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India Today Data Intelligence Unit strikes again, makes a mistake with basic math while reporting Hyderabad Municipal election results

OpIndia Staff
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India Today Data Intelligence Unit strikes again, makes a mistake with basic math while reporting Hyderabad Municipal election results

India Today, which boasts of its ‘competent’ Data Intelligence Unit (DIU), which often goofs up with numbers and charts, has yet again been at the epicentre of social media criticism for goofing up with numbers. On the day of counting for the crucial Hyderabad civic polls, India Today was seen drawing a comparison between the election results of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in 2016 and 2019.

While DIU is not new to peddling fake data, India Today claimed that TRS had secured 99 seats in 2016 while it had only 56 seats in 2020. It is important to mention that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has a total of 150 seats. While Indian Express report, claimed TRS had secured 88 seats in 2016 and not 99 seats as claimed by India Today, multiple other reports suggested that the TRS had secured 99 seats in 2016.

According to the Data Intelligence Unit of India Today, 56 seats of TRS in 2020 elections meant that the party’s tally came down by 46 seats this time. However, a simple subtraction of 99 and 56 shows the result at 43. Anchor Rahul Kanwal, who openly professes his belief in DIU, had to mentally do calculations to tell his viewers that the TRS was short of 43 seats while the numbers on the screen contradicted him.

Misleading chart of India Today on economic relief

After Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹1.70 lakh crore welfare package in March,  India Today journalist Geeta Mohan posted a chart comparing India’s package with packages announced by some other countries in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, and concluded that India’s package was inadequate.

There were too many errors in the comparison made by the infamous Data Intelligence Unit of India Today, as there was no compatibility in the packages announced by various countries, and that’s why they were not directly comparable. While the most packages announced by other countries were comprehensive measures to help the economy to combat the losses incurred due to the Covid-19 outbreak, India’s package is not an economic package, but it is a welfare package targeted only a section of the society. While the most packages announced by other countries were comprehensive measures to help the economy to combat the losses incurred due to the Covid-19 outbreak, India’s package was not an economic package, but it is a welfare package targeted only a section of the society.

India Today falsely claims Delhi has the most ‘aggressive’ Coronavirus testing

Earlier in April, Indian Today Managing Editor Rahul Kanwal continued his obsession with flawed data as he came up with another infographic to show which states were most ‘aggressive’ when it came to coronavirus testing. The infographic posted by India Today’s controversial Data Intelligence Unit (DIU) stated that Delhi had conducted more number of tests compared to any other states in the country. Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan followed Delhi in carrying out tests while West Bengal stood at the last position in carrying out aggressive testing.

Although the numbers were correct, as they had been provided by the states themselves, it was misleading to compare them. The reason for the same was, most tests in India were being done on the basis of symptoms and known contacts. Means, mostly those persons were being tested who had shown symptoms of Coronavirus, or who had come to contact of Coronavirus patients or high-risk groups like Tablighi Jamaat. Further, the ‘aggressive’ testing in Delhi also resulted from the fact that more number of cases were detected, especially after Tablighi Jamaat positive cases began to emerge resulting in more screening tests rather than pre-emptive tests in Delhi.

Anil Vij tests positive for Coronavirus days after he joined third phase of vaccine trials: Here is why there is no reason to panic

OpIndia Staff
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Anil Vij tests positive for Coronavirus days after he joined third phase of vaccine trials: Here is why there is no reason to panic

Haryana Home and Health Minister Anil Vij on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus. Taking to Twitter, Anil Vij confirmed he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to Civil Hospital Ambala Cantt. 

“I have been tested Corona positive. I am admitted in Civil Hospital Ambala Cantt. All those who have come in close contact to me are advised to get themselves tested for corona,” Anil Vij wrote on Twitter.

This comes days after Anil Vij was administered a dose of Covaxin at a hospital in Ambala, as part of its third phase trial. On November 20, Vij had offered to be the first volunteer for the third phase trial of Covaxin, which started in the state. 

Bharat Biotech which is developing Covaxin in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, had on November 16 (Monday) announced the commencement of Phase 3 trials of Covaxin, involving 26,000 volunteers across 25 centres in India.

The reports of Haryana Minister Anil Vij testing positive for the coronavirus even after volunteering for the third phase trials of the Covaxin vaccine trails has now caused panic among citizens in the country. The hysteria and sensationalism in some parts of the media have pushed some people to believe that the coronavirus vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech was a failure and the Haryana Minister contracted the virus only after he was injected with a vaccine during the test phase.

