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Meerut: Javed slit his married girlfriend’s throat while her five children watched

OpIndia Staff
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Meerut: Javed slit his married girlfriend’s throat while her five children watched

In a gruesome crime in Meerut on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh a man allegedly butchered his married girlfriend over suspicion of infidelity. The incident happened in Harinagar colony near Brahmpuri police station on December 30. The accused named Javed brutally slit the throat of the victim named Nargis (some reports mention her name as Nazreen).

According to reports, the accused Javed, who was in a romantic relationship with the victim, suspected her of a having a love affair with another man.

The victim was the mother of 5 children

Nargis was the mother of five children and was married one Imran who sells clothes in Delhi. Nargis ran a beauty parlour and also used to sell medicines. Javed’ family, wife and two children live in Shastrinagar sector 14. Javed used to take care of Nargis’ children as her husband used to be Delhi most of the time. He suspected that Nargis was having an affair with a man named Sonu, a resident of Maliana. He alleged that she was planning to marry this other person.

Javed was angry over the victim’s alleged affair with another man

Yesterday, Javed went to Nargis’ house in the morning. He attacked Nargis with a butcher’s knife and slit her throat. On hearing Nargis scream, neighbours rushed to her house where they found Javed with a blood stained weapon and Nargis lying dead on the floor. Two of her children were lying on the ground unconscious while three were sitting in a corner crying. The neighbours informed the police immediately. Whne police reached at the spot, Javed did not try to flee and started shouting that he wanted police to kill him in an encounter as he did not want to live. He surrendered before the police and was taken to police station. The body of the victim was sent for postmortem. All the five children of the victim have been sent for medical check up and were later handed over to relatives.

SSP Ajay Sahni informed that Javed had known the victim for many years. A case has been filed on a complaint by the victim’s brother.

From the Dara Hua Hindus of Maujpur to Manav’s tragic death and Shaheen Bagh ground report: Top 10 exclusive OpIndia news breaks of 2020

OpIndia Staff
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From the Dara Hua Hindus of Maujpur to Manav’s tragic death and Shaheen Bagh ground report: Top 10 exclusive OpIndia news breaks of 2020

The year 2020 has been difficult for everyone but with the support from our readers, OpIndia continued to publish news that are not covered by mainstream media. From stories on Grooming Jihad to unmasking ‘civil society organizations’, OpIndia published a lot of exclusive news stories.

On the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots and the investigation that followed, we have published numerous exclusive reports and also a book on the events and the conspiracy that led to the enormous bloodshed at the national capital.

Now that we are at the end of the year, we revisit some of the important news stories that we have reported this year.

1. A tale of Maujpur’s Dara Hua Hindus

OpIndia reported on the plight of Hindus at Maujpur, a Hindu dominated locality that witnessed widespread violence, in the aftermath of the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots. The Hindus in Maujpur were living in constant fear of being attacked by Islamist mobs. Vinod Kumar was shot dead in this area.

We discovered that men prepared to die and women of the house prepared to fight or die themselves if the “Mohammaden mob” comes for them is a story not uncommon with Hindu families living in fear since the Delhi anti-Hindu riots broke out. The media, on the other hand, was busy painting these riots as a pogrom against Muslims, incited by “rabid Hindus”.

2. The full story of what happened when Nazmul kidnapped Dinesh’s daughter at gunpoint

A minor girl was abducted on gunpoint while she was returning from the market with her father. The incident took place on July 26 (Sunday) in Begusarai’s Bhikan Chak village that falls under Bachhwara police station. Dinesh, the father of the minor girl said that around 5 pm, seven people, including a female, approached them in a Bolero car while they were crossing the Panchayat Bhavan in Behrampur in Mansurchak Block in Begusarai district and took away his daughter on gunpoint.

We brought the full story of the matter to public light.

3. Shaheen Bagh ground report

OpIndia also reported on the Shaheen Bagh protests from the ground. We reported that contrary to the media narrative that this was a ‘spontaneous’ protest, a lot of money was being spent on organizing it. The protests were extremely organized, for a protest that was touted to be ‘spontaneous’.

There was a security check as well where protesters would demand your identity proof and check your bags and even then, would continue keeping an eye on you. Media personnel are screened before they could talk with the protesters. A lot of the details was happily ignored by the mainstream media.

4. Interviewing Manav’s father

On the 4th of May, 2020, the life of one family in upscale Gurugram came to a screeching halt. A 17-year-old boy, Manav, jumped from the 11th floor of his apartment building, landing on the road below and ultimately, losing his life. The ‘Bois Locker Room’ controversy had claimed a victim. We interviewed his father to bring his side of the story and reveal how such a promising young life was cut short by the demented nature of social media.

5. A South African anti-racism campaign and the inexplicable presence of Congress leader Anand Sharma

South-Africa launched an ‘anti-racism campaign’ led by President Ramaphosa. The campaign had significant opposition within South Africa as well. The launch of this campaign was to start with a virtual talk. The opening statements were to be delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa and then, a panel discussion was to ensue with several other panelists making their comments.

7 out of 8 of those panelists belonged to South Africa. However, there was one name that did not add up – Anand Sharma, Congress leader. We reported the manner in which Congress could have potentially undermined Indian national interests in the process.

6. Conversation that shows how Mumbai Police is trying to coerce witness into naming Republic TV in TRP scam

OpIndia accessed a conversation which is between Person A (Person in whose home a bar-o-meter is installed) and his neighbour, makes it evident that Person A was scared for his security and his family’s safety after being allegedly coerced by the Mumbai Police.

