Three high-ranking personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) have reportedly been dismissed in relation to an investigation into the cross border cattle smuggling along India-Bangladesh border. The BSF did not divulge the details of the dismissed officials, however, it reportedly admitted on Friday that the dismissals induced by what was found in the investigation. An investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been going on in the smuggling of cattle along the India-Bangladesh border.
A dozen BSF personnel transferred since September last year
According to reports, Special Director General of BSF Pankaj Kumar Singh informed that apart from the three dismissed BSF personnel, about a dozen other personnel have been transferred since September last year in connection with the trans-border cattle smuggling case. “Three senior officials have been dismissed, 12 have been transferred. Every document and piece of information sought by the CBI has been shared (with it)”, General Singh told reporters in Kolkata. General Singh also denounced the allegations of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party in West Bengal that the BSF was threatening people in border areas to for vote a particular party in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
Arrest warrant was issued against CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew’s close aide
This year in January, the CBI had issued an arrest warrant against Trinamool Youth Congress leader Vinay Mishra in the cattle smuggling case. Prior to that, the CBI had issued summons to Mishra on four occasions but he failed to turn up before the agency. Mishra is believed to be a close aide of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek. Last year in December, the CBI had raided several locations in West Bengal including to Kolkata residences of Mishra in connection with the cattle smuggling case. A lookout circular was also issued by the CBI to prevent him from leaving the country.
CBI had arrested the kingpin of the cattle smuggling trade last year
Last year in November, the CBI had arrested Enamul Haque, the kingpin of the cross border cattle smuggling racket running along the India-Bangladesh border. He was arrested by the CBI in Delhi. The agency had also raided the offices of two chartered accountants in Kolkata. A case was filed against Enamul Haque, Anarul SK Mohammad Golam Mustafa and Satish Kumar, who is a former commandant of a BSF battalion.
After the 26th January insurrection, Rakesh Tikait has made another ‘promise’ ahead of his call for Chakka Jam on the February 6th. Rakesh Tikait has said that the Chakka Jam will not take place inside the premises of Delhi but outside the premises and everyone who would be ‘stuck’ would be provided food and water.
BKU leader and the mastermind behind the farmer protest, that led to an insurrection on the 26th of July, has this time around claimed that the three-hour-long Chakka jam is going to be ‘peaceful’.
It is pertinent to note that even before the 26th of January, Tikait had claimed that the tractor rally would be peaceful and that they would adhere to the terms and conditions set by the Delhi Police. However, on the 26th of January, they deviated from all the promises they had made. The number of tractors were far more than they had permission for and they deviated from the agreed upon path and went to the Red Fort and India Gate instead. Upon reaching the Red Fort, the Indian Flag was disrespected, slogans about Khalistan were raised and over 400 police personnel were injured in the violence on the 26th.
The so-called farmers and Khalistanis did not only indulge in violence at the Red Fort, but several visuals of these “farmers” attacking police personnel with stones, swords and sticks emerged.
The Delhi Police, for good reason, is not taking the empty words of Tikait seriously this time. Ahead of the Chakka Jam, a series of meetings were held and by the Delhi Police top brass.
The Police, on the other hand, has also reportedly said that strict action will be taken by the Delhi Police against the agitators if the traffic is blocked and, a close watch will be kept on people entering the national capital.
The Haryana ADGP (law and order) has also issued directives to the SPs and Commissioners in view of farmers’ proposed ‘chakka jam’ tomorrow. “Maximum force shall be pulled out from non-operational duties. Intelligence network should be geared up and necessary preventive action may be taken,” it reads.
The Chakka Jam plans ahead of Delhi anti-Hindu Riots and why the Delhi Police needs to be cautious of Rakesh Tikait
It is pertinent to note that even ahead of the rampant violence in Delhi in 2020 during the anti-Hindu riots, it was the calls for Chakka Jam by Islamists that had reverberated.
While there were myriad of other factors like shaming India internationally, retaliating for the Ayodhya verdict and getting international attention while pushing the ‘Muslims under attack’ trope, the phenomenon that raised its ugly head during the Delhi Riots was ‘Chakka Jam’. A way to cripple the national capital and ultimately, the entire country.