However, with limited information in the public regarding the Covaxin trails, it is entirely misleading to claim that the Haryana Minister tested positive for the coronavirus after he was injected with the vaccine. Despite, Haryana Minister Anil Vij testing positive for the coronavirus just days after him being subjected to vaccine trails is not a sign of worry or panic.

Covaxin trial is double blinded

Bharat Biotech carried out India’s first phase 3 efficacy study for a Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ and it is the largest phase-3 efficacy trial ever conducted in India.

During the trials, these volunteers, including Anil Vij, will receive two intramuscular injections on a gap of 28 days. These participants were randomly assigned to receive Covaxin or ‘placebo’, a dummy drug that does not have any effect. The trial is double-blinded, therefore the investigators, the participants and the company are not aware who is assigned to which group. The participants are identified by numbers, not names, in the study records, and only a select few people have access to the record that links the numbers to the names. Therefore, when the study results are analysed, the researchers can’t link them to individual participants.

A placebo is a simple saline solution commonly used during vaccine trials. Randomised, placebo-controlled trials are considered to be safe and the ‘gold standard’ for evaluating the safety and efficacy of a new medicine or vaccine. In these trials, participants are randomized to receive either the vaccine under investigation or a placebo such as a saline injection. 

The randomisation and the use of placebo interventions are designed to control for unexpected effects or disease incidence between the vaccine and control groups that can likely be attributed to the vaccine. In fact, the researchers use placebos during trials to help them understand what effect a new vaccine or some other treatment might have on a particular condition.

In some cases, a person under trial, who has been injected with the placebo can show responses. For instance, the subject can show improvement or the person may also see some side effects from the treatment. These responses are known as the “placebo effect.”

Here is why there is no need to panic

As Haryana Minister Anil Vij received the vaccine dose as part of the phase 3 trial, actually it is not known whether he received the actual vaccine or the placebo. As it is a double-blind study, neither the participants nor the doctors know who is receiving what. Therefore, Vij may have not been inoculated with the actual vaccine during the Phase 3 trials of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin at all. There is 50% chance that Anil Vij may have been injected with a placebo. Thus, he may have been showing positive symptoms for the coronavirus without being injected with the actual vaccine.

Moreover, it is also important to note that like most Coronavirus vaccines under development, the Covaxin also requires two doses. The Bharat Biotech’s vaccine he received on November 20 has a two-dose schedule at a 28-day interval. He only received the first dose. The vaccine will work properly only after both doses are received by the participants. Therefore, even if he had received the actual vaccine, getting infected after receiving half the dose does not necessarily mean that the vaccine is not working.

Another important point regarding vaccines is that they don’t start working immediately after administered. In the case of Coronavirus vaccines, it takes a few weeks for the body to produce the T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes after vaccination. Therefore, even after getting both the doses, if a person comes in contact with the virus before the vaccine has protected the body, such a person will infected with the Chinese virus.

Phase 3 trials involving 28 thousand people have just begun and we must wait at least for interim analysis in those who received both the doses to conclude anything on the efficacy of the vaccine.

However, there is no need to panic about the efficacy of the Covaxin vaccine currently as it is yet to be known whether Anil Vij was subjected to an actual trial vaccine or a placebo, and he has received only one of the required two doses. Bharat Biotech is expected to make a statement soon in the light of recent developments.

Punjab police arrest 8 for the brutal attack on Ram Shiv Bhakt Sena chief, main accused absconding: Here is what had happened

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab police arrest 8 for the brutal attack on Ram Shiv Bhakt Sena chief, main accused absconding: Here is what had happened

Punjab police Friday nabbed 8 people in connection with the brutal assault on the National head of the Hindu organisation Shri Ram Bhakt Sena, Dharmendra Mishra. We had reported how Mishra was attacked in broad daylight by bike-borne assailants in Raj Nagar, Basti Bawa Khel, Jalandhar, Punjab, on December 2 (Wednesday).

The accused have been identified as Karan Kumar (21) of Bank Colony, Mehakpreet Singh (18) of Kabir Vihar, Gurpreet Singh Guri (21) of Mithu Basti, Sarbjeet Singh (20), Harjinder Singh (19) of Basti Bawa Khel, Amritpal Singh (23) of New Raj Nagar and Bhupinder Singh (19), Barjinder Singh (22) of Raj Nagar.