The conversation accessed by OpIndia raised significant questions regarding the conduct of the Mumbai Police and the manner in which witnesses were being coerced in order to target Arnab Goswami and Republic TV.

7. The full story behind why Prasar Bharati decided to terminate its association with PTI

The Prasar Bharati finally terminated its arrangement with the Press Trust of India (PTI) in October this year. Earlier, it was announced that the government of India institution will be reviewing its arrangement with the PTI following its interview with the Chinese Ambassador wherein the news agency was accused of providing a platform for the Chinese to run their propaganda.

OpIndia reported the precise reason why Prasar Bharti took that decision.

8. WhatsApp chats that showed how some anti-CAA protestors were aware that violence was planned

OpIndia has accessed screenshots of Whatsapp chats between those who controlled the Delhi riots which further explain how the communal riots were not the handiwork of locals but it was a result of deeper conspiracy and planning.

The WhatsApp chats make it extremely clear that the riots were a deep seated conspiracy and not impromptu at all.

9. How Harsh Mander is connected to Italian Govt and Italian Secret Service

We, at OpIndia, have spent a lot of time discussing and reporting on the undue influence that foreign-funded NGOs exert over the institutions of our country and the narratives that drive politics in the media. We have reported extensively on the manner in which foreign-funded NGOs are using the Judiciary in order to meddle the internal affairs of India via elements like Harsh Mander.

This year, we reported how Harsh Mander is a member of an organization connected to the Italian Government and the Italian Secret Service.

10. Ankit Sharma’s brother talks to OpIndia

While the Delhi anti-Hindu riots rage on, the country woke up to disturbing news on 26th January. An Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, Ankit Sharma, had been brutally murdered and his tortured remains were recovered from a nearby drain. Some said that the IB officer was mercilessly thrown after the murder during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots, others alleged that the body was hidden so it would not be recovered.

Meanwhile, the mainstream media claimed that Ankit Sharma was murdered by a mob chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and went further to say that it was his brother who had made the claim. It was under these circumstances that OpIndia talked to the deceased IB constable’s brother.

The brother denied making any such claim ever and said that it was Tahir Hussain and the Islamist mob the former AAP Councilor was leading that was responsible for Ankit Sharma’s murder.

Ujjain: The colony where Ram Mandir fund collection rally was attacked by Muslim mob to be demolished

OpIndia Staff
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Ujjain: The colony where Ram Mandir fund collection rally was attacked by Muslim mob to be demolished

In the aftermath of the recent stone-pelting by a Muslim mob on a rally taken out by Hindus in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, the police are on a lookout for the culprits. According to Nai Dunia, the bail application of one of the accused was rejected by the court yesterday. So far, 18 people have reportedly been arrested by the police and 5 people have been booked under the National Security Act (NSA). Around 36 people have so far been made accused in the case. Teams of police have been deployed in the areas to prevent any untoward situation.

A rally taken out for collecting funds for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya on December 25 was attacked with stones as it passed through the Muslim dominated area of Begumbagh. The mob vandalised the vehicles left behind by people in rally after they ran for cover on being attacked. The house which was used by stone pelters to attack the rally was later demolished by the police as it was found to be an illegal construction.

Illegal colony where stone-pelting happened to be demolished

According to reports, the local administration is planning to demolish the illegal colony in Begumbagh area where stones were pelted at the rally. The families that will be affected by the demolition will be provided with flats that will be constructed in Dhatravada village. The construction of new flats will entail an expenditure of Rs 15 crore. The municipal corporation had invited tenders from construction companies for the construction of the flats. The administration is likely to finalise the tenders soon.

The new flats will reportedly be provided to affected families at cheaper rates. The construction will be carried under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana within two years. The land where the colony is located will be used for developing parking area and other facilities. The decision to pull down the colony and provide alternate accommodation to affected families was taken about a month ago in a meeting of Ujjain Smart City Board.

From Grooming Jihad, Hathras case to exposing ‘drone boy’: Here are the top 10 articles of 2020 by OpIndia

OpIndia Staff
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From Grooming Jihad, Hathras case to exposing ‘drone boy’: Here are the top 10 articles of 2020 by OpIndia

2020 has been an extremely fruitful year for us at OpIndia. It has been a year of growth and prospects. It has been a year where we bettered our own performance and continued to get undying support from the ones who matter: our readers.

These are the top 10 articles that you helped go viral and made them the most read this year. You can click on the preview images or the link below the images to read the respective articles:

1. The curious case of ‘Drone Boy’ who has made 600 drones using broken mixer grinders and televisions. A fact-check

In 2020, social media was abuzz with tales of Prathap NM, a young man who was dubbed as the drone boy, and a drone scientist. Stories of how Prathap had won numerous gold medals in various drone expos around the world, has been invited to 87 countries, and has been offered work by various govts apart from Indian govt, apart from PM Modi asking DRDP to hire him, were plenty. Not just the social media, but mainstream media too jumped on the bandwagon.

OpIndia did a fact-check and conclusively proved that his stories were just that – stories.