“There are over 30% urban Muslims in UP. Do you have no shame at all? Why cannot you do Chakkajam in UP? The area in Bihar where I am from, the rural Muslim population is 6% while the urban Muslim population is 24%. Indian Muslims mostly live in cities. So it is upon you. You can bring your cities to a halt. If anyone asks you not to, disown them”.
Further, in another video, amidst controversial slogans of “Allah-u-Akbar” and “Naara-e-Taqbeer”, a stunning revelation was made about how rallies organised by Kanhaiya Kumar can be used to instigate 5 lakh Muslims to create riots.
“If 5 lakhs Muslims are organised then we can cut the North-east from rest of India. If we cannot do permanently, at least we can cut North-east from India for months. Our responsibility is to cut the Assam from India then Govt will hear our voice. If we have to help the Assam then we will have to cut the Assam from rest of India.”
These were the words of JNU student and The Wire columnist Sharjeel Imam. The Islamist who is now being credited with organising the Delhi Riots to a large extent. He wanted to get Muslims to bring cities to a halt. He wanted Muslims to do Chakka Jam and occupy Chicken’s Neck (which is a 22 Km strip that connects the rest of India to the Northeast), thereby cutting Northeast off from the rest of India. He wanted Muslims on the road, everywhere, throughout the country, to ensure that we come to a standstill. We, of course, should not forget that he was the mastermind of Shaheen Bagh. And the aim of Shaheen Bagh was to do exactly that. Disrupt peace and civil liberties of other citizens of the city, in the name of protest, with the help of the Islamist media – they succeeded in doing that for a long time.
Even during the farmer protests, these nefarious designs have raised their ugly head and the Chakka Jam model seems to be getting replicated by Rakesh Tikait. The Delhi Police is therefore taking precautions before the 6th February Chakka Jam.
What are the farm laws
One of the biggest factors plaguing the growth of agriculture sector in the country is the inability of the farmer to find a market and to get a fair price to his produce. To address the issue, the erstwhile governments of different states enacted the Agricultural Produce Market Regulation Acts (APMC Acts), which authorised them to set up and regulate marketing practices in wholesale markets.
The objective of these markets was to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce. However, with each passing year, the APMCs turned out to be inefficient with increasing cartelisation of middlemen, ban on private players to enter the trade, increasing corruption etc.
The Modi government recently introduced three bills to promote much easier trade for the farm produce and to provide a competitive market for the producers outside the existing APMC system. The three laws were:
The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020: This law aims at creating additional trading opportunities outside the APMC market yards to help farmers get remunerative prices due to additional competition
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020: This law relates a framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce.
The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020: This law aims to regulate the supply of certain food items only under extraordinary circumstances.
It is pertinent to mention that the farm laws are set of three laws that allow farmers to sell their products outside APMC act (most states make it compulsory for the farmers to sell at APMC mandis). It also allows farmers to directly have a contract with corporate houses.
That farm laws don’t do away with APMC, and if someone is not willing to trust markets outside the current system, they are free to stick to the ongoing system. It doesn’t do away with MSPs either. However, the prevalent narrative that seems to be motivated by political concerns falsely claims that APMCs and MSP are being done away with.
They also allege that due to these laws, big corporations would have the upper hand in a deal with farmers, however, that again is a lie. In fact, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 ensures that a contract is agreed upon and gives the farmer the power to even cancel contracts.
In another case of alleged Grooming Jihad (Love Jihad) reported from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, police have arrested a 25-year-old tutor named Amaan who changed his identity to befriend an 18-year-old teenage girl. He had kidnapped her and tried to coerce her to denounce her religion and convert to Islam. Amaan threatened her with dire consequences when she resisted.
Based on contact tracing, the Meerut police traced the location of the victim and the accused and recovered the two from a locality in Delhi. The police recorded the statement of the victim in front of the magistrate, in which she confessed that Amaan forced her to convert her religion.
After recording the statement, Meerut police handed her over to her family. The police arrested the accused and charged him under section 362 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, the law Yogi Govt passed recently to tackle the growing menace of Grooming Jihad in Meerut and various other areas of Uttar Pradesh.
According to Meerut police, the incident took place in Shastri Nagar in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The accused Amaan taught in a coaching centre, where the victim, the daughter of a Hindu businessman, went to study. Amaan introduced himself as a Hindu and befriended the teenage girl while tutoring her. He then reportedly asked her to elope with him. Forcing her to denounce her religion and adopt Islam, Amaan allegedly told the girl that he would marry her after her religious conversion. When the girl refused, Amaan threatened to kill her younger brother.