One of the key accused, property dealer Gurpreet Singh Ghumman, is still at large. The police have recovered sharp weapons and three bikes from the accused.

A case under Sections 323, 324, 427, 326, 148, 149, and 120-B of the IPC had been registered against the 8 accused at Basti Bawa Khel police station and all of them would be produced in the local court and taken in remand, said Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.

Speaking about the details of the case, Bhullar said that Dharmendra Mishra had his office near the colony developed by the prime accused Gurpreet Singh Ghumman. Around a month back, Ghumman along with Karan Kumar, who works at his office, indulged in an argument with Mishra and the workers of his outfit, following which Ghumman decided to teach Mishra a lesson and hatched a conspiracy with others.

The CP furthered that on December 2 (Wednesday) at 7 pm, the accused attacked Mishra with sharp-edged weapons and baseball bats and managed to escape, leaving the victim seriously injured.

Bhullar informed that a team os CIA-1 staff led by Harwinder Singh was assigned the case. Singh scanned the CCTV cameras, carried out a technical investigation and succeeded in cracking the case by arresting eight accused from their respective houses. The Commissioner assured that Ghumman, too, would be nabbed soon.

Chief of Shri Ram Bhakt Sena brutally assaulted

Yesterday we reported that the National head of the Hindu organisation Shri Ram Bhakt Sena was brutally attacked by three unidentified bike-borne assailants. Dharmendra Mishra in his statement to the police confirmed that he had gone to the market area to have burgers with his friend Praveen when he was suddenly attacked by three men who came on a bike.

Anti-national elements selectively targetting Hindu leaders in Punjab

The chairman of Punjab Hindustan Shiv Sena, Kapil Bharadwaj, had expressed his concerns about the safety of Hindu leaders in Punjab. He claimed that anti-national elements have been selectively targetting Hindu leaders in the state and had urged Punjab government and police to look into the matter and provide adequate security to the leaders of various Hindu organisations in Punjab whose life is at constant risk in the state.

USA imposes visa restrictions on members of Communist Party of China and families amidst growing infiltration in Universities

OpIndia Staff
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USA imposes visa restrictions on members of Communist Party of China and families amidst growing infiltration in Universities

In a major development, the United States government (USA) has issued rules and imposed restrictions on travel visa of the members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their families.

As per reports, the Trump administration has reduced the maximum validity time of B1/B2 tourist and business visas for CCP members to 1 month, down from 10 years. The decision comes at the backdrop of the growing influence of Chinese on Americans through economic coercion and propaganda.

The US State Department has clarified that the CCP sends agents to the States to threaten, intimidate and track Chinese nationals and Chinese-American groups. It is believed that the decision will have no effect until Trump lifts the travel ban on Chinese nationals, post Coronavirus outbreak.

“The United Front frequently intimidates members of academia, businesses, civil society groups, and Chinese diaspora communities, including members of ethnic and religious minority communities who speak out against horrific human rights abuses taking place in Xinjiang, Tibet, and elsewhere in China,” remarked State Secretary Mike Pompeo.

The visa restrictions on the Chinese Communist Party members and their families did not go down well with the regime. A spokeswoman at Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, denounced the move and said, “This clearly is an escalated form of political oppression towards China by some extreme anti-China forces in the U.S. who act out of intense ideological bias and a deep-rooted Cold War mentality,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

Visa restrictions result of clash between US and China

On Wednesday, the US State Department informed that more than 1000 Chinese researchers have left the United States after the government cracked down on technology theft. The House of representatives also enacted a law to remove Chinese companies from the US stock exchange, which do not comply with the country’s rules. Besides, chip-making company SMIC and gas producer CNOOC may be blacklisted for links with Chinese military companies.

China running a spy network inside top universities in US

China has successfully established a spy ring at top US universities, including Harvard and other Boston universities. Reportedly, the Chinese military sends its spies disguised as students, who are specifically trained to steal intellectual property and research documents from the university labs and send it back to China.

The US security agencies became aware of such a Chinese spy network in US universities after the arrest of Lieber. Along with Lieber, two Chinese spies disguised as researchers were also charged as agents of a foreign government. The two Chinese spies had lied about their research work, wh used their access to smuggle research samples out of the country.

One spy was a lieutenant in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which she did not disclose when she obtained a visa to enter the United States. She is accused of passing information on research conducted at Boston University to China’s government. Another spy – Zheng was arrested at Boston’s Logan International Airport as he tried to leave the United States by smuggling 21 vials containing sensitive biological samples.