There was no evidence of drone scientist Prathap NM making any drone, winning any award and medal. All the stories about him on various websites were based on other websites carrying the same stories. It was a cycle of fake news that continued till we broke it. There were several loopholes in claims in regard to his achievements, and most importantly, his claim is remarkably similar to the story of another drone boy.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Drone Boy Prathap NM

2. China launches ‘crusade’ against Christianity, begins to remove crosses from churches across the country

In May 2020, the Chinese government decided to forcefully remove more than two thousand crosses from churches across China as part of a government campaign to regulate “excessive religious sites”. The Communist Party of China (CPC) decided to pull down crosses atop of churches across the country as part of its post-coronavirus crusade against Christianity. The campaign was aimed at eradicating Christian landscape and its symbols from China.

On Easter Sunday 2020, the Chinese authorities ripped down the cross that used to surmount the tympanum of a church in the diocese of Xinxiang in Henan province.

Our report on China’s Crusade became our second most read article of the year.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Crosses removed from Chinese churches

3. Here is why Aaditya Thackeray is called Baby Penguin by some

Dharmendra Mishra, legal head of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena had filed a complaint against a Netizen for referring to Aditya Thackeray as ‘Baby Penguin’. In this article, we explained why Aditya Thackeray was called so by some people.

Click on the image to read the full story:

A baby penguin

4. Indian Army to take over Narela quarantine facility after Tablighi Jamaat attendees defecate in the corridor

The gross misbehaviour of the Tablighi Jamaat members in quarantine facilities continues unabated as they excreted in the corridor of the Narela quarantine centre in April 2020.

A request was then made to the Indian Army to take over the medical screening setup. The Indian Army then confirmed that it was in the gradual process of assuming the responsibility of screening duties in the Narela camp.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Tablighi Jamaatis

5. Hathras gang rape: Victim cremated, accused arrested. All you need to know about the case

19-year-old girl was was allegedly raped by four men in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras on 14th September 2020. She succumbed to her injuries on 29th September, 2020 in Delhi. Amidst the cacophony of the media and the vulturism of politicians, the truth was getting lost.

We brought to our readers an unbiased chronology of facts, right from the time the girl was allegedly brutalised to the time the accused were arrested in the case.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Hathras police release official sound byte on the Hathras gang rape case

6. As India fights Wuhan Coronavirus, here is a list of prominent Hindu Temples and religious leaders helping India through donations and welfare

In times of national crisis, we often hear from liberals and those under the influence of Secularism that it would be better to construct hospitals than Temples. An attempt is made to portray the resources invested in Hindu Temples as a wastage when these resources could have been spent on other avenues. Under ordinary circumstances, apart from hospitals, much hue and cry being raised that the resources could have been allocated to the construction of schools instead.

Despite the fact that the construction of Temples and building schools and hospitals are not mutually exclusive, a dedicated attempt is made in order to guilt-trip Hindus. However, as it turns out, apart from the exhaustive social work that Temples are involved in, during times of crisis, they are at the forefront of making donations to institutions in order to combat the crisis. The Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic has been no different.

In the wake of the crisis, numerous temples across the country came forward to contribute generously, both in terms of food and welfare, to help the country.

We compiled a list back then that can be read here.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Somnath Temple

7. PMNRF vs PM CARES: PMNRF always had Congress President on its managing committee while PM CARES is far more democratic

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM CARES Fund to fight the Wuhan Coronavirus, a lot has been discussed about the similarities and differences between PM CARES Fund and PMNRF.

In this article, we spoke about how the PM CARES Fund was car more democratic then PMNRF, and how, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund used to have the President of Congress party in its managing committee.

Click on the image to read the full story:

PM Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi

8. Wife of late Wajid Khan writes on her sufferings in an inter-faith marriage, says anti-conversion law should be nationalised

Months after music composer Wajid Khan of the Sajid-Wajid fame passed away due to coronavirus related complications, his wife Kamalrukh Khan shared her first-hand account of life in an inter-faith marriage. In a lengthy post on Instagram captioned “Live and let live should be the only religion we all practice”, Kamalrukh revealed how her resistance to convert to Islam drastically widened the divide between her and her late husband.

She also demanded that the law against Grooming Jihad be nationalised.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Late music composer Wajid Khan with his wife Kamalrukh Khan and children (Source: famouspeople.wiki)

9. Rajdeep Sardesai issued an unconditional apology to an IPS officer in November 2019 for spreading fake news in 2007

Rajdeep Sardesai had to apologise to Rajiv Trivedi for a program titled “30 minutes – Sohrabuddin, the inside story”, which was aired on CNN-IBN (now CNN-News18) channel on 13 May 2007. In the program, it was accused that Hyderabad Special Investigation Unit SP Rajiv Trivedi had helped the Gujarat police in nabbing Sohrabuddin. Rajdeep Sardesai had reported that Rajiv Trivedi had provided cars with fake number plates which were used to transport Sohrabuddin to Ahmedabad.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Rajdeep Sardesai

10. Nikita murder case: Tauseef decided to kill her after watching Mirzapur

Tauseef, the accused who brutally shot dead Hindu girl Nikita Tomar in Mewat, revealed that he was inspired by online web series ‘Mirzapur’ where the lead actor is shown murdering a girl for rejecting his proposal.

Click on the image to read the full story:

Nikita Tomar, the character Munna in Mirzapur

And with that, Team Opindia wishes you all a happy, prosperous, opinionated and media-lies-free (sorry for the joke) 2020! We promise to bring to you news that matters, that the mainstream media ignores, in 2021 as well!

