supreme Court of India and the Constitution. The Constitution will consume the 100 crore Hindus of this country. Those who believe in this Constitution will be killed. Those who believe in this system, in these politicians, in the Supreme Court and in the Army will all die the death of a dog’.”

Recently, on a plea seeking an independent investigation into alleged hate speeches in Haridwar and Delhi, the Supreme Court had served notice on the Centre, Uttrakhand, and Delhi police.

SIT formed to probe Dharma Sansad speeches that leftist and Islamists deemed hateful

It may be recalled that on January 2, a 5-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted by the Uttarakhand govt to probe the allegations of hate speech that surfaced against the 3-day ‘Dharma Sansad’ event held in Haridwar. Besides, an FIR was filed and two leaders including Yati Narasimhanand and Sagar Sindhuraj, who had participated in the ‘Dharam Sansad’ event were named in the First Information Report (FIR) pertaining to the hate speech case. 

Police action against Yati Narsinghanand and others in the Dharma Sansad case

It may be recalled that a day after speeches of leaders like Yati Narsinghanand and other Hindu leaders went viral, an FIR was filed in Uttarakhand over the speeches that called upon Hindus to collect arms. The speeches were deemed as provocative and arrests of those involved had ensued.

Ministry of I&B blocks 35 YouTube channels and 2 websites funded by Pakistan for spreading anti-India fake news

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Ministry of I&B blocks 35 YouTube channels and 2 websites funded by Pakistan for spreading anti-India fake news

In a major crackdown against networks peddling anti-India propaganda under the garb of news, the ministry of information and broadcasting has blocked 2 websites and 35 YouTube channels funded by Pakistan for spreading anti-India fake news. The order of blocking these networks was announced on Friday 21st January 2022 in the evening by the press and information bureau.

The order mentions that “The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has ordered blocking of 35 YouTube-based news channels and 2 websites which were involved in spreading anti-India fake news in a coordinated manner over digital media. The YouTube accounts blocked by the Ministry had a total subscriber base of over 1 crore 20 lakh, and their videos had over 130 crore views. Additionally, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts, and one Facebook account have also been blocked by the Government for being involved in spreading coordinated anti-India disinformation over the internet.”

The PIB in its press release regarding this order has further said, “Vide five separate orders issued under rule 16 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, the Ministry has ordered to block these Pakistan based social media accounts and websites.” It must be noted that these social media accounts and websites were closely monitored by Indian intelligence agencies and the agencies had flagged them to the Ministry for immediate action.

The YouTube channels that have been blocked are:

  1. Khabar with Facts
  2. Khabar Taiz
  3. Global Truth
  4. New Global Facts
  5. Information Hub
  6. Flash Now
  7. Faisal Tarar Speaks
  8. Apni Dunya TV
  9. Haqeekat ki Dunia
  10. Shahzad Abbas
  11. Mera Pakistan With Shahab
  12. Khabar With Ahmad
  13. HR Tv
  14. Sabee Kazmi
  15. Such Tv Network
  16. Saqib Speaks
  17. Salman Haidar Official
  18. Sajid Gondal Speaks
  19. Maleeha Hashmey
  20. Umar Daraz Gondal
  21. Khoji TV
  22. Khoji TV 2.0
  23. Cover Point
  24. Junaid Flix
  25. National Studio
  26. Informative world
  27. DunyaOfficial
  28. Studio360
  29. Haqeeqat Tv News
  30. Haqeeqat TV 786
  31. Bol Media TV
  32. Urdu Studio
  33. Zaki Abbas
  34. White News
  35. DNow

The websites that have been blocked are White News and DNow.

Coordinated conspiracy to spread fake news against India

Explaining the modus operandi of the said social media handles and websites, the PIB has further said in its press release “The 35 accounts blocked by the Ministry were all operating from Pakistan and were identified to be part of four coordinated disinformation networks. These include the Apni Duniya Network operating 14 YouTube channels, and Talha Films Network operating 13 YouTube channels. A set of four channels and a set of two other channels were also found to be acting in synchronization with each other.”

PIB has further clarified that the sole purpose of operating these networks was spreading fake news especially oriented towards the Indian audience. The PIB has also mentioned how the common factors in the contents of those channels were identified by the agencies. It said “The channels which were part of a network used common hashtags and editing styles, were being operated by common persons and cross-promoted each other’s content. Some of the YouTube channels were being operated by anchors of Pakistani TV news channels.”

What fake content the channels were sharing?

The PIB press release has also identified and specified the contents shared by these networks which primarily includes spreading fake news about Indian armed forces. Efforts were also being made by these networks to spread the content that may potentially undermine the democratic processes in the upcoming assembly elections in the five states.

PIB has said “The YouTube channels, websites, and other social media accounts blocked by the Ministry were used by Pakistan for spreading anti-India fake news about sensitive subjects related to India. These include topics such as the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s foreign relations with other countries. It was observed that rampant fake news was spread through the YouTube channels regarding the demise of the former Chief of Defence Staff Late General Bipin Rawat. These YouTube channels had also started posting content to undermine the democratic process of the upcoming elections in five states.”

These youtube channels and other social media handles have also been attempting to encourage separatism in India based on religious lines. The content shared by them was a potential inciter of the acts of crime in the society which would, in turn, affect the law and order situation in the country. Citing this, PIB has said “The channels propagated content to encourage separatism, divide India based on the lines of religion, and create animosity among the various sections of the Indian society. Such information was feared to have the potential to incite the audience into the commission of crimes adversely affecting public order in the country.”

