In the aftermath of the Pakistan-sponsored Islamic terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, the National Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) has issued an advisory asking media to refrain from inviting anti-India commentators from Pakistan for discussions.
On Sunday, May 4, NBDA issued the advisory to all editors associated with the association. The NBDA emphasised that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has raised concerns over news channels inviting anti-India commentators from Pakistan in their programs who “propagate false propaganda against India.”
Much needed. The only cross border trade going on between India and Pak currently were on TV shows where paid pak ($250/hr) trolls pretending to be analysts were invited to abuse. Have to say we've all been guilty of this. Some learnt quicker than others to shun this circus. pic.twitter.com/Wp3X0IXTZF
“In view of the recent attack on tourists in Pahalgam, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has drawn our attention to channels inviting anti-India commentators from Pakistan in their programs who propagate false propaganda against India,” the advisory reads.
The NBDA, which is a top body representing private news broadcasters, advised the editors to “refrain from inviting panelists, speakers, and commentators from Pakistan in their programs, who are known for espousing views that undermine the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the nation and speak against our country.”
It further asked editors to exercise a “high level of editorial discretion and judgment to ensure that channels/ digital platforms are not misused for anti-India false propaganda. To ensure compliance, the Advisory may be circulated to all concerned editorial personnel.”
Meanwhile, the National Broadcasters Federation (NBF) has also issued a similar advisory cautioning its member news channels against inviting Pakistani propagandists on their news panel discussions or debate programs.
In its advisory issued on Sunday (May 4), the NBF urged news channels to uphold the “highest standards of journalistic integrity” while remaining “mindful of the public sentiment during these sensitive times”.
“As a precautionary measure, NBF strongly requests that media channels refrain from inviting guests or panelists from Pakistan to participate in any news debates, panel discussions, or programming content until further notice,” the NBF’s advisory states emphasising that this suggestion made in national interest comes “considering the current political and security context”.
On Sunday (4th May), a piece of fake news went viral on social media, wherein it was claimed that a Muslim family was attacked with a knife and an iron rod in Dehradun by a mob after asking their name and religion.
An X user named ‘Mr Haque’ tweeted, “Dehradun, Uttarakhand. A Muslim family was coming from Doiwala to Dehradun (Chanchak Banjarawala) for a wedding. Banjarawala. 5-6 people came and attacked them with iron rods and a knife at Banjarawala asking their name and religion.”
The tweet was accompanied by a video of a visibly injured and bloodied man. The fake news was amplified and retweeted by Zafarul Islam Khan, who had previously threatened the Hindu community.
Screengrab of the Twitter post
The fake news also went viral on X, with the usual suspects using the alleged incident to propagate the ‘Muslim victimhood’ angle.
3272 ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: A sensitive video showing an injured individual covered in blood has been circulated with the claim that a Muslim man on his way to a wedding was attacked in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, after being asked his name. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/VFRiws5zZ6
The Dehradun Police have rubbished the claim made by ‘Mr Haque’ and others that the Muslim man was thrashed because of his religious identity. In reality, it was a case of road rage.
In a statement, the police clarified that the incident occurred on 1st May and the bloodied man was identified as Anish Ali. He and his family were en route to a wedding ceremony when his car broke down in the middle of the road.
This led to a traffic jam. A heated confrontation ensued between Ali and another man named Sanjay Rawat over the issue. They threw blows at each other, resulting in injuries on both sides.
On learning about the matter, the police reached the spot and sent the injured people to the hospital for immediate medical attention.
A large team of police was deployed in the area soon after to prevent any untoward incident. The cops also seized the CCTV footage from the site of the incident and registered multiple FIRs.
“The incident occurred due to a dispute caused by a car breaking down and causing a traffic jam. However, through social media, some people are trying to give a communal colour to the incident. The police are constantly keeping a vigilant eye on social media and identifying such people against whom strict legal action will be taken,” it cautioned.
Not the first attempt to defame Hindus
Social media is rife with fake stories of ‘Muslim victimhood’ ever since the Pahalgam terror attack, where Islamic terrorists massacred Hindus.