COVID: Healthcare workers to get vaccinated first, followed by frontline workers, India orders 83 crore syringes

OpIndia Staff
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COVID: Healthcare workers to get vaccinated first, followed by frontline workers, India orders 83 crore syringes

Preparations of the largest mass vaccination program are moving ahead at a fast pace in India. As per the reports, the government has decided to provide Covid-19 vaccine shots to the healthcare workers on priority, including doctors, paramedics, nurses and hospital staff. After the healthcare workers, the frontline workers will be next in the line.

Frontline workers divided into six categories

In an exclusive, Times Now has reported that a meeting was held between the Ministry of Health Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and all state governments’ representatives. They decided on the categorization of the frontline workers. The reports suggest that the government has decided to divide them into six categories starting with the police, civil defence and home guard personnel, paramilitary personnel, municipal workers, disaster management professionals (national and state level) and fire safety personnel.

No mass vaccination program in the beginning

The government has made it clear that there will be no mass vaccination program at first. It will be done on a priority basis, starting with the healthcare workers then frontline workers followed by the people living in hot zone regions. Once all these areas are covered, the rest of the population will be vaccinated. Earlier, government had made it clear that the vaccination program will be voluntary basis, and no one will be forced to take it.

The government ordered 83 crore syringes

The government of India has placed orders for 83 crore syringes for the Covid-19 vaccination and the Universal Immunization program. In a statement released by the Union Health Ministry on Thursday, bids were invited for 35 crore additional syringes. Additionally, 36,433 ventilators have been delivered to government hospitals in the last nine months. The cost of those ventilators ranged from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakhs.

The ministry said, “This is important because from the independence of the country till pre-COVID times, all the public health facilities in the country had only about 16,000 ventilators but in less than 12 months 36,433 ‘Made in India’ ventilators have been supplied to all the public health facilities.”

The journey from importer to exporter in masks and PPE-kits

It has to be noted that when the pandemic hit India, there were no facilities that were manufacturing ventilators, N-95 masks, or PPE kits in India. All these essential products were being imported. Also, there were no specific standards in India at that time. The ministry said, “The Central Government recognized the challenges posed by the pandemic in the very initial stages and successfully ensured more than adequate availability and supplies of essential medical items.”

The statement further added that in March, only a minuscule number of domestic PPE-kits were being produced and since then India has become the world’s second-largest manufacturer of PPE-kits. India can now produce 10 lakh PPE coveralls per day. “There are already nearly 1,700 indigenous manufacturers and suppliers. Nearly 170 lakh PPE kits have been distributed free of cost and the buffer stock of PPE kits available with the Central and State Governments has grown from about 2 lakh in March to more than 89 lakh at present. The average price to has come down substantially from nearly Rs 600 to about Rs 200 per kit in nine months,” the ministry added

There were only three suppliers of N-95 masks in March with a capacity of 1 lakh masks per day. There are now 3,000 manufacturers in India, and the domestic production capacity has risen to 8 lakh N-95 masks per day. India is now exporting N-95 masks, and over four crore N-95 masks have been distributed in different states free of cost. Some time back, N-95 masks were made available at Jan Aushadi Kendra across the country at just Rs.25.

Vaccine dry run in all states from January 2, 2021

As per the statement released by the Ministry of Health, a dry run for the vaccination program will take place in all states on January 2. The ministry said, “The dry run will be conducted by all the State and UT governments on 2nd January 2021 (Saturday). The activity is proposed to be conducted in all State Capitals in at least 3 session sites; some States will also include districts that are situated in difficult terrain/have poor logistical support; Maharashtra and Kerala are likely to schedule the dry run in major cities other than their Capital.” The ministry further added that during the dry run, the main focus will be on the management of any possible adverse events after immunisation.

“The first round of the dry run was conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Punjab on 28-29th December 2020 in two districts each where five session sites with 25 beneficiaries each were identified. No major issues were observed in the operational aspects during this dry run. All States expressed confidence in the operational guidelines and IT platform for large scale programme implementation,” it said.

Rabindranath Tagore or Rabindranath Thakur? Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Rabindranath Tagore or Rabindranath Thakur? Here is the truth

Zee News anchor Aman Chopra has become a subject of ridicule on social media after he tried to teach a Bengali how to pronounce a Bengali name. Chopra thought that the Rabindranath Tagore is the real name of the author of India’s national anthem, and slammed a TMC leader for using the name Rabindranath Thakur, asking him to say the name ‘correctly’.

The incident happened on 29th December edition of the program ‘Taal Thok Ke’, where Chopra was hosting a panel discussion on the topic ‘who is outsider in Bengal’, a hot political issue ahead of the assembly elections on the state. At the beginning of the show, Aman Chopra raised the question, who is outsider in West Bengal. In response, TMC leader Anirban Banerjee said, those who thinks Rabindranath Thakur was born in Shanti Niketan are outsiders. He alleged that BJP President JP Nadda had said that Rabindranath Tagore was born in Shantiniketan, and by this he implied that leaders of BJP are outsiders in West Bengal.

However, JP Nadda had said that Tagore was born in West Bengal, which was misquoted by the Twitter handle of West Bengal BJP by saying that he was born in Visva Bharati University, located in Shantiniketan.

When Anirban Banerjee used the name ‘Rabindranath Thakur’ in his comments, anchor Aman Chopra interrupted him and asked him to use the ‘correct’ name. ‘Take the name correctly, you don’t even know the correct name. It is Rabindranath Tagore, not Rabindranath Thakur. At least take the name correctly, say the correct name’ he said, insulting Banerjee for not knowing the name of the Nobel laurate.