The list of the blocked networks

The latest blocklist as shared by the PIB includes 14 channels from the ‘Apni Duniya Network’. The channels ‘Faisal Tarar Speaks’ and ‘Apni Dunya TV’ were peddling false news that India is defeated by China in Ladakh and forced to engage China in the talks. The channels ‘Haqeekat ki Dunia’, ‘Shahzad Abbas’, and ‘Mera Pakistan With Shahab’ were sharing fake news about Hindu-Sikh fights in India and the government’s failure to cope with that. These channels also shared some content on how Pakistan is overpowering India in various sectors ranging from cricket to the military. The channel ‘Khabar With Ahmad’ was seen sharing fake news about Khalistan and the conversion of Hindus into Islam in big numbers. Another channel ‘HR Tv’ had ill-reported the accidental demise of Late General Bipin Rawat. Other such channels are ‘Sabee Kazmi’, ‘Such Tv Network’, ‘Saqib Speaks’, ‘Salman Haidar Official’, ‘Sajid Gondal Speaks’, ‘Maleeha Hashmey’, and ‘Umar Daraz Gondal’. Similarly, there are 13 youtube channels of Talha Films and 8 other youtube channels which are now blocked.

White News and DNow News are the two websites that are blocked by the ministry of information and broadcasting.

This is not the first time that the government of India has taken action against such websites and social media channels. Earlier in December 2021, the government of India had blocked 20 YouTube channels and 2 websites in December 2021 when the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021 were first utilized to act against such anti-India fake news networks. 

The Wire’s Siddharth Varadarajan has a meltdown after Telangana institute cancels sessions with him meant to ‘train officers’: What happened

OpIndia Staff
-
0
The Wire’s Siddharth Varadarajan has a meltdown after Telangana institute cancels sessions with him meant to ‘train officers’: What happened

Dr Marri Channa Reddy (MCR) HRD Institute Hyderabad, an institute headed by the Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao has launched a special foundation course for All India Services and Central Civil Services officers. The institute had invited American citizen Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding editor of the left-wing propaganda portal The Wire who wanted the US to put sanctions against India as one of its guest lecturers. Soon after outrage erupted, there were speculations that the session had been cancelled.

Taking to Twitter, Ajit Dutta, Columnist and co-founder of Pondy Lit Fest, had questioned Siddharth Varadarajan quoting a tweet where TheWire’s founder was seen gloating when netizens were outraging about him being invited to “train officers”. Dutta asked Varadarajan if he spoke to soon and that he heard that the sessions had been cancelled by the Telangana institute.

In response, Siddharth Varadarajan confirmed that the session had been cancelled.

A visibly embarrassed Varadarajan, who was gloating and mocking “bhakts” outraging about the invite extended to him, had a Twitter meltdown.

In his response to Ajit Dutta, Varadarajan tried to hide his embarrassment by saying that his session was cancelled, but the “bhakts” could still not get a Sarkari body to stop extending an invite to him.

Varadarajan said, “Of course it was but you miss the point. This govt has the power to cancel but could not prevent a sarkari body from inviting someone their bureaucrat students were keen to hear. That’s the point. Bad people don’t win by telling everyone how bad they are. They actually lose”.

Interestingly, Siddharth Varadarajan missed the point himself. Ajit Dutta pointed out that earlier, Varadarajan had said that the “Bhakts” were suddenly realising that the universe does not dance to their tunes. However, the event was cancelled and therefore, his gloating was proven futile.

Scoring another self goal, Varadarajan claimed that even though the event was cancelled, ‘bhakts’ could not dictate the preferences of students.

Another activist who goes by the handle @BeffitingFacts pointed out that it was the fresher students who had flagged the event where Siddharth Varadarajan was invited and therefore, he can’t really say that getting his event cancelled does not mean that the students do not want to hear him.

It is notable here that The Wire’s founder Siddharth Varadarajan is a habitual fake news peddler and is often found sharing misinformation and toxic biased views against India.

Recently, sharing an interview by Gregory Stanton, president of ‘Genocide Watch’, to Karan Thapar for The Wire, the founding editor of the leftist propaganda website had openly asked the US to place sanctions on India. ‘US Congress Must Pass Resolution Warning India Against Genocide, Biden Must Tell Modi Ties Will Suffer’, Siddharth Varadarajan had Tweeted.

Siddharth Varadarajan, fake news and his previous run-ins with the Uttar Pradesh government

In April last year, The Wire Founder-Editor had mischievously latched on to the same fake news that the ‘Logical Indians’ handle had apologised for just a day ago, in his attempt to malign the Kumbh Mela. Interestingly, even after The Logical Indian apologised for spreading fake news, Siddharth Varadarajan took to Twitter to spread the same fake news and even demand that other media houses join in.

In January 2021, a complaint was registered in Uttar Pradesh against The Wire Editor Siddharth Varadarajan for publishing and circulating false propaganda with intent to cause violence after he had tweeted an article void of any facts pertaining to the death of a rioter during the tractor rally.

The complaint was registered against Varadarajan under Section 153B and  505 of the IPC in Rampur police station for trying to instigate the crowd by peddling false information about the death of a rioter named Navreet Singh, who had died during the tractor rally after his tractor turtled.

In fact, after the FIR was filed against Siddharth Varadarajan for spreading fake news in a bid to shield the Tablighi Jamaat, several ‘liberals’ had come out to cry Freedom of Expression and even threatened the Yogi Adityanath government with USA pressure to ensure that the case against Varadarajan was withdrawn.

In April 2020, two FIRs had been registered against The Wire Founder-Editor Siddharth Varadarajan for spreading fake news against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Varadarajan, in a bid to whitewash the deeds of Tablighi Jamaat, had wrongly attributed a fake quote to the UP CM. 

Mrityunjay Kumar, the media advisor to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, had informed that despite the warning from the state government, Varadarajan neither deleted the false article and nor apologised for the same. Therefore, an FIR had been registered against him.

1...3,5273,5283,529...7,585Page 3,528 of 7,585