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US Justice Department takes down 36 Iranian websites from Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union and KH: Read full details

OpIndia Staff
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US Justice Department takes down 36 Iranian websites from Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union and KH: Read full details

On June 22, the United States Justice Department took down 36 Iranian websites for violating the sanctions issued by the US. The websites are said to be a part of a disinformation campaign and reportedly associated with violent organisations.

In a statement, the Justice Department said, “Today, pursuant to court orders, the United States seized 33 websites used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU) and three websites operated by Kata’ib Hizballah (KH), in violation of US sanctions.” It must be mentioned that KH has been listed as a Foreign Terror Organisation by the US.

According to the Justice Department, the 33 domains used by IRTVU were registered by a US company. Reportedly, IRTVU did not seek a license from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control before using the domains. Similarly, the three websites of the Kata’ib Hizballah also did not have any license. “This website has been seized,” read a notice on the top of such websites.

Screengrab of the notice on Alalam Tv Website

It further stated, “The domain alalamtv.net has been seized by the United States Government in accordance with a seizure warrant issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C 981, 982 and 50 U.S.C. 1701-1705 as part of a law enforcement action by the Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Crackdown by the US Justice Department on Iranian websites

The notices were issued shortly after the appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as the President of Iran. Raisi is a well-known Islamic fundamentalist and a fierce critic of the United States. They appeared on Iranian media websites such as Alalam TV, Almasirah, Lualua TV, Press TV, and sites associated with Iran such as Yemen’s Houthi movement, Masirah TV.

In October last year, the US Justice Department seized 92 domains used by the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to spread disinformation across the world by posing as independent media outlets. The United States wants to revive the 2015 nuclear deal to stop its nuclear power project. In return, Iran would be allowed to return to the global oil market.

It must be mentioned that the deadline of the monitoring pact between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran expired on June 24, thereby complicating diplomatic efforts.

Iran condemns US move

Meanwhile, many of the websites resurfaced through other domain names. Iran condemned the move and warned that it could derail ongoing talks about reviving a nuclear deal. While speaking about the US’ actions, the Director of Iran’s President’s Office Mahmoud Vaezi remarked, “We are using all international and legal means to… condemn… this mistaken policy of the United States. It appears not constructive when talks for a deal on the nuclear issue are underway.”

Seized news website Press TV slams Biden administration

Besides, Iranian news outlet YJC agency claimed that the US decision to seize domains of the country’s news website was a reflection of the fact that ‘calls for freedom of speech are lies’. Press TV, whose website was also seized by the US, slammed the Justice Department for curbing freedom of speech.

Journalist Richard Medhurst said, “Just imagine Iran had seized the US websites such as CNN and BCC and the outrage it would have ensued. Where is the outrage now when the US shuts down 33 foreign news sites?” He slammed the American liberals and leftists for staying silent, despite freedom of speech being under attack. “When it comes to Imperialism, you really get to see their true colours and where they stand. What the US has done to Press TV and other outlets is outrageous… It’s an attack on the foreign press and foreign journalists,” Richard Medhurst concluded.

UP govt moves Supreme Court against Karnataka High Court’s decision of granting interim relief to Twitter MD

OpIndia Staff
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UP govt moves Supreme Court against Karnataka High Court’s decision of granting interim relief to Twitter MD

In a crackdown on Twitter and its nefarious activities, the Uttar Pradesh government has now moved the Supreme Court against Karnataka High Court’s order granting Twitter MD Manish Maheshwari interim relief from arrest. 

The Uttar Pradesh government had filed a case against Twitter for its failure to take down fake hate crime videos and posts that were made viral on the platform. 

Maheshwari files caveat petition in Supreme Court

Meanwhile, Maheshwari has reportedly filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, dated June 26. Maheshwari urged that he be heard before any orders are passed in any appeal filed by the Ghaziabad police against the relief granted by Karnataka High Court.

Karnataka High Court’s order

We reported earlier that Twitter India managing director Manish Maheshwari was expected to join the probe and appear before the Ghaziabad Police in connection with the fake hate crime case being probed by Uttar Pradesh police.

Not satisfied with Maheshwari’s clarifications, the Ghaziabad Police had sent fresh summons asking Maheshwari to appear before it citing lack of conviction in response. 