To this, Banerjee explained that Rabindranath Thakur is the actual name, and the Tagore name was used by the British. But Chopra was unrelenting, and said that TMC does not have a copyright on Tagore to use the Thakur name. He said that Tagore belongs to all, and hence the TMC leader should not use the name ‘Rabindranath Thakur’.

However, the discussion moved onto the main topic, and the matter of Tagore’s name was not raised again.

While he is known as Rabindranath Tagore all over the world, the TMC leader is correct in saying that his real name is Rabindranath Thakur, and his name was changed due to the influence of the British. A lot of names of places and people were changed during the British Raj as the British could not pronounce the local names. Several surnames of West Bengal were a victim of this change, and Thakur was one of them, which became Tagore in English spelling and pronunciation.

It may be noted that in Bengali, the name is still written as Rabindranath Thakur (রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর), therefore, it is natural for native Bengali speaking people to use the original name, instead of the British given name.

Other then Thakur, some other Bengali surnames which were changed during the British raj are Bandopadhyay (Banerjee), Chattopadhyay (Chaterjee), Mukhopadhyay (Mukherjee), Basu (Bose) etc.

Therefore, like Tagore, the Bengali version of the name of Subhash Chandra Bose is Subhash Chandra Basu, and current CM Mamata Banerjee’s name is written as Mamata Bandopadhyay in Bengali. These are not wrong names as the Zee News anchor thinks, but rather these are native versions of the names, and most native people use these names only while talking in Bengali.

If a Bengali uses Thakur or Basu, it does not mean that person is claiming that Tagore or Bose are not national icons, it is just the use of the native name, without any politics behind it.

From Pranab Mukherjee, Sushant Singh Rajput to Maradona: A list of 15 celebrities who passed away in 2020

OpIndia Staff
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From Pranab Mukherjee, Sushant Singh Rajput to Maradona: A list of 15 celebrities who passed away in 2020

The year 2020, by any measure, has been devastating. Nearly 2 million people have already succumbed to the Coronavirus that emerged from Wuhan in China and that number will continue to go up in the future. Covid-19 has also precipitated an unparalleled economic crisis that has had a debilitating impact on the lives of millions and millions people. This year, consistent with the gloom that has surrounded it, has also seen the deaths of quite a few celebrities, both in India and abroad.

Here is a list of popular celebrities who have passed away in 2020:

1. Diego Maradona

The legendary footballer passed away at the age of 60 on the 25th of November after prolonged illness. Universally recognized as one of the greatest players to have ever lived, his death sparked a wave of mourning around the world.

2. Sushant Singh Rajput

The Bollywood actor was found dead in mysterious circumstances on the 14th of June. His death initiated the most bizarre chain of events that has had widespread implications for the entertainment industry in India.

3. Rishi Kapoor

Bollywood superstar Rishi Kapoor passed away at the age of 67 after a long-drawn battle with Cancer. He passed away in Mumbai on the 30th of April.

4. Irrfan Khan

Irrfan Khan had passed away only a day before Rishi Kapoor, on the 29th of April after being diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2018. Widely recognized as one of India’s finest actors, his death was mourned by people across the board.

5. Sean Connery

The James Bond actor passed away on the 31st of October after prolonged illness at the age of 90.

6. Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, died in a tragic helicopter crash on California on the 26th of January.

7. Chadwick Boseman

The ‘Black Panther’ star succumbed to colon cancer at the age of 43 on the 28th of August.

8. Nishikant Kamat

‘Drishyam’ director and actor Nishikant Kamat passed away at the age of 50 in Hyderabad on the 17th of August due to liver cirrhosis.

9. Saroj Khan

Choreographer Saroj Khan passed away at the age of 71 after a cardiac arrest on the 3rd of July.

10. Wajid Khan

Music composer Wajid Khan passed away on the 1st of June after a cardiac arrest.

11. SP Balasubramanyam

Legendary singer SP Balasubramanyam succumbed to coronavirus complications on the 25th of September.

12. Max Von Sydow

‘Three Eyed Raven’ Max Von Sydow passed away at the age of 90 on the 8th of March. The iconic actor starred in Game of Thrones, Flash Gordon, Star Wars and The Exorcist among others.

13. Dianna Rigg

Dianna Rigg, who won great acclaim for her portrayal of Ollenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, passed away on the 10th of September.

14. Eddie Van Halen

The Van Halen guitarist died of cancer in October. He was 65.

15. Former President Pranab Mukherjee

Former Congress leader, Pranab Mukherjee served as President of India from 2012 to 2017. During the course of his long political career, he earned himself the reputation of being an able negotiator and was considered a trusted lieutenant of the party to solve problems of significant import. He was respected across the aisle for his personality and political acumen.

Pranab Mukherjee has been the Union Minister for Defence, External Affairs, Finance, Commerce, Industrial Development and Shipping and Transport. Following his retirement from politics, he was invited to an RSS event at the organisation’s headquarters in Nagpur, which he did attend much to the consternation of his own party.

He was admitted to Delhi hospital for a brain surgery after which he was put on ventilator. However, his condition remained critical. He had also tested positive for Chinese coronavirus while in hospital. On the 31st of August, Mukherjee passed away.