The make-believe stories are designed in such a way as to demonise Hindus and shift public debate from the religious profiling of victims during the Pahalgam terror attack.
This ‘Muslim victimhood’ card is employed to divert public debate from the religious hate-fueled nature of the terror attack.
OpIndia had recently debunked the fake news about the death of a Muslim corporate employee in Bengaluru at the hands of his Hindu colleagues for not chanting ‘Gayatri Mantra’ and not commenting on the Pahalgam terror attack.
The fake news was amplified by the leftist propaganda outlet, The Quint, which later deleted the story without citing any apology.
The story was covered by ‘journalist’ Aliza Noor based on a fake story by a LinkedIn user named Ishan Saxena, and she did not bother to verify the facts of the matter. It was gutted after it failed to fit the ‘Muslim victimhood’ story.
Noor (who had also written the Kolkata doctor story) has now deleted her X, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts after the exposé. She had also peddled the fake news about a Kolkata doctor ‘denying’ treatment to a Muslim patient.
The vicious ecosystem had also amplified the story of the molestation of a Kashmiri student at Jamia Millia Islamia. It later went silent when the perpetrator turned out to be Mohammed Abid from Mewat.
Police have said that two persons arrested on suspicion of planning an attack at singer Lady Gaga’s concert in Rio de Janeiro were targeting LGBTQ+ people, CNN reported.
According to the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro, the two persons had tried to “recruit” people, including teenagers, to conduct coordinated attacks at a concert on Saturday, using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails. According to police, the attack was planned to gain “notoriety on social media.”
In a separate development, a third person who allegedly planned to conduct a “satanist ritual by killing a child or a baby” during the concert was charged with terrorism offences, according to Brazilian police. The arrests were made following police searches at nine addresses across Brazil, CNN reported.
Around 2.1 million people attended the pop icon’s free performance at Rio’s Copacabana beach, which was Gaga’s first show in Brazil since 2012. Police said the suspects mainly wanted to target LGBTQ+ people attending the concert. Lady Gaga is a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ people and has previously said in a rally at World Pride NYC that she would “take a bullet” for them.
She said that people “filled with hatred and ignorance… should be looking up to the queer community and following and learning about love, and learning about grace, learning about kindness.”
According to police, the suspects were part of an online hate group that worked to radicalise young people. Police said they promoted “the dissemination of hate crimes, self-harm, pedophilia and violent content.”
According to Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security, those who have been arrested by police posed as “Little Monsters,” the name given to fans of Lady Gaga, to try and recruit people online to conduct the coordinated attacks. In response to this, police named their plan to thwart the plot “Operation Fake Monster.”
the police named their plan to thwart the bomb plot “Operation Fake Monster.” The group’s alleged leader was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm while a teenager linked to the thwarted attack was arrested for possession of child pornography, CNN reported.
According to police, 15 search and seizure warrants were served against nine targets in Brazil. One of those searched was the man who allegedly planned to kill a child or baby during the concert, as he claimed that Gaga was a satanist and he intended to “respond in the same way,” according to police officer Maria Luiza Machado. Police said he was charged with terrorism and inducing crime.
According to the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police, two of the search warrants were conducted in coordination with the US Consulate, which warned Brazilian authorities regarding potential threats. Before the singer’s concert on Sunday, a spokesperson for Lady Gaga told CNN that there were “no known safety concerns.”
In a statement to CNN, the spokesperson said, “We learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning.” The statement read, “Prior to and during the show, there were no known safety concerns, nor any communication from the police or authorities to Lady Gaga regarding any potential risks. Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place.”
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has sent a report to the central government after visiting Murshidabad and Malda, areas that witnessed large-scale violence against Hindus during recent protests against Waqf Amendment Act. In that report, the governor talked about imposing President’s rule in the state if law and order collapses.
In the report, the governor wrote that if the situation continues to deteriorate, then Article 356 of the Constitution should be invoked. Notably, Article 356 of the Constitution contains the provision to impose President’s rule in a state.