‘Don’t know why he got it in the first place’: Captain Amarinder Singh calls Parkash Singh Badal returning of Padma Vibhushan ‘theatrics’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Don’t know why he got it in the first place’: Captain Amarinder Singh calls Parkash Singh Badal returning of Padma Vibhushan ‘theatrics’

After former chief minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal decided to return his Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, to express his support for the ongoing farmers’ protest, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh called the move ‘theatrics’ and wondered why the Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) chief was given the award in the first place.

Claiming that such ‘theatrics’ no longer worked in the politics, Singh questioned as to what sacrifice Badal made to have been awarded with such a prestigious honour.

“I don’t know why Parkash Singh Badal got Padma Vibhushan in the first place. What war did Parkash Singh Badal fight or what sacrifice did he make for the community? Stop politicking on this, these theatrics might have worked 40 years ago but they won’t work now,” Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh said.

Earlier on Thursday, Badal wrote a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, stating that he took the step to renounce his award in protest against the “shocking indifference and contempt” with which the central government has treated the “peaceful democratic agitation” of farmers against the three new agriculture bills.

“I owe everything to the farmers. I am who I am because of them. I see no point of holding on to the Padma Vibhushan honour if farmers are dishonoured. I am deeply anguished by the government’s betrayal of farmers on the three acts in question,” said Parkash Singh Badal in the letter.

Badal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan on 30 March 2015 by the then President of India Late Pranab Mukherjee.

Punjab CM slams Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the former Union Minister hits back

Singh also criticised former Union Minister and the daughter-in-law of Parkash Singh Badal, Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Singh said as a member of the Union Cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal was very much a part of the meeting that passed the farm ordinances.

“Is she illiterate that she can’t read,” Singh asked, referring to the former Union minister and Badal’s daughter-in-law who later quit the Narendra Modi Cabinet over the farm laws.

However, a fierce riposte came from Harsimrat Kaur, who slammed Captain Amarinder Singh for calling protesting farmers a “threat to national security”.

“Call me illiterate if that floats your boat, Captain Amarinder Singh, but I’m amused that you, despite being so ‘literate’, don’t know the difference between Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. Never mind! But, calling our peacefully protesting Annadata (provider) a ‘threat to national security’ is highly shameful,” she said.

After Parkash Singh Badal, award Wapsi returns in Punjab as Sahitya Akademi awardees give back their awards

Soon after Parkash Singh Badal returned his Padma Vibhushan, a flurry of Sahitya Akademi Awardees in Punjab followed the suit, giving back the honours awarded to them and mark their solidarity with the protesters. On Friday, Sirmour Shire Dr Mohanjit, Dr Jaswinder Singh and Punjabi playwright Swarajbir returned their awards.

“It is worth noting that earlier too a legion of Punjabi writers had strongly opposed against such attitude of the government by withdrawing the Academy Award. Today, when the Government of India, instead of accepting the legitimate demands of the farmers, is forcing them to agitate on the streets in the harsh winter, Punjabi writers are protesting at the national level by returning the honour,” the Central Punjabi Writers’ Association said in an official letter.

Despite strong protest by MEA, Canada and UK continue to interfere in India’s internal issue, pass statements on farmer protest

OpIndia Staff
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Despite strong protest by MEA, Canada and UK continue to interfere in India’s internal issue, pass statements on farmer protest

Amidst the renewed agitation and controversy surrounding the historic farm laws, Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) have been exercising unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had earlier sparked controversy by claiming that he is ‘worried’ about Indian farmers, has yet again extended his support to the ‘organic’ anti-farm law movement. During a press conference on Friday, Trudeau was asked for his response on the statement of the Indian government wherein it warned that his remarks could damage India-Canada relations. However, Justin Trudeau said, “Canada will always stand up for the right to peaceful protest anywhere around the world. And we will like to see that it moves towards de-escalation and dialogue.”

On being specifically asked about the impact of his interference on bilateral relations, he brushed it aside and replied, “Canada will always stand up for the right to peaceful protests and human rights around the world.” It is important to mention that the Indian government had earlier summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to issue stern warnings.

“These comments have encouraged gatherings of extremist activities in front of our High Commission and Consulates in Canada that raise issues of safety and security. We expect the Canadian Government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism,” MEA stated.

