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USAID, NED, Dr Fauci and COVID paranoia about ‘millions of deaths’ in India: Sordid saga of media darling Ramanan Laxminarayanan and fearmongering

Nupur J Sharma
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USAID, NED, Dr Fauci and COVID paranoia about ‘millions of deaths’ in India: Sordid saga of media darling Ramanan Laxminarayanan and fearmongering

Remember Dr Ramanan Laxminarayanan? He was one of the foremost “experts” quoted by the Indian and international media to fearmonger about India staring at, potentially, “millions of deaths” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The insinuation at the time was simple – based on the comments of Dr Ramanan Laxminarayanan, the media repeatedly speculated that the Indian government was hiding substantial information about COVID-19 deaths in India and vaccine penetration. Turns out, the campaign to tarnish the country and her seminal effort to contain the pandemic, largely driven by Dr Ramanan Laxminarayanan, may have a USAID, NED, CDC, Dr Fauci and the vaccine lobby angle to it, hitherto unexplored.

After Elon Musk-led DOGE bit USAID, skeletons have been tumbling out of the US Deep State closet, from election interference to regime change operations, forced colour revolutions, colluding with terrorist organisations to destabilize sovereign countries, and collaborating with nefarious NGOs in several nations including India, furthering the LGBTQIA+ plus agenda of body mutilation, funding the religious conversion of indigenous people – Hindus in India, for example, and much more. It almost seems like there is a USAID-created monster lurking under every rock that one bothers to lift.

So how does it all link to Dr Ramanan Laxminarayanan and the COVID-19 pandemic in India?

Who is Dr Ramanan Laxminarayanan and how was he creating panic in India during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic was the worst health crisis that the world had experienced in decades and India was no exception. Governments across the world struggled to respond to the spread of the virus. The government of India, however, despite a less than adequate health infrastructure to deal with a global pandemic and a population of over 1.2 billion people, successfully curbed the spread. In fact, India not only managed to do a decent job for its own people but helped several other nations by supplying vaccines – this, at a time when the world was hoarding vaccines and medicines, leaving several smaller nations to fend for themselves.

While the Indian government put up a herculean fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, certain elements were fear-mongering and predicting millions of deaths in India – insinuating that the Indian government was hiding material evidence and facts about the deaths in India.

One of the foremost “experts” who peddled such theories was Dr Ramanan Laxminarayanan. Ramanan Lakshminarayanan came up with fanciful numbers to state that India would be facing close to 300 million COVID-19 infections and 2.5 million deaths due to the coronavirus outbreak – and he was used by the Left media to spread panic in India.

By the 20th and 21st of March 2020, Laxminarayanan had spoken to several mainstream media channels. On India Today and Barkha Dutt’s YouTube channel, Lakshminarayan claimed that nearly 10-15 million people would be affected seriously and would need critical care ‘in the coming days’.

According to Ramanan Laxminarayanan, if mathematical models from the United States and the United Kingdom were applied to India, the country could be looking at 300 million COVID-19 infections.

“Most of the infections will be mild, however, 10 million severe infections will happen within the next two weeks and India does not have such intensive care facilities to handle such scale,” claimed Ramanan Lakshminarayanan in March 2020.

In a classic case of speculation, Ramanan Laxminarayanan said that India could be facing close to 2.5 million deaths. The so-called disease expert, however, failed to authenticate his numbers and did not reveal the source of data before inventing such fanciful numbers.

The Wire was not left behind, of course.

By September 2020, Ramanan Laxminarayanan was peddling fake news and fear-mongering yet again – this time – through Quint.

The article in The Quint claimed that the COVI-19 scourge in India was spreading like in no other country around the world and that India would “soon eclipse the outbreak in the U.S.” Secondly, it attempted to belittle the central government led by Narendra Modi by peddling the theory that a low mortality rate or a high recovery rate is a ‘useless statistic’. And to prove this, one of the “experts” it quoted was Ramanan Laxminarayanan.