According to reports, in the letter sent to the Centre, Governor Bose has mainly asked for three things to be considered. First, if the state administration fails to function properly, a law can be made to hand over the responsibility of maintaining law and order to the central government.
Second, the Governor believes that the appointment of an inquiry commission under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, can also be considered. The job of the commission will be to look into all aspects and give necessary suggestions to prevent such incidents in the future.
Third, in the districts along the international border where there is concern, he believes that the central forces or the Border Security Force (BSF) can be ordered to set up more border posts in the areas under their jurisdiction. The Governor said this is very necessary after visiting the unrest-hit areas and talking to the affected families there.
He has recommended setting up permanent camps for BSF and CAPF in the border areas of Murshidabad and Malda.
The governor reportedly wrote that he feels that this violence was pre-planned. In the report sent to the Home Ministry, he said that the local administration failed to handle the situation, and the police didn’t act properly.
The report adds that the atmosphere of fear still prevails in various parts of Murshidabad. The governor wrote that steps should be taken as per the Constitution to increase people’s confidence.
Last month, unrest spread to several areas of Murshidabad over the amended Waqf Act. Initially, the state police, with the help of the BSF, were trying to control the situation there. Later, central forces were also deployed there on the orders of the High Court. 3 people, including a father-son duo, died in the violence by Muslim protestors.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to visit Murshidabad on Monday.
In a horrifying incident that happened in Jangalgram, Madanpur in the Nadia district of West Bengal, a BJP worker was allegedly attacked by a TMC worker with a razor on Saturday (3rd May). As per reports, the incident took place when the BJP worker named Dinesh Sarkar was sitting in front of a salon in the Kajirbagan area. Suddenly, the culprit named Sanjay Sikdar arrived there, picked up a razor from the salon, slashed Sarkar’s throat and fled.
Bleeding profusely, Sarkar held his neck with his hands and started to run. Sikdar picked up an iron rod from a nearby bicycle shop and chased him. However, Dinesh Sarkar managed to jump into a running autorickshaw and went to Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, where he was admitted. According to the West Bengal BJP, Dinesh Sarkar got 42 stitches on his neck during the treatment. BJP has alleged that the attacker, Sanjay Sikdar, is a member of the ruling TMC.
The auto driver said that when he was driving on the road, he saw the victim running towards him, holding his neck with his hands. Sanjay Sikdar was chasing him with a rod in his hand. He let Dinesh Sarkar in and reached the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital.
Jangalgram MLA Ambika Roy visited Sarkar in the hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment. Speaking to the media, Roy accused the TMC of spreading terror in the area by targeting BJP workers. He said that the TMC worker attacked Sarkar only because he is a member of the BJP.
Roy added that the TMC worker had left the area a few years ago and returned recently. BJP West Bengal condemned the incident and wrote a post on X, accusing the West Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee, of turning the state into a “slaughterhouse”.
Screenshot
BJP MP Shantanu Thakur also came to visit Dinesh Sarkar at the hospital.
The police also arrived at the hospital after receiving information about the incident. The culprit is absconding, and the police are searching for him.
In a tragic incident in Rasulpur village in the Ahar police station area of Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh, a 19-year-old boy named Shakti Singh lost his life after another boy named Vishesh reportedly hit him with a cricket bat. The victim was taken to a private hospital for treatment, where he was declared dead. Tensions flared up in the village due to the horrific nature of the incident.
As per reports, the victim, who was studying in the 12th standard, left around 10 am on Sunday (4th May) to play cricket. During the game, he got into an argument with Vishesh. Soon, the argument escalated into a physical fight, and Vishesh allegedly hit Shakti with his cricket bat. Shakti lost consciousness and fell on the ground. Other boys who were playing cricket with him informed his family about the incident, who took him for treatment, but he could not be saved.
The victim’s uncle, who was working near the ground where he was playing cricket, said that Shakti’s friends came running and told him that Shakti got into a fight. He immediately rushed and reached the spot where he saw Shakti lying on the ground unconscious. He took him to the doctor, where he was declared dead.
On receiving the information about the incident, police forces from nearby police stations reached the village. The victim’s body was sent for postmortem.