During the virtual Gurpurab 2020 celebration, PM Trudeau had stated, “I would be remiss if I didn’t start also by recognizing the news coming out of India about the protests by farmers. The situation is concerning. And we all are very worried about family and friends; I know that’s a reality for many of you. Let me remind you. Canada will always be ready to defend the right to peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that’s why we reached out to multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns.”

Not just Canada: 36 British MPs calls for urgent meeting on farmer protests in India, labels it ‘death warrant’

Besides Canada, around 36 British MPs have come forward against the supposed exploitation of farmers in India through the newly introduced farm laws. In a letter addressed to the Foreign Secretary, Labour Party MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi claimed, “The introduction of these new laws by the Indian government (Centre) has, despite the Coronavirus, triggered widespread farmers’ protests across the country for failing to protect farmers from exploitation and to ensure fair prices for their produce. This is an issue of particular concern to Sikhs in the UK and those linked to Punjab, although it also heavily impacts on other Indian states.”

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi has claimed that several British Sikhs have been forced to notify their MPs about the same as the law would supposedly affect their ancestral lands in Punjab. “Being famous as “India’s bread-basket”, many Punjabis rely on farming for their existence. About three-quarters of the state’s 30 million-strong population is involved in agriculture. Therefore, these new laws present the Punjabis with a huge problem, with some describing it as a death warrant,” he added.

The letter claimed, “The Punjabi farming community is widely recognised as the backbone of the state’s economic structure and the farmers’ concerns are a powerful factor in national and state politics. It’s therefore not surprising that it has resulted in a considerable fallout between the Centre and elected politicians from virtually all political parties in Punjab.” The Labour MP went on to ‘quote’ figures from Sikh Council in the United Kingdom to suggest that 93% of respondents of a survey expressed concerns about the rise in ‘human rights violations’ after the agitation.

Serial Killer Mohammad Razi arrested for killing three people in three days and beheading one of the victims, said he ‘enjoyed it’

OpIndia Staff
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Serial Killer Mohammad Razi arrested for killing three people in three days and beheading one of the victims, said he ‘enjoyed it’

A 22-year-old serial killer has been arrested for killing three people on three consecutive nights last week in Gurugram. The serial identified as Mohammad Raji, a resident of Bihar was nabbed near IFFCO Chowk in Gurugram on Thursday.

According to the reports, Mohammad Razi confessed to the police that he killed three people on November 23, 24 and 25. The accused said he killed strangers as he enjoyed killing people and he wanted to show the world what he can do, the police added.

Reportedly, the accused would lure victims into drinking alcohol and would then stab these people to death. He used to take away all the valuables from the deceased and flee the spot.

On November 23, Mohammad Razi first stabbed a man to death in Gurugram’s Leisure Valley Park. Later on the next day on November 24, Razi continued his killing spree after he killed another person, a security guard in Gurugram’s Sector 40. Again on November 25, the accused committed the third murder when he beheaded his third victim identified as 26-year-old Rakesh Kumar.

Mohammad Razi, serial killer arrested in Gurugram, had beheaded and detached the head of the victim, says police

The police had found the decapitated body of Rakesh Kumar was found in Gurugram’s Sector 47. The body of the deceased was found in a drain. The police had recovered the head of Kumar only after Razi’s arrest.

During questioning, Razi revealed that he had slit the victim’s throat of Kumar, resulting in his death due to bleeding. So, he detached his head from the body and threw it near a deserted area in Kanhai village in Sector 40.

The police had scanned footage of around 250 to 300 CCTV cameras to arrest the accused. The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in at least 10 murders in Delhi, Gurugram and Bihar and investigation is on to find such incidents.

TRS goes from 99 to 56 seats, BJP goes from 4 to 49: Here is why, and it is not what English media thinks

S. Sudhir Kumar
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TRS goes from 99 to 56 seats, BJP goes from 4 to 49: Here is why, and it is not what English media thinks

Elections to the GHMC were actually due in February of 2021. The TRS decided to pre-pone the elections by three months to gain an upper hand. Other parties barely had 10 days to prepare for the elections. TRS had 99 sitting corporators (out of 150). With the current composition of the GHMC council (150 elected corporators + 45 ex-officio members), the TRS only needed 67 seats to have their Mayor again. Every single exit poll released yesterday predicted that TRS will win the Mayor seat (most predicted a landslide too!). Some newspapers wrote celebratory headlines based on these exit polls. 