NDTV and National Herald in March cited a study on COVID-19 done by The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) in collaboration with John Hopkins University, US. The report claimed that the study has found that the ongoing 21-day national lockdown will not be able to contain the spread of COVID-19. There were only two problems with this report. Only 4 days before this report was released, CDDEP’s founder and director – Ramanan Laxminarayanan – was stressing the need for a national lockdown in an interview with Barkha Dutt. The second problem was that while Laxminarayanan claimed that the report was in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University (evidenced by the logo on the research paper), JU came out and denied association with it.

In 2021, after the worst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic was over, the New York Times published a table estimating millions of deaths and clearly claiming that the Modi government was lying about the casualties.

In the article, Ramanan Laxminarayanan confirms the outlandish accusation by the NYT, insinuating that the Modi government was indeed underreporting the deaths. This narrative was then used by several Congress leaders to target the Modi government.

While the Indian media gave Laxminarayanan unprecedented access to spread misinformation and fearmonger about the COVID pandemic in India, OpIndia realised that he was no doctor. He had done a PhD in Economics and had a Masters in Public Health (MPH). The MPH, for example, would make him suitable to weigh in on how India should build the capacity to store vaccines under suitable conditions, but certainly not predict deaths based on medical evidence.

Ramanan Laxminarayanan actually claims to be an economist and has worked for a not-for-profit organisation named the Public Health Foundation of India.

Ramanan Laxminarayan is also the founder and director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP) in Washington DC, and also a senior research scholar and lecturer at the Princeton Environmental Institute at Princeton University. His claims of being an economist are also disputable.

The Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), renamed to OneHealth Plus, and the USAID, CDC, and NED connection

In 2022, Ramanan Laxminarayanan announced that CDDEP was being renamed to OneHealth Plus. The announcement said:

“The One Health Trust (OHT) uses research and stakeholder engagement to improve the health and well-being of our planet and its inhabitants. OHT continues and builds on the work of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), which for more than a decade has conducted vitally important research on major global health challenges, including COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, hospital infections, tuberculosis, malaria, pandemic preparedness and response, vaccines, medical oxygen shortages, and non-communicable diseases. OHT’s work now expands to take on issues related to climate change, biodiversity protection, and the effect of changing human diets on the planet”.

When one looks deeper, one realises that OneHealth Plus is funded by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organisation (WHO) and, of course, USAID.

Interestingly, in all their Form 990 returns with the IRS, they have marked their source of funds as “restricted”. OpIndia perused Form 990 of CCDEP till 2020 – and in all the returns – the source of funds was marked to be ‘restricted’.

However, they specify that they are an organisation that gets a substantial chunk of their funding from the government (In this case, it would be the US government – this could include the CDC and USAID funding).

In the year 2023, CCDEP, according to their Form 990 got $1.2 million are Government grants (contributions). The compensation drawn by Ramanan Laxminarayanan was $321,003.

In the year 2020, when he was spreading lies and misinformation in the name of COVID-19, he was drawing a salary of $286,150 and CCDEP got $771,534 in government grants (contributions).

Further, according to DataRepublican, CCDEP also got money from the National Endowment For Democracy (NED).

National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private nonprofit grantmaking organization that supports the development of democratic institutions around the world. Though formally private, the NED is almost entirely funded by the U.S. Congress. Annually, the NED distributes more than 2,000 grants with an average value of $50,000 in more than 100 countries. NED is largely assumed to be an extended arm of the US Deep State which essentially works to fulfil USA’s foreign policy goals – much like the USAID and to bring about regime change operations. In fact, The left-wing Monthly Review Online has characterized the NED as “a CIA offshoot”, according to Influence Watch.

Mike Benz, a former intelligence officer who now exposes the functioning of the US deep state has long spoken about NED and its nefarious regime change operations. Recently, he spoke about how NED was instrumental in the regime change operation in Bangladesh.

In a 1986 article in the New York Times, Carl Gershman, the founder of the National Endowment For Democracy, made some startling revelations. He was the founding president of NED from 1984 to 2021.