However, evading the investigation, Maheshwari, a resident of Bangalore, has filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court against the notice issued by UP Police under Section 41A of CRPC. 

As per reports, Maheswari’s counsel argued that he is only an employee of Twitter and hence cannot be held accountable for the alleged offence. They also informed that the investigating officer had issued a notice on June 17 under section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to Twitter India’s managing director but Maheshwari is not the managing director.

Following which Maheswari was granted interim protection from arrest and had been allowed to appear for police questioning via video conferencing by the Karnataka High Court. 

Ghaziabad fake hate crime

Abdul Samad- an occult amulet maker was thrashed by Parvez, Adil and others during a personal altercation. Soon a muted video of Samad being beaten and the scripted and highly inflammatory Facebook live video of a local SP leader with him claiming the perpetrators made Samad to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ surfaced on social media. These videos were first picked up by self-acclaimed fact-checker Mohammed Zubair and then spread like wildfire on social media with the help of the left ecosystem.

A case of personal enmity was given fake communal tile by the misleading videos.

The Uttar Pradesh Government had then initiated an action against Twitter for failing to take down tweets despite clarifications and warnings by the police to not fan communal tensions on the basis of a fake video. 

An FIR was lodged against the social media platform, and eight others including Rana Ayyub and Saba Naqvi in connection with the case. The UP Police’s FIR had come hours after Twitter lost its intermediary status for failing to comply with Indian laws under new IT rules.

Saba Naqvi and Muhammed Zubair record statements

In connection with the same case, eminent propagandist Saba Naqvi and co-founder of self-proclaimed ‘fact-checking’ website Alt News Mohammed Zubair, who had shared and then deleted a highly misleading video with fake claims of communal hatred, appeared before the UP Police on Monday to record their statement in the Loni fake hate crime case.

Google shows a distorted map of India a day after Twitter did the same: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Google shows a distorted map of India a day after Twitter did the same: Details

A day after social media behemoth Twitter showed Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh as separate countries, search engine giant Google showed a distorted map of India, depicting Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin as separate entities and not a part of the Indian Union.

In addition to this, Google has also marked the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the state of Arunachal Pradesh as disputed regions. The distorted map of India appears in a section on the Google Trends website.

Source: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=India&geo=IN

As can be seen from the above screenshot, the regions of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin are displayed in grey with crossed lines while the rest of the country is depicted in different shades of blue. Furthermore, while Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh are represented in blue colour, they are distinctly marked with cross lines, suggesting that the regions are under dispute.

The discrepancy in the Indian map on Google was highlighted by a Twitter user, who accused the search engine giant of brazenly pandering to Beijing, which has banned its services in China. The user said that despite the fact that the Indian government has released the maps of Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the overall Indian map, Google has not been using them to depict the country.

This is not the first time that Google has been subjected to criticism for publishing a distorted version of the map of India. In February 2020, Google’s population navigation services, Google maps had redrawn Kashmir’s borders that appeared different when searched from outside India. It showed Kashmir’s outlines as a dotted line acknowledging “dispute” when it is viewed from outside India.

According to a report by the Washington Post, the borders on Google’s online maps displayed Kashmir as an integral part of India when viewed from India, contrary to what it appeared when seen from elsewhere. For example, when viewed from Pakistan, the Kashmir region would appear disputed marked with dotted lines.

In 2013 too, Google Maps had come under criticism for showing PoK and Aksai Chin (and parts of Arunachal Pradesh) outside the Indian map, and the then government had asked it to correct it.

Twitter shows Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh as separate country

Earlier yesterday, social media platform Twitter, which is already in a tense battle with the central government, drew the ire of Indians after it depicted Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh as separate territories, detached from India. The map that appeared on the ‘Tweep Life’ section showed Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh contiguous with India but not a part of the country.

This did not sit well with the social media users, who slammed the US-based organisation for the distorted representation of the Indian map. Shortly after courting the controversy and suffering backlash from its users, Twitter made the amends and dropped the incorrect map showing Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh outside India.