Fearing the consequences, the girl agreed to flee with Amaan, who then took her to Delhi on February 2 (Tuesday). There he pestered her to accompany him to Jama Masjid, where he had plans to convert her to Islam. However, before Amaan could carry through his plans, Meerut police rounded him up and brought them back to Meerut.
Actually, after the girl went missing on Tuesday, the victim’s family approached the police to file a missing complaint. In the complaint, they named Amaan as the prime suspect.
As news of the incident spread, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Manch activists also gathered outside Nauchandi police station and urged police to take strict and prompt action in the case.
महानगर अध्यक्ष सचिन सिरोही जी को मुस्लिम लड़के अमान द्वारा लव जिहाद के तहत हिन्दू लडकी के अपहरण की सुचना पर संघठन के कार्यकर्ताओं के साथ नौचंदी थाने पहुंचे और लड़की की तुरंत बरामदगी को लेकर हंगमा किया। pic.twitter.com/QdWaGTYSYI
Based on the complaint, Meerut police registered a case of kidnapping under Section 362 (kidnapping) of the IPC and initiated efforts to trace the victim and the accused.
The police traced the mobile phones of the accused and the victim. The investigation led the police to a locality in Delhi. “We brought her to Meerut and then arrested Amaan. We have also added the relevant section of the UP anti-conversion ordinance to the FIR after she recorded her statement before the magistrate and alleged that Amaan forced her to convert at a mosque in Delhi,” media reports quoted police as saying.
In a major development, the Supreme Court of India granted interim bail to ‘comedian’ Munawar Faruqi on Saturday. Faruqi was accused of mocking Hindu deities, making defamatory comments about the RSS and Home Minister Amit Shah and whitewashing the Godhra carnage.
Bar and Bench reported that a bench headed by Justice RF Nariman granted interim bail to the accused and also stayed the production warrant by the Uttar Pradesh police. Justice Nariman noted that the guidelines laid out in Arunesh Kumar Vs State of Bihar (2014) were not followed in Munawar Faruqi’s case. Advocate Saurabh Kirpal, representing Munawar Faruqi in the apex court, said, “This is a case of victimisation.”
BREAKING: Supreme court grants interim bail to Munawar Faruqui#supremecourt
On Thursday, Faruqi moved the apex Court against the order passed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court on January 28. The High Court had denied bail to the ‘comedian’ and emphasised that promoting harmony was one of the key constitutional duties.
Munawar Faruqui and 4 others arrested for indecent remarks on Hindu gods
Faruqui and four other persons identified as Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas and Nalin Yadav were arrested for mocking Hindu Gods in a stand-up comedy show in Indore based on the complaint of Eklavya Singh Gaur, an activist and the chief of Hindu Rakshak Sangathan.
They were booked under IPC sections 295-A (outraging religious feelings), 269 (unlawful or negligent act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and other relevant provisions. Section 269 was invoked for allegedly ignoring COVID-19 safety protocol. Faruqui was sent to judicial custody till January 13 which was later extended to January 27.
During a show in April last year, Munawar Faruqui mocked the 2002 Godhra carnage where 58 Hindus returning from Ayodhya were burnt alive by a Muslim mob. In a part of the clip that had gone viral on social media, one can hear him refer to the carnage as a fictional film ‘directed’ by Amit Shah and ‘produced’ by RSS.
The story of Karnataka youth Prathap NM, known as Drone Boy or Drone Prathap, will be retold on the big screens as filmmakers in Karnataka have now decided to make a movie on the infamous story of Drone Prathap.
According to the reports, the movie will be based on the life story of Drone Prathap, who became a media sensation across the country after he had claimed to have achieved so many exploits in the field of drones. However, OpIndia had busted his false claims and exposed his alleged ‘achievements’, leading to a massive controversy in Karnataka.
Pratham, who rose to fame through Kannada reality show Bigg Boss, has reportedly been signed to play the role of Drone Prathap. The actor has also revealed about his new movie on social media platforms.
Instagram post by actor Pratham
Pratham also said that a prominent director in the South would be directing this movie. The movie will go to sets in a few days.