He essentially said that the NED was formed because the US did not want to be seen as subsidizing programs around the world through the CIA – essentially – that the NED was a CIA proxy front. Further, he reveals that a list of potential recipients of NED grants is approved by the CIA before the grants are made.

Mike Benz has also claimed that USAID and NED sponsored several programs for election interference in India – to ensure the defeat of PM Modi. He said that NED worked to promote the narrative that PM Modi’s success was largely due to misinformation. Interestingly, Ramanan Laxminarayanan had also attempted to create the narrative that India’s COVID-19 success was a mere myth, that the recovery rate does not matter and that millions were dying in India – insinuating that the Modi govt was hiding the real numbers.

The PHFI-USAID connection

As mentioned earlier, Ramanan Laxminarayanan was working for an NGO called PHFI before he ventured on his own.

According to BJP leader Vijay Chauthaiwale, Laxminarayanan while working with PHFI in India, had launched two private companies without taking appropriate PHFI permission. Later, PHFI did not renew his contract in 2016 and also sued him for stealing the NGO’s intellectual property. Ramanan Laxminarayanan had also the lost case and had to return back the Intellectual property rights to the PHFI. The court even awarded legal costs to PHFI.

PFHI collaborates with the government in various fields, however, interestingly, it also partners with USAID.

It is possible that it is in PHFI that Laxminarayanan made his USAID connections and then, after his alleged ouster, set up his own network of NGOs primarily with USAID, NED, WHO, CDC and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funding.

In addition to his role in the US-based NGO CDDEP, Laxminarayanan also ventured into commercial activities by starting a company called Health Cube, which according to him works in the area of diagnostics. Another venture set up by the so-called health expert is “Public Health Technologies Trust”.

The websites of both Health Cube and Public Health Technologies Trust suggest that Ramanan Laxminarayanan is in the business of health solutions. PHFT in its website claims to use state-of-the-art IT and systems design tools and technologies to empower the Indian population to obtain better health through the optimal use of technologies.

Connections with Dr Anthony Fauci

The earliest trace that OpIndia can find for now between Ramanan Laxminarayanan and Dr Anthony Fauci is from 2016. In 2016, Ramaman was invited by Dr Fauci for a John LaMontagne Memorial Lecture. The lecture is sponsored by NIAID and Dr. Fauci served as NIAID Director from 1984 to 2022.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, while he was fearmongering in India, spreading misinformation and panic, Ramanan posted a picture about his meeting with Dr Fauci and posted on LinkedIn about it, claiming that the meeting was one of the annual meetings he has with Fauci. In this post, he was clearly defending Dr Fauci against the allegations that were being mounted against him.

He has, since, posted pictures with Dr Fauci regularly.

The links to his LinkedIn posts can be accessed here, here and here.

After President Donald Trump took office, he withdrew the security of Anthony Fauci and DOGE, led by Elon Musk cancelled the grant for an Anthony Fauci museum exhibit.

Dr Fauci has been the subject of much investigation after the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Fauci, during a senate hearing on May 11, 2021, had said under oath that the NIH never carried out gain-of-function research in Wuhan. However, he had, evidently, committed perjury.

An investigation by Project Veritas has made a shocking discovery regarding the origin of Covid-19, and the gain of function research to enhance the virus. Project Veritas has claimed to access ‘never before seen’ Department of Defence (USA) documents that show that the USA’s elite military research organisation DARPA (Defence Advanced Research and Projects Agency) had rejected a proposal by EcoHealth Alliance. The proposal that DARPA rejected was about studying bat-born Coronaviruses in Wuhan. However, the proposal that was rejected by DARPA saying it is ‘too dangerous’, was later approved by the USA’s NIAID, which is headed by Dr Anthony Fauci. The proposal was named ‘Project Defuse’. As per the Project Veritas report, DARPA had rejected the proposal saying that it would violate the ‘gain of function’ moratorium.