Over 43% of Gujarat’s population vaccinated at least with one jab – Immunization at full swing in BJP-ruled states

Anurag
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Over 43% of Gujarat’s population vaccinated at least with one jab – Immunization at full swing in BJP-ruled states

Recently, India touched a milestone in administrating Covid-19 vaccines as it left the US behind in terms of total jabs administered. Under the largest vaccination program, India has so far administered a total of 32,36,63,297 shots. 26,69,33,878 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 5,67,29,419 are fully vaccinated.

BJP-ruled states lead in vaccination coverage

As per the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the BJP-ruled states are leading on vaccinating the eligible population.

Gujarat leads coverage as over 43% received at least one dose

As of June 28, the state of Gujarat has administered 2,48,87,822 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 1,95,00,497 people have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 53,87,325 have got both shots. As per the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)’s state-wise population projection 2020, the population of Gujarat is approx 6,38,72,399, out of which, according to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 4,49,55,518 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of Gujarat has covered 43.37% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 11.9% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Haryana

By June 28, Haryana has administered 84,73,512 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 71,66,208 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 13,07,304 have got both shots. As per UIDAI’s state-wise population projection 2020, Haryana’s population is 2,82,04,692, out of which, according to ECI 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 1,73,83,828 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of Haryana has covered 41.22% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 7.5% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Karnataka

As of June 28, Karnataka has administered 2,17,51,030 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 1,81,96,699 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 35,54,331 have got both shots. As per UIDAI’s state-wise population projection 2020, Karnataka’s population stands at approx 6,75,62,686, out of which, according to ECI 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 5,09,88,742 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of Karnataka has covered 35.68% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 6.9% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Uttar Pradesh

As of June 28, the state of UP has administered 3,04,79,428 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 2,61,54,182 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 43,25,246 have got both the shots. As per UIDAI’s state-wise population projection 2020, the population of UP is approx 23,78,82,725 out of which, according to ECI’s 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 14,58,23,276 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of UP has covered 17.93% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 2.9% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. In the case of Uttar Pradesh, it has to be noted that the state has administered the second largest number of doses across the country, but the coverage is low because of the high population density.

Maharashtra administered the highest doses but continues to report a high positive ratio.

By June 28, MVA-led Maharashtra has administered 3,11,59,523 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 2,51,45,226 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 60,14,297 have got both the shots. As per UIDAI’s state-wise population projection 2020, Maharashtra’s population is 12,31,44,223, out of which, according to ECI 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 8,84,04,297 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of Maharashtra has covered 28.44% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 6.8% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. As per data, Maharashtra reported 6,727 new cases on June 28.

Kerala leads in population coverage but reports highest Covid-19 cases

By June 28, Kerala has administered 1,35,35,879 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 1,05,41,451 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 29,94,428 have got both shots. As per UIDAI’s state-wise population projection 2020, Kerala’s population is 3,56,99,443 out of which, according to ECI 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 2,61,19,309 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of Kerala has covered 40.35% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 11.4% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. On June 28, Kerala reported 8,063 new Covid-19 cases.

Delhi

As of June 28, AAP-led Delhi has administered 73,39,238 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 56,36,415 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 17,02,823 have got both shots. As per UIDAI’s state-wise population projection 2020, the population of Delhi is approx 1,87,10,922, out of which, according to ECI’s 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 1,43,09,060 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of Delhi has covered 39.39% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 11.9% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

West Bengal

As of June 28, TMC-led West Bengal has administered 2,11,28,898 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. 1,63,82,716 have got at least one shot of the vaccine, while 47,46,182 have got both shots. As per UIDAI’s state-wise population projection 2020, the population of West Bengal is approx 9,96,09,303 out of which, according to ECI’s 2019 Lok Sabha election data, approx 6,98,68,532 are above 18 years of age. That means the state of West Bengal has covered 23.44% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 6.7% with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Covid-19 in India

As per MoHFA, India reported 37012 new cases of Covid-19 on June 28. On Sunday, 907 people reportedly lost their lives to complications related to Covid-19, while 56,985 recovered from the disease. So far, India has reported 3,03,16,000 Covid-19 cases. There are 5,47,214 active cases in the country. 2,93,59,208 have recovered, while a total of 3,97,668 have lost their lives.

Please note that to calculate the approx number of residents of any state that are eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine, we have used this formula [The number of total voters – Postal voters].