“This will be an attempt to give a message with a comic plot for the audience without getting into legal tangles. This movie will be in line with the stories of the movies like ‘Gowri Ganesha’, ‘Yaarigu Helbedi’, ‘Undu Hoda Kondu Hoda’,” said Pratham.
Drone Prathap rumoured toparticipate in Bigg Boss Kannada
Earlier, there were reports that Drone Prathap was all set to enter the house of Bigg Boss Kannada. It is being reported that the fake drone scientist is going to participate in the reality TV show aired on Colors Kannada channel.
According to the reports, the 8th edition of Bigg Boss Kannada will start early next year, and the selection process of participants has already started. Although the names of the participants are kept confidential before official disclosure by the channels, rumours on media and social media suggest that actor Anirudh Jakaar, newsreader Heeregowdar, Divya, Tik Tok queen Sonu Gowda, Drone Prathap and Bindu Gowda are set to participate in the show.
Prathap had risen to fame after Kannada media had hailed his ‘inventions’ without verifying his claims. He had claimed to have built drones using electronic waste from broken TVs and Mixer Grinders. He had claimed to have won numerous awards in ‘Drone competitions’ organised in Japan and Europe. He had also claimed to have received invitations from over a hundred countries to deliver lectures.
But there was not a single photo or video available of any drone built by him, and the awards that he had claimed to have won do not exist. In the OpIndia fact-check, it was found that Prathap had visited various tech-expos in Japan, Germany etc., had got himself photographed with drones on display at those events and had circulated them as his own creations. Most of the images had branding of the companies that made the drones, but it didn’t stop him from making false claims. Reportedly, he had also received a large amount from various donors to keep up his ‘research’.
However, after OpIndia had published the fact-check, ‘drone Prathap’ had crash-landed, and all the people who had supported him started distancing themselves from him. Kannada media had also finally started to question him. The final nail in the coffin of his fame was put by Prathap himself when he had shared a photo from a German expo to give proof of drones built by him in a live TV show. After that, German drone maker BillzEye Multicoptersysteme had issued a statement saying that it was their drone, and Prathap had nothing to do with its development.
In politics, where people of the country are increasingly asking about nepotism, PM Modi’s niece, Sonal Modi, was denied a BJP ticket to contest in the upcoming civil polls in Gujarat.
Narendra Modi’s niece Sonal Modi was earlier denied a ticket by the BJP to contest the municipal elections from Bodakdev ward in Ahmedabad. Her name did not feature in the list of candidates released by the BJP unit in Gujarat. Sonal Modi, a homemaker by occupation, said that she did not want to contest as PM Modi’s niece but as an ordinary candidate. She emphasised that she will remain a dedicated party worker, irrespective of the BJP’s decision to reject her candidature.
On February 1, the BJP unit of Gujarat had announced that no tickets will be given to family members of any party leader. At the same time, BJP workers who are 60 years old and above or have served three times have also been denied tickets for CR Paatil, BJP Gujarat Chief, informed that the same rules applied to PM Modi’s niece as well.
While speaking about the development, PM Modi’s brother Prahlad Modi remarked, “This is not a case of nepotism. My family never used Narendra Modi’s name for our benefit. We all earn our own bread and butter.” He further added, “Even I run a ration shop. I have not visited Narendra Modi’s bungalow after he became the PM, let alone my children.” Pralhad Modi is the elder brother of PM Modi and Gujarat Fair Price Shops Association’s President.
The polls for 6 municipal corporations in Gujarat, namely, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar will be held on February 21. A list of 576 candidates was released by the State unit of the BJP. The voting for 81 municipalities, 231 taluka panchayats, 31 district panchayats will take place on February 28 this year.
A few days back, foreign vested interests had descended to intervene in India’s domestic affairs to create chaos in the country by propagating disinformation pertaining to the farm laws passed by the Modi government and the violent protests by so-called farmers and Khalistanis thereafter. Singer-actress Rihanna, along with former porn-star Mia Khalifa and child protestor Greta Thunberg on Tuesday interfered in country’s politics by endorsing violence in the name of supporting ‘farmer’ protests. One such individual who dragged herself into the controversy was US Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece Meena Harris.
Harris, who seems to have no idea about the intent of farm reforms initiated in the country, joined the global propagandists to oppose the new farm laws ever since it was passed in September 2020.