It is notable here that several reporters have revealed in the past that EcoHealth Alliance, headed by Peter Daszak was involved in conducting gain-of-function research into coronaviruses in WIV, China. Daszak was one of the first and foremost scientists to vocally dismiss the ‘lab leak’ theories. He had also published a very widely publicised letter in The Lancet at the beginning of the pandemic to dismiss all claims of ‘lab leak’. 

Reports and documents had also revealed that Fauci’s NIAID had funded EcoHealth Alliance to carry out research in Wuhan. 

Interestingly, Daszak was also a part of the WHO investigative team that had visited the WIV to study the origins of the Covid. Later, when Daszak’s old statements and videos emerged showing him admitting that his EcoHealth Alliance is indeed involved in the gain of function research at Wuhan, Daszak was dropped from the Lancet commission investigating Covid origins. 

Somehow, the obvious conflict of interest has not been addressed by WHO or the respective governments of the USA and China so far.

A number of documents, letters and reports have so far emerged, showing the damning involvement of US scientists and bureaucrats in suppressing the truth about Covid origins. 

Anthony Fauci, the head of NIAID and NIH, had stated in the past that the gain of function experiments into the virus was ‘worth the risk of a pandemic’.

Before President Biden left office, he had signed a pardon for Dr Anthony Fauci. While Fauci maintained that he had committed no crime, it was speculated that Biden had pardoned Fauci because once Trump took over, he could potentially have been indicted for perjury.

A leaked email conversation between Dr Anthony Fauci and James LeDuc also showed that the US National Institutes of Health-funded an institute that trained researchers at the Wuhan lab’s biosafety level four facility. In 2025, the CIA confirmed that the source of COVID-19 was most likely a lab leak – something Dr Fauci had denied, perhaps owing to his funding the research on the virus.

Raman Laxminarayanan, who has been pictured with Fauci and was invited by him for a lecture back in 2016, claims on his website that he is leading the largest COVID-19 epidemiology study in the world based on extensive contact tracing in India. The flagship paper from this study was published in Science in 2020.

Ramanan Laxminarayanan – lobbying for Pfizer in India?

On the 19th of December 2021, The New York Times published an article titled “Most of the World’s Vaccines Likely Won’t Prevent Infection From Omicron”. It was an article basically pushing for vaccines like Pfizer while discreting other vaccines. In the article, Ramanan Laxminarayan was quoted lobbying for Pfizer.

Some experts from the article:

A growing body of preliminary research suggests the Covid vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defense against becoming infected by the highly contagious Omicron variant. All vaccines still seem to provide a significant degree of protection against serious illness from Omicron, which is the most crucial goal. But only the Pfizer and Moderna shots, when reinforced by a booster, appear to have initial success at stopping infections, and these vaccines are unavailable in most of the world. The other shots — including those from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and vaccines manufactured in China and Russia — do little to nothing to stop the spread of Omicron, early research shows. And because most countries have built their inoculation programs around these vaccines, the gap could have a profound impact on the course of the pandemic…

…The Pfizer and Moderna shots use the new mRNA technology, which has consistently offered the best protection against infection with every variant. All of the other vaccines are based on older methods of triggering an immune response. The Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac — which make up almost half of all shots delivered globally — offer almost zero protection from Omicron infection…

…A preliminary effectiveness study in Britain found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine showed no ability to stop Omicron infection six months after vaccination. Ninety percent of vaccinated people in India received this shot, under the brand name Covishield; it has also been widely used across much of sub-Saharan Africa, where Covax, the global Covid vaccine program, has distributed 67 million doses of it to 44 countries…

…But some public health experts say they believe that countries that have already been through brutal waves of Covid, such as Brazil and India, may have a buffer against Omicron, and vaccination after infection produces high antibody levels. “The combination of vaccination and exposure to the virus seems to be stronger than only having the vaccine,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, an epidemiologist. India, he noted, has an adult vaccination rate of only about 40 percent but 90 percent exposure to the virus in some areas. “Without a doubt Omicron is going to flood through India,” he said. “But hopefully India is protected to some extent because of vaccination and exposure”…

…Dr. Laxminarayan said the Indian government, to which he is an occasional adviser, was considering booster shots, but the Delta variant still poses a significant threat in India, and two vaccine doses offer protection against Delta. That presents the government with a difficult choice between focusing on getting people who remain unvaccinated, or only partly vaccinated, to two doses, or trying to get boosters to older people and those with high-risk medical conditions as protection against Omicron.