Cleric called ‘priest’, image of Hindu man offering Puja used by NY Post in report where Muslim Maulvi got his penis chopped by wife

OpIndia Staff
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Cleric called ‘priest’, image of Hindu man offering Puja used by NY Post in report where Muslim Maulvi got his penis chopped by wife

Days after it was reported that the wife of an Islamic cleric chopped off his penis resulting in his death, the New York Post (NYP) misled its readers by clever misrepresentation and wrong imagery to show that it was about a Hindu priest.

In an article published on Monday (June 28) and authored by one Yaron Steinbuch, NYP alleged, “Third time was definitely no charm for this polyamorous priest.” The same keyword of ‘priest’ was used in the headline as well. But, the article later specified that the man was a ‘cleric’ identified as one 57-year-old Maulvi Vakil Ahmed.

Screengrab of the New York Post article

To further create confusion in the minds of the readers about the religious affiliation of the man, NYP used the picture of a Hindu Sadhu holding a Diya as the featured image of the article. In the caption of the image, the publication went on to identify the representative image of the Hindu man as a ‘cleric’.

Screengrab of the featured image of the New York Post article

On being called out by netizens, NYP quickly fixed the featured image and replaced it with a stock image of a police van. It must be mentioned that the majority of readers of the New York Post are not Indians but Americans. As such, the use of a wrong image to depict an ‘Islamic cleric’ only added to the ignorance and prejudice held by the international community against the Hindus.

New featured image of New York Post after outrage

The Background of the case

The said incident took place in the Shikarpur village Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Bhaurakala police station area. The cleric, Maulvi Vakil Ahmed, was bobbitised after his wife learnt that he wanted to marry for the third time. While he was asleep, the accused chopped off his penis that eventually led to his death.

While speaking about the incident on Wednesday (June 23), Bhaurakala Police Station Jitendra Teotia said that the middle-aged man had died under suspicious circumstances. Although his family members wanted to bury him immediately, the police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. During the autopsy, the wound in his private parts and the injury marks on his body came to light. The deceased worked as a cleric in a mosque in Bhaura Khurd village.

The accused was identified as one Hazra, the Maulvi’s first wife. During the interrogation, she confessed to the police about murdering the victim. police interrogated Hazra. Hazra said that the deceased Maulvi Vakil Ahmed was married. They had 5 daughters, one of whom was unmarried. Reportedly, the victim’s second wife had left him within 6 months of marriage.

Hajra informed the police that Ahmed wanted to marry for the third time while she had been planning to get her unmarried daughter married first. A heated argument ensued between the two, post which Hazra attacked him with a knife and chopped his private parts off. The police have arrested the accused, seized the murder weapon, and sent her to jail.

Srinagar: Top LeT commander, 1 Pakistani terrorist killed in encounter, AK-47s recovered

OpIndia Staff
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Srinagar: Top LeT commander, 1 Pakistani terrorist killed in encounter, AK-47s recovered

In a massive breakthrough, the security forces have gunned down two terrorists in an encounter that lasted for more than 13 hours in Srinagar, Kashmir. While one is a Pakistani terrorist yet to be identified, the other killed was Lashkar-e-Taiba top terror commander Nadeem Abrar Bhat.

As per Kashmir Police, arms and ammunition including two AK-47 rifles were also recovered from the encounter site.

Who is Nadeem Abrar?

Abrar, active in Lashkar since December 2018, was involved in several killings of security forces and innocent Kashmiri civilians.

Earlier in March, he was responsible for killing two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in a terror attack in Lawaypora of Srinagar. Abrar was a resident of Narbal in Budgam of central Kashmir.

Profile of LeT commander Abrar. Image Source: Twitter handle @adityarajkaul

In an interview to CNN News18, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar confirmed the development on Tuesday morning. “Jammu & Kashmir Police (J&K Police) had a specific input about terrorists planning to carry out an attack on a highway. Keeping in view the seriousness of the input, a few joint nakas of J&K Police & CRPF were in place along the highway,” said Kumar.

Detailing the sequence of events, “On Parimpora naka, a vehicle was stopped and their identity was asked. The person sitting at the back seat tried to open his bag and took out a grenade. The Naka party swiftly swung into action and grabbed the person sitting at the back seat. Both the driver and the person sitting at the back seat were taken into police station where after taking off his mask it was identified that he was a terrorist Abrar, a top LeT Commander”, Kumar informed further.