Tweet by Meena Harris
Just like the fellow foreign influencers, Meena Harris resorted to propagating misinformation by claiming that she was “outraged” by “paramilitary violence against farmer protesters” in New Delhi at a time when there is evidence that highlight how protests unleashed riots in the streets of the national capital and brutally attacked the police personnel injuring more than 400 cops.
Meena Harris, who has a habit of flaunting her ties with United States Vice President Kamala Harris, has now gone to the extent using rabid Islamists and anti-India voices to meddle into Indian affairs. Sharing the tweets of Islamist troll and Hinduphobic propagandist Rana Ayub, Meena Harris attempted to not to only endorse the vandalism in the name of farmer protests but also tried to normalise Hindu hatred.
Tweet by Meena Harris
Her timeline is full of tweets and posts about Indian ‘farmer’ protests, which is not only devoid of facts but also whitewashing crimes of rioters who carried out insurrection against the Indian state on the Republic Day.
Ironically, Harris was ranting against the protestors who had stormed the Capital Hill and had termed those protests as ‘fascism’ that threatened democracy in the United States. However, Meena Harris exposes her hypocrisy when she applies different standards to the insurrection carried out by rioters disguised as ‘farmers’ in India, who desecrated the national flag on Republic Day and unleashed violence on the streets of Delhi.
Tweet by Meena Harris
It is indeed amusing when the likes of Meena Harris, who had no relevance till US Presidential Elections 2020, teaches India and Indians about ‘human rights’. Meena Harris, whose only identity is that she is a close relative of VP Kamala Harris, should in fact mind their own business and address human rights issues in their own country rather than pointing fingers at us.
Harris’ anti-India rants by referring into Indian leadership as ‘Fascist dictators’ comes even as the US administration themselves have welcomed the reforms initiated by the Indian government to state that the farm laws are aimed at “improving the efficiency of Indian markets” and attracting “greater private sector investment” in agriculture.
Meena Harris – a crony of Biden administration who uses Kamala Harris to get things done
The 36-year-old Stanford and Harvard Law graduate Harris gained prominence in the United States only after Kamala Harris decided to throw her hat into the Presidential race a few years ago. Meena Harris has been accused by many for using her political links to further her business interests in the last few years.
Reportedly, Meena Harris has authored two books – Ambitious Girl and the other Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea. Meena used the name of Kamala Harris to sell her books, which went on to become bestsellers. She also started a clothing line – Phenomenal and co-founded a production company after the November 2020 election.
Interestingly, Meena – a ‘champion’ for the cause of underprivileged, flew to the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration last month on a private plane owned by a donor to Biden’s campaign.
Meena Harris uses Kamala Harris ‘story for success’ to sell her products and it is being said that Meena Harris’s success only came after she began to exert her relationship with Kamala Harris. From selling “Kamala Harris Swimsuit”, “Kamala Tank”, to marketing “Kamala T-shirt”, Meena has gone to lengths to make money using her aunt’s influence.
Harris sold products with Kamala as a ‘theme’
In August 2020, when Kamala Harris was selected as Biden’s running mate, Meena Harris had ‘pushed” her campaign team to sell a shirt designed by her and a friend in their store. However, Biden had rejected such an idea as it would cause problems for campaign finances.
In January this year, Meena Harris had signed a deal with audio products manufacturer Beats Electronics for a collaboration. However, Biden’s team had to warn Meena Harris that she cannot use her aunt and VP-elect Kamala Harris’ name, image or likeness for profit.
Reportedly, the Beats headphones had asked their influencers and celebrities to promote with a theme, “The First But Not The Last”, a reference to Kamala Harris selection to the post of Vice President. Incidentally, the same phrase was used in the T-shirt designed by Meena Harris and sold on the Biden campaign’s online store.
Another report suggested that Kamala Harris did not have any information regarding Meena Harris’s business collaborations. Lately, Meena Harris and her business interests have caused problems for the White House.
Just like Meena Harris has become a pain for Biden’s administration due to her shady deals, her constant interference into India’s domestic affairs could soon become the anotjer ‘Meena problem’ for the Biden adminsitration.
Dear Meena, what’s good for the goose, has to be good for the gander
It is pertinent to reiterate here that Harris had, with all her might, supported the police action against rioters at the Capitol Hill. Branding the violence as a planned insurrection and an attack on the seat of democracy, Meena had said that the violence at the Capitol Hill was an example of fascism.