But the voter had other things on his/her mind. They gave the TRS just 56 seats in this election (as opposed to 99 in 2016) and gave the BJP 49 seats (as opposed to just 4 in 2016)! The next logical step that will obviously happen is that the TRS and MIM (which won 43 seats, as expected) enter into a post-poll arrangement and share the post of the Mayor. 

So, while the power stays with TRS, they have very clearly lost the electoral battle in Hyderabad. And they didn’t lose this battle because of the reasons the English media is attributing to. Quite expectedly, the English media sought to make the BJP’s campaign as being based on communalism. Quite conveniently, they did not tell you that in an election that has AIMIM as a key player, how can communalism not be on the table?

Even the regional media was taken aback by the efforts that BJP had put in for the GHMC elections and toed the same path. The film and TV fraternity were also shocked by the efforts of the BJP and started to openly support KTR, the working President of TRS and son of KCR.

But no ruling party loses elections on this scale just because the opposing party resorts to “communalism”. A party loses election so badly because they failed to deliver what was promised to the citizens. Issues such as traffic, roads, water, housing, floods etc played a very important role in the campaign strategy of the BJP and TRS. Issues such as availability and accessibility of the corporators played a very important role in this election.

Issues such as corruption and goondaism, right from the Mayor to the corporator, have played a very important role in this election. AIMIM of course doesn’t have to bother about mundane issues such as these.

There are no two ways to read this verdict – it is a slap on the arrogant face of TRS and its leadership. 

BJP’s campaign strategy in the GHMC elections, that revolved around asking people for one chance to serve Hyderabad, seems to have worked well. On one side, they had aggressive speeches by leaders such as Bandi Sanjay and D. Aravind and on the other, they had governance/development focused speeches by leaders such as Kishan Reddy. The aggressive oratory style of KCR and KTR finally found its right match in the equally aggressive styles of Bandi Sanjay and D. Aravind! And not to forget the karyakartas on the ground – one should have been on the ground to have seen the enthusiasm and the hard work the karyakartas and volunteers had put in, to teach the TRS a lesson. The support from the central leadership of the party was another huge factor that enthused the cadre. 

The BJP’s astounding victory in the Dubbaka MLA by-poll was seen as a one-off victory by many. The GHMC election result has now decisively altered the political discourse of the state. This is the first time since TRS won the 2014 Assembly election that it has been unseated from a position of power by the people. It is now clear that the BJP is the first decisive opposition that the TRS has ever encountered after the formation of the Telangana state. It is up to the BJP how they will build upon these continuous victories. What was touted as “just a municipal election” by the ‘liberals’, has now changed the political discourse of the entire state! 

NIA files chargesheet in Khalistan Liberation Front narco-terror case: Narco-terrorist Singh was using money from drug trade to strengthen KLF

OpIndia Staff
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NIA files chargesheet in Khalistan Liberation Front narco-terror case: Narco-terrorist Singh was using money from drug trade to strengthen KLF

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against a Khalistan narco-terrorist, Dharminder Singh, for his alleged involvement in a cross-border narco-terror network and furthering terrorist activities of the outlawed Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF).

In a statement released by anti-terror agency on Friday, the NIA said that a supplementary chargesheet has been filed in the KLF Narco-Terror case against a 32-year-old Khalistani terrorist Dharminder Singh, a resident of Moga, Punjab. The accused used to receive smuggled Heroin from Pakistan-based Jajbir Singh Samra and further distribute it to local traffickers.

The accused Singh used to then deposit the proceeds generated from the drug trade to Jajbir Singh in order to further strengthen the activities of KLF.

The NIA filed the chargesheet in the NIA Special Court, Mohali, Punjab. A case was registered under IPC section 120B IPC, sections 25, 27, 27A and 29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 against narco-terrorist Dharminder Singh.

Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) is a terrorist group, sponsored by Pakistan to further their Khalistan movement to create instability within the country by demanding ‘Khalistan’ through armed struggle. 

The NIA charge-sheet assumes significance at it comes at a time when Khalistani elements are trying to create instability in the country by hijacking the so-called farmer protests along the Delhi-Haryana border. The farmer protests are being hijacked by several Khalistani elements, especially the banned  pro-Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), posing a great risk for the security apparatus of the country

NIA unearths Khalistani- Narco Terror network in India

In May, the NIA had filed a charge-sheet against 10 people, including one Pakistan and one Dubai-based accused, for their alleged involvement in a cross-border narco-terror network to further terrorist activities of the outlawed Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF).