As the victim and the attacker belonged to different castes, the incident led to tension between the people of the two castes in the village. In view of this, teams of police have been deployed in the village to maintain law and order. The culprit is on the run, and the police are looking for him.
After actor and son of late actor Irrfan Khan, Babil Khan’s videos from his now deleted Instagram account were shared widely on social media, his family and team on Sunday released a clarification statement.
“Over the past few years, Babil Khan has earned immense love and appreciation for his work, as well as for his openness about his mental health journey. Like anyone else, Babil is allowed to have difficult days — and this was one of them. We want to reassure all his well-wishers that he is safe and will be feeling better soon,” the statement shared by his family and team read.
“Babil has been widely misinterpreted,” it said.
“That said, a video of Babil has been widely misinterpreted and taken out of context. In the clip, Babil was sincerely acknowledging a few of his peers whom he believes are making meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of Indian cinema,” the statement read.
“His mention of artists like Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Adarsh Gourav, Arjun Kapoor, and Arijit Singh came from a place of genuine admiration — for their authenticity, passion, and efforts to restore credibility and heart in the industry,” the statement further read.
The family asked mediapersons and public to “consider the full context of his words”, “We respectfully urge media publications and the public to consider the full context of his words rather than drawing conclusions from fragmented video clips.
Babil Khan, was seen on Sunday breaking down in several stories on his Instagram account, lashing out at several actors and talking about the pressures and challenges of being part of Bollywood. Babil later deleted his Instagram account.
Looks like #BabilKhan is having massive mental breakdown All his Instagram posts have been deleted. Hope he is OK . The video is triggering pic.twitter.com/meE0GVtitT
Videos from his Instagram posts was shared widely on social media shedding light on the bullying he allegedly faced in Bollywood.
Following the video’s release, Babil’s Instagram account became inaccessible, and users who attempted to visit the profile were met with a message indicating that the account had been removed.
In the now-deleted video, Babil appeared visibly emotional and fought back tears as he opened up about the pressures and challenges of being in the Hindi film industry.
He spoke candidly about the difficulties he had allegedly encountered within Bollywood, which had caused him emotional distress.
Babil, who made his acting debut with the critically acclaimed film ‘Qala’ and was recently seen in ‘Logout’, has always been open about his struggles following the tragic loss of his father, Irrfan Khan.
The young actor has been vocal about the emotional toll of losing his father and has often shared heartfelt tributes to him on social media.
On the recent anniversary of Irrfan Khan’s passing, Babil shared a poignant post that read, “With you, without you. Life goes on. With me, without me. Soon I’ll be there. With you, not without you. And we will run together, and fly. Drink from waterfalls, pink not blue. I will hug you so tight, and I will cry. Then we’ll laugh, just like we used to. I miss you.”
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The Puri Jagannath Temple replica, which was inaugurated by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Akshaya Tritiya on 30th April in Digha, has been embroiled in controversies. It is being alleged that the sacred Neem wood left after the 2015 Nabakalebar ceremony at the Puri Jagannath Temple was used in an unauthorised manner to make the idols at the Digha temple. The Nabakalebar ritual involves replacing the old idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Sudarshan placed inside the Puri Jagannath Temple with new ones made of sacred Neem wood. The ritual takes place after 12-19 years.
FIR filed against the senior servitor
A complaint has been filed by a socio-religious organisation named Jagannath Sena at the Singhadwara Police Station against Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra, the secretary of the Daitapati servitor community, who participated in the inauguration ceremony of the Digha Temple.
In the complaint, the Jagannatha Sena demanded an investigation into the unauthorised transportation of sacred Neem wood (Darus) from the Puri temple’s premises to the Digha temple for crafting idols. Earlier, an online complaint was filed by an RTI activist named Jayanta Das, in which he accused Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra of removing the wood without taking permission from the temple administration.