Any violence, ordinarily, would be condemned especially, when the violence is religiously and politically motivated, targets security personnel in a planned manner and furthers a violent insurrection against a democratically elected government. While the liberals of the West of thorough hypocrites who supported the riots by Black Lives Matter and called the violence by Trump supporters an ‘insurrection’, India, stood by the United States and condemned the violence.
Regardless of political preferences and the fact that a Biden administration would only be bad news for India, the powers that be condemned the violence in unequivocal terms. Hence, while Meena Harris might be a hypocrite, her support for security personnel acting against the rioters at the Capitol Hill was right, morally and politically.
However, the unbridled hypocrisy and racism shine through when the people who condemned the insurrection at Capitol Hill support the insurrection by armed Khalistanis in Delhi, that left over 400 police personnel injured and the national capital, burning and bruised. Perhaps it is time that Meena realises that what is good for the goose, has to be good for the gander. While western approval or validation means paltry little to Indians, Meena would perhaps do well to realise that India has a right to defend herself against insurrections just as much as the west, and she should either support India’s sovereign right or… SHUT UP.
After the unfortunate demise of Republic TV anchor Vikas Sharma on Thursday, Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami paid a heartfelt tribute to him. Vikas Sharma had reportedly been battling Covid-19 and had recovered. However, he passed away due to post-Covid complications. He used to host a news show named ‘Ye Bharat ki Baat Hai’ on Republic Bharat at 9 pm.
Remembering his colleague and late anchor Vikas Sharma, Goswami termed the loss as “an indescribable shock”. “I have no words to express how devastated we all are here at the Republic media network at passing away of Vikas”, said Arnab Goswami.
Republic Media Network mourns the loss of Vikas Sharma, Republic Bharat’s most loved anchor who passed away on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/Apfnm9zOpS
Remembering Sharma’s work at Republic TV, Goswami said, “Vikas was part of the launch team of Republic Bharat. And for the last 17-18 months, he has been face of the very popular 9 pm show Ye Bharat kiBaat Hai“.
Praising Vikas Sharma’s unique style of reporting, Arnab Goswami recalled, “…(he) threw his style of presentation, the way in which he described and explained every news story, the nuances that he brought out in ways which were almost magical. And the fact that very often he actually reported from the ground, from the field and being a field reporter he would anchor a show from the ground and then bring incredible insight and depth into the coverage.”
I saw amazing talent in him: Arnab Goswami
Goswami recalled the time he recruited Vikas Sharma and how he impressed him with his talent. “For me personally, Vikas was one of those journalists who I was very very very personally fond of and proud of. I still remember the first day when I interviewed him and he was a field reporter. He came to meet me and he showed me some of his tapes. And we went through the tapes. He had come to apply to be a reporter but I saw that talent in him, amazing talent. And he joined our anchoring team.”
It is a big loss for all of us: Arnab Goswami
He termed the demise of Vikas Sharma a big loss for the Republic media network. “As an anchor, the manner in which he presented the news was completely unique. There was a passion. There was involvement. And there was a great and a very precise manner in which he brought the story alive. There are very few journalists in India who could relate the news in the way that he did. So it is a big loss for all of us. And we will always remember his as a courageous, outspoken journalist and reporter and someone who, forever, will be part of the Republic media network.”
“It is a big loss for me personally. And I wish everyone strength to come over this great loss”, said Arnab Goswami with a lump throat.
Days after singer-actress Rihanna and former pornstar Mia Khalifa expressed ‘solidarity’ with the anti-farm law agitation in India, the mastermind of Republic Day riots, Rakesh Tikait, has welcomed their support.
While speaking about the development on Thursday, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader said, “Mujhe kya pata, kara hoga. Main kya unhe jaanun! (They must have supported the agitation. How would I know them?).” Rakesh Tikait seemed absolutely clueless about the international stars, such as Rihanna, Mia Khalifa and environmental activist Greta Thunberg. But, he nevertheless welcomed their support.