Abrar was then subjected to a joint interrogation by J&K Police, CRPF and the Indian Army. Abrar disclosed the location where he had stored the arms and ammunition. 

“…he disclosed that he had kept his AK-47 rifle in a house located at Melhoora. Thereafter he was taken to that house to recover the weapon. When the party was entering the house to recover the alleged weapon, one of his associate (a foreign terrorist about whom he didn’t disclose anything) hiding inside the house fired on the party,” added Kumar.

3 CRPF personnel were injured in the sudden initial exchange of fire between the dreaded terrorists and security forces. The injured personnel were evacuated and Kashmiri Civilians rescued by security forces before launching a full-scale operation. News 18 journalist Aditya Raj Kaul had reported the details of the encounter.

The Pakistani terrorist who fired from inside the house and Abrar were neutralised after an intense gunfight. 

Attempt to strike terror in Jammu & Kashmir

Recently, the security forces had nabbed two terrorists from near a shopping mall in Jammu who were in possession of IEDs. Following which, Jammu airport witnessed a drone attack causing two low-intensity blasts inside the technical area of the Air Force Station in Jammu within a five-minute gap.

Simultaneously, terrorists on Saturday attacked a CRPF post in Srinagar’s Barbarshah falling under Kralkhud police station. The attack missed the target with the grenade exploding on the roadside and leaving four civilians injured. 

On June 27, terrorists shot dead a former special police officer (SPO) of Jammu and Kashmir Police at his home at Hariparigam Village in district Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir. Ex-SPO Fayaz Ahmad Bhat’s wife Raja Begum and daughter Rafia were also killed.

They were rushed to a local hospital, where Ahmad and his wife succumbed to injuries. Their daughter was shifted to another hospital, where she succumbed to the fatal injuries too.

FIR filed against Twitter MD for showing Indian land as Pakistani and Chinese territory on their website. Details

OpIndia Staff
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FIR filed against Twitter MD for showing Indian land as Pakistani and Chinese territory on their website. Details

Twitter has once again invited trouble because of its irksome behaviour in India. In a fresh case, Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari has been booked under Section 505 (2) of IPC and Section 74 of IT (Amendment) Act 2008 for showing the wrong map of India on its website.

The case has been filed on the complaint of a Bajrang Dal leader in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. 

OpIndia has obtained a copy of the FIR. Praveen Bhati, a Bajrang Dal leader from Bulandshahr, has complained that the distorted map is a deliberate attempt by Twitter to mislead the world. He has added that by showing a distorted map of India where Indian lands are shown as Pakistani and Chinese territories, Twitter hurt the sentiments of Indian people and also has broken Indian law.

Copy of the FIR filed at Bulandshahr

A massive controversy broke out after the social media giant posted a distorted map of India on the career section on its website. The map that appears on the ‘Tweep Life’ section shows Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh detached from India. While Jammu and Kashmir is shown as a part of Pakistan, the entire Ladakh was shown as Chinese territory.

Distorted Map posted by Twitter on its website. Image Source: Twitter

Several users demanded strict action against Twitter for ignoring Indian law and showing scant regards for India’s territorial sovereignty.

BJP IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya also lashed out calling out on Twitter for its irresponsible behavior. “This is not the first time that Twitter has got India’s map wrong and that’s perhaps the reason why intermediary guidelines mandate that social media and tech company employees should understand the local cultural sensitivities in territorial issues. I guess it is time to realise that there is inadequacy in compliance with the law of land,” he said.

Subsequently, Twitter pulled down the map quietly after the furor. However, this could not save them from legal trouble.

Moreover, Twitter has till now not issued any apology or explanation on the use of a distorted map of India on its career page.

Twitter is a repeat offender

This is not the first time that the social media platform has shown the courage to display the wrong map of India. In October 2020, national security analyst Nitin A Gokhale found that Twitter had labelled the Indian territory of Leh in Ladakh as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Gokhale, the founder of Strat News Global, had marked his location as ‘Hall of Fame Leh’. However, the microblogging platform displayed the area as a part of PRC. The screengrab of the video read, “Nitin A Gokhale was live. Jammu and Kashmir, People’s Republic of China.”