“How was the sacred wood transported? Whether it was stolen or taken by giving money? Attempts are being made to cover up the issue owing to the upcoming Rath Yatra. Due to some vested interest persons, the entire servitors’ community, Puri and Odisha have been defamed. The illegal activities which have taken place, stern action should be taken,” said Priyadarshan Patnaik, convener of Jagannath Sena. The Jagannath Sena called for a detailed audit of the Darughara (the wood storage area) and an official verification of the quantity of daru currently stored. The organisation said that the unauthorised handling of the shared Neem wood is a religious offence, which should be dealt with as per law.
Odisha Law Minister directs Puri Jagannath administration to investigate the matter
As the controversy around the Digha temple mounted, the Odisha government also raised objections over the naming of the Digha Temple as ‘Jagannath Dham’ and the participation of servitors from the Puri Jagannath Temple in the new temple’s inauguration ceremony.
On Friday (2nd May), Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan wrote to the Puri Jagannath Temple’s Chief Administrator, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, calling for an internal inquiry into the naming of the Digha Temple after the 12th-century Jagannath Puri Temple in Odisha. The Minister said that the participation of Jagannath Puri Temple servitors in the inauguration ceremony of the Digha temple and the use of the sacred neem wood for sculpting the idols in the new temple were “totally unacceptable”.
Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra (Centre) with CM Mamata Banerjee at the inauguration ceremony in Digha temple (via X)
On the direction of the Law Minister, Chief Administrator, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, reportedly convened a meeting with the stakeholders. Padhee also met with three of the four Badagrahis (Daita servitors in charge of the deities during the Jagannath Ratha Yatra). Currently, the four Badagrahis are Jagannath Swain Mohapatra (Lord Jagannath), Haladhar Das Mahapatra (Lord Balabhadra), Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra (Devi Subhadra) and Patimohapatra (Lord Sudarshan), out of whom Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra is under the scanner. The statements of the three Badagrahis were recorded, and all of them called for an investigation into the matter.
The Chief Administrator has issued notices to all the presidents and secretaries of the Nijorgs (servitor associations) to submit in writing any information they might have regarding the matter by Sunday evening (4th May).
How the controversy started
The entire row started after an interview of Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra given to a Bengali TV channel went viral. In the interview, Mahapatra reportedly claimed that he brought the Bigrahas (idols) made of the Daru (sacred Neem wood leftover from the 2015 Nabakalebar ceremony) and installed them at the Digha temple. However, later on in a press conference on Friday, he accused the media of spreading misinformation and clarified that he used normal Neem wood to carve the idols for the Digha temple.
Previously, the other servitors at the Puri Jagannath Temple were suspicious of stone idols being placed and worshipped inside the Digha temple. This would have violated the tradition, which requires the idols to be made of Neem wood. Addressing their concerns, Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra had said that stone idols were placed inside the Digha temple for the last three months, but they were not worshipped. He added that he took idols made of Neem wood with him to the inaugural ceremony and installed them. “The idols were made from neem wood under my supervision at Puri. I then took the idols to Digha for the inaugural ceremony,” said Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra.
The Digha Jagannath Temple has been in the eye of the storm for various reasons, including the use of state funds for the construction of the temple, which violates the Constitution. Besides, the temple does not seem to comply with the Hindu traditions as the original Puri Jagannath Temple does not allow the entry of non-Hindus, while the Digha Jagannath Temple follows no such prohibition. The status of the Digha Temple is also being questioned by the opposition as the tender documents of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (WBHIDCO), which is responsible for the management of the temple, refer to it as “Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra” (cultural centre).
Devotees demand removal of ‘Jagannath Dham’ tag from Digha temple
Religious scholars, priests and servitors in Odisha have objected to the use of the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ tag for the Digha temple, arguing that the title “Dham” implies a status and sanctity that can neither be replicated nor claimed without distorting centuries of tradition. Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, who was the chief priest during the inauguration of the Digha Jagannath Temple, also joined the protests, demanding the removal the tag ‘Jagannath Dham’.
“I, too, request West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to remove the word ‘Dham’ from the Digha Jagannath Temple,” Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra said. He added, “as per my understanding, Puri is the only place referred to as ‘Jagannath Dham’,” and urged the Odisha government and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to initiate talk over the matter. “There can be several Jagannath temples in the country, but Puri is the only Jagannath ‘Dham’,” he asserted.