Rakesh Tikait was talking to the media at the Ghazipur border. He inquired about the foreign artists who had shown ‘solidarity’ with his anti-farm law agitation. “Kaun hain ye videshi kalaakar? (Who are these people?),” the ‘farmer’ leader asked. He added, “Koi videshi agar samarthan kar raha to kya dikkat hai, kuch le-de thodi na raha hai (If a foreigner is supporting our protest, then what is the problem? We are not receiving or giving them anything.)”
It must be mentioned that Rakesh Tikait is one of the masterminds of the tractor rally, who fomented trouble in the national capital by instigating the so-called protestors to unleash violence on Delhi’s streets, which unfortunately ended with the shocking act of desecration of tricolour at the Red Fort and rampant violence.
International solidarity or a planned conspiracy to defame India?
Earlier on Wednesday, Greta Thunberg has inadvertently revealed the insidious nature of the global campaign against India. After music sensation, Rihanna and adult movie actress Mia Khalifa jumped in to amplify the targeted campaign against the Indian government, the school drop out activist also registered her contribution in the matter.
Several other vested interests had also jumped in to comment on an issue they seem to know nothing about, in a bid to interfere in India’s internal matters. Niece of USA Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris, has been tweeting relentlessly about the protests in India.
However, the global conspiracy seemed to have ended on an embarrassing note after Greta Thunberg shared a document that detailed the manner in which people all over the world could contribute to undermining laws passed by the democratically elected Parliament of India. The document, titled, ‘Global Farmer Strike First Wave’, implores individuals across the world to be a part of the ‘largest protest’ in human history. The objective is, apparently, to protest against the ‘unregulated corporatisation’ of the farming sector.
OpIndia had also reported how, per the documents leaked by Greta Thunberg, the tweets by Rihanna and Greta were in no way spontaneous and had been planned by anti-India propagandists well in advance. We had also reported the violent antecedents of Greta Thunberg and the organisations she is associated with, that lent support to the violent protests in India.
Marxist ‘historian’ DN Jha, known for alternative history and distortion of India’s ancient past, died on Thursday evening due to prolonged illness.
The 81-year-old ‘historian’, who was also a professor and chair at the Department of History at Delhi University, was infamously known for ‘secularising’ Indian history through falsifying facts to defame indigenous cultures of the land. Jha, who belonged to the school of Marxist history in Delhi, claimed to have specialised in ancient and medieval history.
Jha lied about the presence of a temple beneath Babri Masjid
DN Jha was one of the first far-left ‘intellectuals’ who peddled the lies about the non-existence of a Hindu temple underneath the Babri Masjid at Ram Janmabhoomi, Ayodhya. The likes of Jha had gone to the extent of nullifying the historical claim over Ayodhya and its past by distorting facts about the presence of a temple beneath the illegal structure called Babri Masjid.
In May 1991, Jha and along with three other ‘historians’ had come up with a document, ‘Babri Mosque or Rama’s Birthplace? Historians’ Report to the Indian Nation’. In this document, Jha had come up with theories, as usual without any substantial proofs to claim that there was no Hindu temple under the illegal structure of Babri Masjid. However, the lies of ‘historians’ such as DN Jha were exposed by the ASI who unearthed temple remains during their excavation, which was later vindicated by the Supreme Court in its Ram Mandir judgement in 2019.
DN Jha peddled Hindu ate beef myth, lied about Hindus destroying Nalanda
Not just it, DN Jha, who was known for anti-Hindu propaganda, had also tried his luck with ‘fiction’ when he published The Myth of the Holy Cow. In this book, Jha had claimed that Hindu were the first to consume beef during the Vedic and post-Vedic period.
In the introduction of the book, Jha wrote, “The veneration of the cow has been converted into a symbol of the communal identity of the Hindus, and obscurantist and fundamentalist forces obdurately refuse to appreciate that the cow was not always all that sacred in the Vedic and subsequent Brahmanical and non-Brahmanical traditions—or that its flesh”.
This was the extent of anti-Hindu hatred the likes of DN Jha possessed which motivated them to go to any extent to defame and discredit Hindu civilizational values.
A known supporter of the Congress party and its politics, the Marxist ‘historian’ was also known for inventing facts to lie about Nalanda when he had claimed that the ancient University was destroyed by followers of Brahmanical religion, to save Muslims who had ravaged the ancient university in the 12th century. Arun Shourie, a minister of the Vajpayee government and also a Hindu scholar, had accused DN Jha of distorting history.