The government of India had issued a warning to CEO Jack Dorsey over the misrepresentation of the Indian map. Giving notice to Twitter, Secretary IT had said that such attempts not only bring disrepute to Twitter but also raises questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary.

At that time, Twitter had reportedly apologised and had stated that they would rectify mistakes regarding India’s territorial depictions by November 30, 2020.

Manish Maheshwari avoids Ghaziabad crime investigation

Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari was expected to join the probe and appear before the Ghaziabad Police in connection with the fake hate crime made viral on the platform earlier this month. A case was filed against Twitter for failing to remove the fake news and videos being peddled on the social media site.

However, Maheshwari filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court against the notice issued by UP Police under Section 41A of CRPC and was granted interim relief from arrest.

Twitter’s grievance officer quits

After trying its best to evade the new IT rules proposed by the Government of India, Twitter had appointed an interim grievance officer.

However, the new grievance officer Dharmendra Chatur quit from his position after he was summoned by the UP Police along with Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari in connection with a manipulated video that peddled a fake hate crime.

Twitter removes distorted map of India from its website without explanation or apology amid standoff with Govt of India

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter removes distorted map of India from its website without explanation or apology amid standoff with Govt of India

Twitter has quietly removed the world map from its career page which contained distorted map of India amid outrage.

Twitter career page

Earlier, right where the above portion is, an interactive world map appeared which had pinned various locations of offices in which India’s map was distorted.

India’s distorted map on Twitter’s career page

As one can see, portions of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir were detached from the map of India.

Now when one scrolls down, the map portion is removed and directly countries and cities as location appears on the career page.

This is not the first time Twitter was has been caught using a distorted map of India. In October 2020, national security analyst Nitin A Gokhale found that Twitter had labelled the Indian territory of Leh in Ladakh as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This was just weeks after India’s standoff with China at Galwan Valley, Ladakh. Back then, too, Twitter had later changed the map after apologising.

Twitter vs Govt of India

Recently, Twitter has locked horns with Government of India over the newly amended IT laws which makes it mandatory for social media platforms to take steps to ensure complaints raised against them are solved within prescribed period. Conditions like the appointment of an interim grievance officer and other regulations have irked the social media giant. By not following the regulations, Twitter has already lost its legal protection it enjoyed against content posted on the platform.

Twitter has till now not issued any apology or explanation on use of distorted map of India on its career page.

‘Misleading’: Twitter attaches a disclaimer to Prashant Bhushan’s tweet spreading vaccine hesitancy

OpIndia Staff
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‘Misleading’: Twitter attaches a disclaimer to Prashant Bhushan’s tweet spreading vaccine hesitancy

Twitter on June 28 has marked a Tweet by Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan on Covid-19 vaccine as ‘misleading’. “This Tweet is misleading. Find out why health officials consider Covid-19 vaccines safe for most people”, read the disclaimer published by the microblogging site below Prashant Bhushan’s morning Tweet where he claimed that younger population have a higher chance of dying through vaccination as compared to suffering severe complications or even death due to coronavirus.

Screenshot of Prashant Bhushan Tweet with the warning message from the microblogging site

When one clicks on the disclaimer message it directs you to a Twitter-curated page that contains information refuting the claims made by Prashant Bhushan in his Tweet. 

Interestingly, Twitter has been very strict in not allowing its platform to be used for promoting anti-vaccine propaganda in the West and suspended people indulging in such behaviour. However, this was not the case with Prashant Bhushan. The microblogging site was seen going soft on the SC lawyer, by merely attaching a disclaimer to his Tweet posted in lines with the nefarious online campaign led by the vicious lobby of left-liberals, the Congress ecosystem, and other Opposition parties, to create panic and cast aspersions about the efficacy of the Coronavirus vaccine. 

Despite the warning, Prashant Bhushan decided to continue with his rant against the Covid vaccines in India. In a Tweet posted few hours ago, the SC lawyer wrote: “I have been attacked by many for tweeting about my views on Covid vaccines. The piece below summarises my Vaccine skepticism & the reasons for this. Apart from the vaccines being untested & having serious adverse effects, I am shocked by attempts to censor such contrarian views”.