Notably, ‘Dham’ is not the same as a Mandir; it refers to specific sacred sites associated with Hinduism. Adi Shankaracharya had designated Puri as one of the four “Dhams” of India, with the others being Badrinath, Dwarka, and Rameswaram.
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik also objected to the use of the name ‘Dham’ for the Digha temple, and wrote a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. He wrote in the letter, “This statement has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees worldwide. According to our sacred scriptures, there exists only one Jagannath Dham, which is located in Puri. Associating any other temple with the title may lead to confusion and contradict long-standing spiritual and Hindu cultural traditions.”
West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that labelling the new structure in Digha as a “Dham” undermines the sanctity of the original Jagannath Dham in Puri, one of the Char Dhams in Hindu tradition, and violates centuries-old customs tied to Lord Jagannath’s worship. He said that “the West Bengal Government have stooped to a new low with their deceitful tactics, officially labeling the Digha Project as the “Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre” in documents, but promoting it as a “Jagannath Temple” to mislead devotees and exploit their faith.”
I welcome the steps taken by Shri Prithviraj Harichandan; Hon’ble Minister of Law, Works & Excise; Govt of Odisha, for a thorough investigation into the controversies involving the disgraceful conduct of persons of interest associated with the Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri.
In a post on X, he welcomed the steps taken by the Odisha govt to probe the matters of unauthorised use of sacred wood and the role of Servitors of Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri.
“The questionable involvement of Servitors, and the unauthorized use of surplus Sacred Wood (sacred Neem wood from the Nabakalebara rituals) are directly affront to ethics and morality surrounding the Jagannath Culture and centuries long traditions,” he said.
On 4th May, propaganda news portal Newslaundry quietly made private the video in which its editor-in-chief, Raman Kirpal, had referred to the rape of a 12-year-old minor girl by a 65-year-old Muslim man, Muhammad Usman, as an affair and a “small incident”. Following the social media outrage, Kirpal and Newslaundry issued apologies on X.
In his post on X, Raman Kirpal said, “I want to sincerely apologise for making an inadvertent mistake in describing the Nainital incident involving the sexual assault of a minor. I deeply regret my words. As an editor and journalist, it was my responsibility to be fully informed before making any statements.” Archived link of the post can be seen here.
I want to sincerely apologise for making an inadvertent mistake in describing the Nainital incident involving the sexual assault of a minor. I deeply regret my words. As an editor and journalist, it was my responsibility to be fully informed before making any statements
On the other hand, Newslaundry wrote, “We want to issue a sincere apology regarding how our Editor-in-Chief, Raman Kirpal, described the recent incident in Nainital involving the sexual assault of a minor.
? Apology Regarding Statement on the Nainital Incident
We want to issue a sincere apology regarding how our Editor-in-Chief, Raman Kirpal, described the recent incident in Nainital involving the sexual assault of a minor.
In our earlier video, our editor wrongly described…
In our earlier video, our editor wrongly described the incident as “small” and referred to it as “an affair.” This was a factual error. We deeply regret it.
As editors, we should have had full knowledge of what had happened before commenting on the matter.
The responsibility to verify and be cautious with our words rests squarely with us.
We take full responsibility for this lapse. We have since re-uploaded the video after removing the inaccurate sentence. We stand by the need for sensitive and factual journalism, especially in situations where misinformation and communal tensions can cause real harm.” Archived link of the post can be seen here.
A similar apology was added to the newly-uploaded video as well.
Source: Newslaundry/YouTube
Newslaundry downplayed the rape of minor Hindu girl by 65-year-old Muhammad Usman as ‘affair’ and ‘small incident’
Earlier, OpIndia reported that Newslaundry had downplayed the rape of minor Hindu girl by 65-year0old Muhammad Usman as “affair” and “small incident”. In its 535th episode of podcast titled ‘Hafta’, Kirpal, who was one of the panellists, cunningly tried to downplay the recent incident of the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nainital by a 65-year-old Muslim man, Muhammad Usman, as a ‘Muslim boy having an affair with a Hindu girl’. He went on to describe the situation as one where Muslims were being targeted because of the incident in Nainital, Uttarakhand, and further claimed that Hindus attacked them only because there was an affair between a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl.