Note: The list is by no means comprehensive

‘Love Caravan’ Harsh Mander, ‘Ichchhadhaari protester’ Yogendra Yadav and more: The Top 10 villains for the year 2020

OpIndia Staff
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‘Love Caravan’ Harsh Mander, ‘Ichchhadhaari protester’ Yogendra Yadav and more: The Top 10 villains for the year 2020

The year 2020 has been a mess all around. A raging pandemic, a grave economic crisis, geopolitical turmoil and widespread protests around the globe, it has been perhaps the worst year for humanity since the end of the second world war. Of course, when the story of 2020 is written, there will be some who will emerge as principal villains while there will be those who come out of it as heroes.

In this report, we shall focus on the most heinous villains of the year. And since we are an Indian media outlet, this report is from an Indian perspective. The following is our list of the Top 10 villains of the year, in no particular order.

The ‘Dadis’ of Shaheen Bagh and the Anti-CAA protesters

Global media and dominant sections of Indian media are in love with the ‘Dadis’ of Shaheen Bagh. Their protest was for democracy, we are told. It was for secularism and tolerance and communal harmony. And yet, during the Shaheen Bagh protests, we witnessed the worst of humanity in all its terribly might.

A child died in these protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act after being exposed to the cold Delhi winter and the parents said they were willing to sacrifice the other as well. Rampant Hinduphobia prevailed and slogans such as ‘Jinnah Wali Azadi‘ were raised. Journalists were attacked as well and all of this culminated with the anti-Hindu riots at the national capital which caused a huge destruction of life and property.

Xi Jinping

This one is certainly not a surprise. China has been working overtime to block attempts to uncover the origins of the Wuhan Coronavirus. They bungled up the Coronavirus response, and perhaps intentionally, ensured that people infected with the virus were able to leave the country and take it along with them elsewhere.

Meanwhile, China under Xi Jinping has been using the Coronavirus crisis to bully other countries and up the ante militarily. Their aggressive expansionist mindset led to the clash at Galwan Valley between Indian and Chinese troops and both forces are still locked in a stalemate amidst a freezing winter.

There has been some push back in the international arena, however, that has nearly not been enough. India has taken certain measures on the economic front and Australia is trying hard to free themselves from the clutches of Communist China. All in all, 2020 has been the year when it became evident to everyone the threat posed by China to the international order.

Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra

After Xi Jinping, it is only natural that the ruling alliance in Maharashtra finds a mention. Maharashtra has fared by far the worst during the Coronavirus pandemic. The state will enter 2021 accounting for over 30 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in India on its own. And yet, the government continued to maintain that they had done a stellar job at countering the virus.

Meanwhile, the ruling alliance initiated a campaign against journalists and private citizens who dared to criticize their policies. Republic Tv Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was imprisoned and so was Sameet Thakkar. Goswami was even assaulted and the state sanctioned persecution against him and his channel continue to this day.

Instead of improving its Covid response, the Maharashtra government was more concerned with silencing its critics. And for that, the people of Maharashtra have paid with their lives.

‘Tukde Tukde Gang’

The ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’ moniker was invented to describe the the Leftist-Islamist nexus that is perennially inclined to bring disrepute to India, undermine Indian national interests and challenge India’s territorial integrity. The same gang played an intrinsic part in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots that unfolded in February because they wished to create turmoil during US President Donald Trump’s visit to India.

Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi and Pinjra Tod members have been accused of conspiring to unleash violence at the national capital. The involvement of PFI is also suspected. Then there was Newslaundry Columnist Sharjeel Usmani who was arrested on allegations of inciting anti-CAA riots before being granted bail in September. He also announced his plan to launch a propaganda war against India.

Investigation has revealed that foreign funding could also have played a part in the riots that ensued. All in all, it was this year that the threat posed by this brigade of miscreants became amply evident.

Sharjeel Imam

While he could be clubbed along with the ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’, as the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh, he deserves a special mention. Because, after all, it was his brainchild that eventually led to the riots in Delhi. Sharjeel Imam was arrested in January but the seeds of chaos he had sown had long taken root by then.

If there is to be one person more responsible than anyone else for the riots in Delhi, it would be Sharjeel Imam. Even so, the ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’ is still busy calling for his release and portraying him as a victim. His intentions were pretty clear when he made that now infamous speech.

Sharjeel Imam wanted to cut off North East India and hold the country at ransom in order to fulfill his Islamist objectives. His plan also included blocking roads to make the government bend to his demands. The events in Delhi proved that such plans often have gory ends, as the carnage in Delhi revealed.

The ‘Holy Trinity’ of Indian Protesters

The Activist Brigade has been instrumental in fomenting chaos across the country this year. First, they were involved at Shaheen Bagh and now, one of them suddenly appears to have transformed into a farmer and is now attempting to ensure that the protests over the farm laws are not resolved amicably.

The ‘Holy Trinity’ of protests in India have been particularly active this year. We are, of course, referring to ‘PIL Activist’ Prashant Bhushan, ‘Love Caravan’ Harsh Mander and ‘Ichchhadhaari protester’ Yogendra Yadav.

Prashant Bhushan has been at the forefront of undermining the faith in the Indian judiciary this year. He was found guilty of Contempt of Court but was let off with a symbolic 1 rupee fine. Immediately after, he proceeded with his campaign against the Judiciary who he calls a puppet of the NDA Government. His comrades have been far more active on the ground.