Prashant Bhushan goes on a rant against Covid-19 vaccines

Earlier this morning, Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan went on a ranting spree against COVID-19 vaccination. In a series of tweets, though, Bhushan claimed that he is not anti-vaccine but against the promotion of universal vaccination.

Bhushan claimed younger population have a higher chance of dying through vaccination as compared to suffering severe complications or even death due to coronavirus.

Explaining on how he is not anti-vaccine, Bhushan cited an article about a bereaved man who lost his wife allegedly after taking vaccine and said he believes it is “irresponsible to promote universal vaccination of experimental and untested vaccines, especially to young and COVID-19 recovered people”.

“The healthy young have hardly any chance of serious effects or dying due to covid. They have a higher chance of dying due to vaccines. The covid recovered have much better natural immunity, than the vaccine gives them. Vaccines may even compromise their acquired natural immunity,” Bhushan said in a subsequent tweet.

He further added that he has not taken COVID-19 vaccine, and does not intend to take one either.

For months now, the prominent Supreme Court lawyer has been accused of promoting vaccine hesitancy and creating doubts in the minds of people about the alleged damaging effects of the vaccines. Besides, Bhushan had in the past, also questioned the efficacy of masks in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Former Chancellor of Maulana Azad University Zafar Sareshwala accused of whitewashing forced religious conversion of Sikh girls: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Former Chancellor of Maulana Azad University Zafar Sareshwala accused of whitewashing forced religious conversion of Sikh girls: Details

Days after allegations of forced religious conversion of Sikh girls into Islam in Kashmir came to the fore, prominent businessman Zafar Sareshwala is accused of whitewashing the crime of grooming jihad. Sareshwala clamed that one of the two Sikh girls was 27-years-old, was in love with a 37-year-old Muslim man and had converted to Islam of her own volition.

Author Amaan Bali took to Twitter to refute the claims made by Zafar Sareshwala in his tweets. Bali said Zafar’s claims are fake and stated that he was conflating two different cases to whitewash the alleged forced conversion of two Sikh girls.

“Fake. This is not true. There are two cases. The girl in the case of Rainawari is 18yr old and unstable. The girl in the case of Mehjoor Nagar is 32yrs Old. What’s the urge to whitewash the crime when people on the ground have already accepted the cases?” Bali tweeted.

Bali’s tweet was in response to tweets posted by Zafar Sareshwala where he alleged that the outrage over the forced religious conversion was motivated and misplaced as the girl was in love with a Muslim man and had willingly converted to Islam.

Zafar claimed he had spoken to “important people” in Kashmir , who informed him that there was no truth to the story of forceful conversion and marriage of Sikh woman to a Muslim. Sareshwala is the former Chancellor of the Maulana Azad national Urdu University.

“The Sikh Girl is 27, Muslim Boy is 37 and they were in Love for the past 7 years! The Girl in the open court in front of the Magistrate declared her love and said she has converted on her own will! Now Venom Spreaders Go Home & REST,” Sareshwala tweeted.

The case of abduction and forced religious conversion of Sikh girls in Kashmir

On June 26, a case of abduction and religious conversion of two Sikh girls came to light from Jammu & Kashmir. As per reports, an 18-year-old Sikh Girl from Badgam district was lured and converted to Islam. Another case was of a girl from Mehjoor Nagar in Srinagar, attended function of her Muslim friend, from where she was reportedly kidnapped and married off to a boy who attended the function. While the girl was not a minor, she is still missing.

The reports of abduction and conversion of two Sikh girls to Islam stirred a massive online furore, with scandalised people demanding action against the culprits. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) also raised the issue on social media platforms urging the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir to intervene.

According to Sardar Santpal Singh, President Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee-Budgam, who narrated the whole incident, one of the two girls was mentally unstable. A Muslim man lured her on the pretext of love and marriage to convert her. He said, “A girl from Sikh community has been forcefully converted to Islam. She is not mentally stable. The man lured her on the pretext of love. It is not a love affair but a clear case of Love Jihad. The government is acting negatively against us.”

He further added that despite written assurance by the SP who was handling the case that she would be handed over back to the Sikh family, the court orders came against them. He said, “The police inspector had assured in writing that the girl would be handed over to them after presenting her in the Court. However, the judge gave the judgement in favour of the Muslim man and handed over the girl to him.”

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