Kirpal called it a ‘small incident’ and stated, “In Nainital yesterday, one boy had an affair, or some problem, with a girl. They started beating the Muslims. They shut down those shops, very prominent shops in Nainital. They beat them up, and today the entire place is closed. They are going against the Muslims.” Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pande agreed to the statement. He further added, “So, they are isolating. And all these incidents have been happening, and Modi has never spoken about it.”
Tensions erupted in Nainital as a 65-year-old Muslim man raped a 12-year-old minor Hindu girl
On 30 April, the Nainital Police arrested a 65-year-old contractor with the Nainital Public Works Department, Muhammad Usman, for raping a 12-year-old minor Hindu girl. The victim had informed her family about the incident after which the family filed a police complaint. Usman was booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act.
The incident took place on 12 April when the victim had gone to the local market to buy some groceries. The accused allegedly lured her by offering Rs 200 and took her to his house. He raped her in his garage and threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone. Scared by the threat, the victim did not tell her family.
The victim stopped going to school and the family noticed changes in her behaviour. She refused to talk to anyone. The family called her maternal grandmother, but the victim did not tell anyone about the rape and the threats.
Eventually, both sisters stopped going to school, and their maternal grandmother got their names removed from school on 16 April. Finally, she told her mother what happened, and then a complaint was filed against Usman at the Mallital Police Station.
On 4th May (local time), a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed terrorist outfit Houthi in Yemen hit Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. The airport was briefly shut down following the attack. At least six people were injured in the incident.
The missile reportedly evaded Israeli defence systems and struck a grove adjacent to an access road within the airport perimeter.
Surveillance camera footage shows the moment of the Houthi missile impact at Ben Gurion Airport.
The missile struck a grove adjacent to an access road, within the airport's perimeter. pic.twitter.com/AUyQwKrEOy
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 4, 2025
Failed interception and immediate response
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that multiple attempts were made to intercept the missile before impact, but all failed.
The military said, “An impact was identified in the area of Ben Gurion Airport,” adding that the aerial defence array of the Air Force was now investigating the cause of the failure.
Footage shows the moment of the Houthis ballistic missile impact in the area of Ben Gurion Airport this morning. pic.twitter.com/fMbijXsv8p
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 4, 2025
Reportedly, the missile struck within minutes of being launched from Yemen. CCTV footage later confirmed the explosion near one of the parking zones of the airport. Initially, it was reported that one person was injured in the incident, but later emergency services updated the figure to six.
Casualty count of Houthi attack on Ben Gurion International rises to 6
The wounded included a man in his 50s who suffered trauma to his limbs, two women aged 54 and 28 who were hit by the shockwave, a 64-year-old man who was struck by flying debris, and two women aged 22 and 34 who were hurt while running to take shelter.
The ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen a short while ago apparently impacted in the area of Ben Gurion Airport.
The IDF says it fired interceptors at the Houthi missile, and is investigating the impact at the airport.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 4, 2025
Operations briefly suspended at Israel’s main airport
All take-offs and landings were temporarily suspended at Ben Gurion Airport for around an hour. The Israel Airport Authority confirmed the operations were paused as per standard protocol. The authorities said, “An investigation is underway regarding the impact at the Ben Gurion Airport area. As per normal procedure, there is a freeze and no landings or take-offs are taking place.”
Political leaders hold Iran accountable
The attack resulted in sharp reactions from Israeli leaders. National Unity chairman and former defence minister Benny Gantz directly blamed Iran for the attack. In a post on X, he said, “This is not Yemen, this is Iran. It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the State of Israel, and it must bear responsibility. The Israeli government must wake up… Fire on Israel must lead to a severe response in Tehran.”
Source: X
Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a short but ominous warning: “Whoever harms us, we will strike them sevenfold.”