‘Love Caravan’ Harsh Mander and his organisation ‘Karwan-e-Mohabbat’ (Caravan of Love) were extremely active in the anti-CAA protests. A video of his went viral where he can be seen inciting a mob to come out on the streets and he declared that there was no scope for Secularism in the country. We exposed his membership of an NGO that is intrinsically tied with the Italian government, works with Italian secret service and helps them achieve foreign policy goals.

‘Ichchhadhaari protester’ Yogendra Yadav is extremely busy these days at the ‘farmer protests’. On Tuesday, he made some crazy demands which he said were non-negotiables for the resolution of the protests against the new farm laws. He is clearly using the current spate of protests in order to fulfill his personal objective of undermining the Modi Government.

The Aam Aadmi Party

Delhi was another of those states which totally bungled its Covid-19 response. Ultimately, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had to step in to prevent utter devastation in the Union Territory after the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi put its arms up in surrender.

Furthermore, the manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party conspired to chase away migrant workers in the national capital was horrifying indeed. Their false rumours and cutting off water supply prompted lakhs of migrants to undertake the journey back home on foot.

Their actions undermined India’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic which has otherwise been quite good considering all circumstances. Since then, consistent with their anarchist tendencies, they have also lent support to the ‘farmer protests’ and has delivered WiFi to the protesters.

The Congress party

The Congress party has always demonstrated that it is overwilling to burn the country to the ground if it only could rule over the ashes. They were actively fearmongering during the anti-CAA protests and they are again fearmongering during the ‘farmer protests’.

A senior leader of the Youth Congress was celebrating the acts of vandalism by the ‘farmer protesters’ against Jio mobile towers and advocated for such vandalism across the country. Punjab CM Amarinder Singh also helped incite the ‘farmer protests’. Congress leader Ishrat Jahan was arrested for inciting riots during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots. The political party has hit the ultimate pits this year.

WHO Chief Tedros

WHO and its director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have come under severe criticism for their conduct since the pandemic broke out in China. The organization took long enough in declaring it a pandemic, leading to countries not being vigilant enough on time.

In January, WHO had endorsed the conclusion of Chinese authorities that the Novel Coronavirus does not spread from person to person, and stated that it does not recommend any specific health measures for travellers to and from Wuhan. WHO also ignored Taiwan which had informed them that it has evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus.

Taiwan wrote to WHO on the 31st of December, but WHO kept denying human-to-human transmission till mid-January. Experts are of the view that this laxity and callousness is responsible for the catastrophe that has struck the world and that the organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, like China’s Xi Jinping, should be held accountable for recklessly managing this deadly pandemic.

Tablighi Jamaat

During the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country, the Tablighi Jamaat played a critical role in its spread. It all started from the mass gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi and from there, spread to all parts of the country.

While they were being transported from Nizamuddin for their treatment, they spat on roads during the bus ride. After being shifted to quarantine facilities in Delhi, they engaged in unruly behaviour with the staff and doctors. The occupants made unreasonable demands for food, misbehaved and abused staff members and spat all over and on persons working/attending to them, including doctors. They also started roaming around the hostel building.

Then, it was reported that some of them were found roaming naked at the MMG Hospital in Ghaziabad and making lewd gestures at the hospital staff. They sang obscene songs and asked for beedi-cigarettes from the staff at the hospital. The nurses had also written a letter to the Police regarding the matter and later, the UP Government had decided that female members of the healthcare community and the Police will not be attending to the members of the Tablighi Jamaat.

It was not just in India but Tablighi Jamaat members had emerged as super spreaders across Asia.

From ‘Dr Aisha’ to WSJ and NYT: The Top 10 Fake News for the year 2020 and their fact-checks

OpIndia Staff
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From ‘Dr Aisha’ to WSJ and NYT: The Top 10 Fake News for the year 2020 and their fact-checks

The year 2020 was the year of Fake News and Fact Checks. Apart from the Coronavirus pandemic, there was an epidemic of fake news as well. Misinformation was rife across all areas of public life, not just the pandemic or politics. At OpIndia, we have regularly busted fake news spread by the mainstream media and politicians that the media refuses to fact-check.

Here is our list of the Top 10 fact-checks for the year 2020.

Media misquotes deceased IB sleuth Ankit Sharma’s brother

IB Constable Ankit Sharma was murdered by an Islamist mob during the anti-Hindu riots at the national capital. Former AAP Councilor Tahir Hussain is an accused in the murder. The Wall Street Journal claimed that they were told by the deceased’s brother that Sharma was murdered by a mob chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

Ankur Sharma, however, debunked these claims and said he never made that comment and pointed fingers at Tahir Hussain instead. The WSJ report, however, was carried by others as well and reported as gospel truth. Our fact-check can be read here.

Rahul Gandhi gets ‘fact-checked’ by the Russian Embassy in India

Rahul Gandhi has recently claimed that the annual summit between India and Russia has been cancelled due to Moscow’s unease with Quad. Interestingly Gandhi had quoted The Print’s report in which it was alleged the meeting was postponed after Russia “expressed severe reservations on New Delhi joining the Indo-Pacific initiative and Quad, thereby tilting more towards the US.”

The result? Rahul Gandhi was fact-checked by the Russian Embassy itself. Our detailed report can be read here.

Fear-mongering claims about the COVID vaccine

Scientists worked overtime to develop a vaccine for the virus. However, there are several misleading claims about the vaccine and its importance that are making the rounds on social media platforms that need to be debunked.