The NIA had charged – Jajbir Singh Samra, Harpreet Singh, Varinder Singh Chahal, Nirmal Singh, Satpal Singh, Hiralal, Harjit Singh, Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, a resident of New Delhi who is in Dubai, Harmeet Singh and Jasbir Singh for drug trafficking under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The case relates to the seizure of 500 gms of heroin and Rs 1,20,000 drug money on May 31, 2019 from three accused.

The roles of Harmeet, Pakistan-based self-styled chief banned terrorist organisation KLF and Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, a Dubai-based international drug smuggler and money launderer, were running the narco-terror network in India to further the terrorist activities of the KLF.

According to the NIA, the network included persons involved in smuggling/selling of heroin, militant elements and hawala operatives based in Punjab, Delhi and Dubai responsible for the entire chain from the selling of the narcotic substance to channelising the proceeds to Dubai/Pakistan at the behest of Harmeet and Hakimzada.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had banned KLF in 2018 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Chinese professor at US University charged with using his position to benefit Huawei by stealing technology, pleads guilty

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese professor at US University charged with using his position to benefit Huawei by stealing technology, pleads guilty

A Chinese professor working as a Researcher at the Texas-Arlington University, accused by US prosecutors in using his position to steal American technology to benefit the Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has pled guilty to lying to FBI agents on Friday. While the Chinese professor, Bo Mao, has pleaded guilty, reports indicate that he will be allowed to return to China prosecutors decided not to pursue a more serious charge.

Mao, 37, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of making a false statement in a video appearance before U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn. He is expected to be sentenced to time served and leave the United States on December 16th. He was in custody for six days after his arrest.

Bo Mao was arrested in August 2019 when he was the visiting professor at the University of Texas. He was at the time charged with conspiring to defraud Silicon Valley’s CNEX Labs. Even though Bo Mao was looking at a sentence extending up to 20 years in prison, despite admitting that he lied to the FBI, will be allowed to travel back to China.

Reportedly, Mao was originally accused of ‘entering into an agreement with an unidentified company to use its circuit board for research and sharing the proprietary information with a Chinese company’. It was later revealed that the ‘unidentified company’ was CNEX Labs and the ‘Chinese company’ was Huawei. According to WSJ, he had also lied about whether anyone at the Texas university possessed certain unique technology.

Mao had earlier told the FBI that he did not know anyone at the board of University of Texas, however, he admitted that it was a lie since he did seek access to them. The prosecutor in Court said that Mao and his lies had hidden the extent to which he had gone to steal technology that would then benefit his company, Huawei.

The arrest of the professor from the University of Texas took place before Brooklyn federal prosecutors added trade-secret-theft charges to their 2018 indictment against Huawei.

It is pertinent to note that in 2018, Huawei and its finance chief, Meng Wanzhou, were charged with misleading banks about business in Iran. The charges added in February include theft of CNEX’s trade secrets. While that case is still pending in Brooklyn, it is also important to note that in 2019, a jury had found that Huawei did indeed misappropriate CNEX’s secrets.

The indictment of Bo Mao comes as the United States of America is cracking down on the deep infiltration of China into US Universities, including Universities like Harvard and Stanford. It was found that China had infiltrated these Universities and was running a spy ring here.

A few months ago, the top US universities, such as Princeton and Harvard, decided to allot code names to Chinese students to protect their identities following Communist Party of China (CCP) new censorship rules on its students barring them to debate on topics that it deems controversial.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Chinese nationals studying at Harvard and Princeton universities will be using code names to shield their identities this semester as a protection measure against surveillance by China’s Communist government. The university classes will also carry warning labels such as “This course may cover material considered politically sensitive by China”. 

Interestingly, nearly 115 colleges received monetary gifts, contracts or both from sources in mainland China from 2013 to 2019, according to US government data. Harvard University alone received a whopping amount of $93.7 million, the majority as gifts. The University of Southern California and the University of Pennsylvania were second and third in the list of receiving millions of Chinese donations. Another university  Middle Tennessee State University also received $1.1 million in contracts, almost all of it for a Chinese music and culture centre that opened in 2016.

The sudden influx of Chinese money into US universities had prompted US security agencies to stay on high alert. They had even launched an investigation into Yale and Harvard universities for not disclosing millions of dollars in gifts and contracts from foreign donors, especially China.

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