The claims range from “Why do we need a vaccine?” and “The vaccine will alter the DNA of humans”. We debunk the myths in a comprehensive report here.

Rahul Gandhi claims Chinese forces have intruded 1200 km into Indian territory

Attacking PM Narendra Modi during an election rally at Nawada ahead of the Bihar assembly elections over Chinese aggression at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, Rahul Gandhi alleged that it was PM Modi who handed over 1,200 kilometres of India’s land to China.

The claim was, of course, false and had no connections with observable reality. The comments were part of a series of misinformation campaign initiated by the Opposition parties over the conflict between India and China at the LAC. Our comprehensive report on the matter can be read here.

‘Ecosystem’ creates a ‘Hindu mob attacked Tanishq showroom’ narrative

A day after the Tanishq showroom in Gandhidham, Kutch in Gujarat apologised to Hindus for the controversial advertisement glorifying ‘love jihad’, the ecosystem came together to build a narrative that the showroom was ‘attacked’ by a ‘mob’ and that the owners were ‘forced’ to put up the apology. It all started when NDTV published ‘breaking news’ that the Gandhidham showroom was ‘attacked’.

In the end, the entire turned out to be a gigantic farce. Our detailed report can be read here.

Kashmiri Muslim woman called ‘terrorist’ by her landlady in Delhi?

In October, various media outlets had reported an attack against a Kashmiri woman named Noor Bhat. The media reports suggested that the Kashmiri woman was assaulted and abused by her landlady and a man in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar. However, a day after the woman in southeast Delhi claimed that she was assaulted and abused by her landlady for being a ‘Kashmiri’, more details emerged in the matter exposing her dubious claims.

Our detailed report in the matter can be read here.

Did a Muslim lawyer represent Bhagat Singh and a ‘Brahmin RSS’ man fought for the British against him?

Liberals got innovative in their attempts to peddle their ‘secular’ agenda but unfortunately for them, it led them into making comments that were ostensibly fake news. Social media was rife with misleading claims that Asaf Ali, a Congress member, had defended Bhagat Singh against the British government while ‘RSS’ man Suryanarayan Sharma had worked against the freedom fighter.

The claim, as most such claims made by the liberal grade, turned out to be a titanic lie. Our detailed report can be read here.

‘United Nations’ NGO appreciated ‘Kingdom of Mamata Banerjee’ for their Covid-19 work?

It was a moment of honour for the West Bengal government when a Japan-based non-profit organization associated with the ‘United Nation’ took notice of their work amid the coronavirus pandemic and sent a letter of appreciation to the minister of state, Nirmal Maji. This piece of good news, a moment of pride of West Bengal, was shared by the All India Trinamool Congress on its official Twitter handle.

Was it true? Was the Trinamool Congress accurate in flaunting the NGO’s letter? There are quite a few twists to this story. You can make up your mind after reading the report here.

The curious case of Dr Aisha: The perfect ‘Muslim’ victim of the Wuhan Coronavirus

The Liberal camp is always on the lookout for the perfect victim whose story it can weaponise to peddle its propaganda. Dr Aisha, who tweeted under the handle @Aisha_must_sayz, supposedly lost her life to the Wuhan Coronavirus after being put on ventilator on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha. The news of her death went viral on social media with an outpouring of grief from all quarters.

Dr. Aisha was young and pretty, as evident from the photographs she shared, but the propaganda collapsed even before it could take off. Our detailed report on the matter can be read here.

NYT insiniuates Hindus are behind Tiktok videos urging Muslims to shun social distancing during Coronavirus crisis

During the early days of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic in India, there were an epidemic of videos on TikTok where Muslim youth could be seen spreading misinformation about the virus. A deliberate attempt was made to insinuate that the TikTok videos, where Muslims advocate against social distancing and ask fellow Muslims to place their faith in Namaz and Allah instead, was somehow created by Hindus to make Muslims fall sick.

Our detailed report on the matter can be read here.

Mexico: Man digs a tunnel to meet married girlfriend, gets caught by husband ‘mud-handed’

OpIndia Staff
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Mexico: Man digs a tunnel to meet married girlfriend, gets caught by husband ‘mud-handed’

A bizarre incident has come to light in Mexico where a man named Alberto dug a long tunnel to his married girlfriend’s home. He was having an affair with a married woman, Pamela, and was caught red-handed by her husband. According to the reports, the tunnel connected Alberto’s house directly to his girlfriend’s house. The incident took place in Tijuana neighbourhood of Villas del Prado 1.

Albert used his skills of construction work to build the tunnel

Construction worker Alberto built the tunnel when the woman’s husband, Jorge, was out for work, as per reports. Alberto and his girlfriend regularly met when the husband was away from home for work. One day Jorge came back earlier than his usual time and caught the couple red-handed. Alberto was trying to hide behind a couch. After catching Alberto, he also discovered the tunnel. On inspection, he found out that the tunnel was leading to Alberto’s house.

Alberto hid the affair from his wife

Alberto was also married and hiding the affair from his wife. Alberto requested Jorge not to tell his wife about the affair, but Jorge did not stop and informed Alberto’s wife about the affair and the tunnel. Both men got into an argument after which someone called the police. When the local police arrived, they were involved in a fistfight. It is not clear how long the tunnel was, but the tunnel entrance’s photos are widely shared on social media platforms.

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