Throughout the article, it was evident that the NTY and Ramanan were lobbying for Pfizer.

The first and foremost reason that India did not approve the Pfizer vaccine for use in India was the indemnity clause. It had sought waiver against liabilities that may occur out of the adverse effects of the vaccine. It had also refused to transfer technology for local production. It was also reported that Pfizer had asked several Latin American nations to pledge their sovereign and military assets, including federal reserves and embassies in foreign countries, as indemnity against any future liability that may arise due to side effects of the vaccine or any negligence of the company. The Pharmaceutical giant had also asked the countries to deposit bank guarantees in foreign countries as part of such indemnity.

Further, in November 2023, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Pfizer, accusing the company of unlawfully misrepresenting the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine and attempting to censor public discourse about the product. The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer engaged in false, deceptive, and misleading practices by making unsupported claims regarding the vaccine’s efficacy, in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.  

Similarly, in June 2024, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sued Pfizer, alleging that the company misled the public about its COVID-19 vaccine by hiding risks while making false claims about its effectiveness. The lawsuit claims that Pfizer’s actions violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. 

It is interesting to note here it was reported that Pfizer was paying several celebrities to promote their vaccine and also, Pfizer donated $1 million in 2021 to Joe Biden’s inaugural committee.

Given the narrative furthered by Ramanan Laxminarayanan, his proximity to Dr Anthony Fauci, his funding from the US Deep State including USAID and NED, one has to wonder why Ramanan was promoting Pfizer and discrediting the vaccines which were being used by India.

Conclusion

Dr Ramanan Laxminarayanan, as our research found, is funded by USAID, CDC and NED – the USAID ‘operational partner’ which gets its grants vetted by the CIA. The USAID and NED have participated in destabilising countries and regime change operations throughout the world. During the COVID pandemic, an entire narrative was created against India and the Modi-led government with Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan playing a massive role in it. He repeatedly insinuated that the death toll, as being reported by the Modi government was not accurate and that the deaths were most likely in the millions. This narrative was further latched on to by the Congress party and several others – including the global media – which harbours a visceral hate for not just PM Modi but also India as a nation. The negative narrative, ridden with misinformation and conjecture was aimed at a potential exercise of narrative building against the Modi government, in the hopes that the COVID-19 negativity could affect a change in government. Further, Dr Ramanan also seems to have lobbied in the global press in favour of Pfizer, discrediting the vaccine being used by India.

One of the reasons Donald Trump couldn’t get re-elected was bad press about how he handled the COVID-19 crisis with publications like NYT printing just the names of all Americans who died on the front page. It would not be far-fetched to wonder if a similar outcome was expected in India – based on misinformation, false narratives and conjectures.

UP: Rahul becomes Murshad for Muslim girlfriend, kills her after she marries someone else, girl’s family kills him in return for revenge

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Rahul becomes Murshad for Muslim girlfriend, kills her after she marries someone else, girl’s family kills him in return for revenge

In an absurd turn of events in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, a youth named Rahul converted to Islam and changed his name to Murshad for his Muslim girlfriend, however, he killed her after finding out that she married someone else. Consequently, the Muslim girl’s family thrashed Rahul/Murshad so brutally that he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

The matter pertains to the Palani police station precinct wherein Rahul/Murshad had been dating a Muslim girl from his area for the last two years. He reportedly converted to Islam and also offered namaz regularly, although his religious identity on documents remains Hindu.

Reports say that the girl got married to someone else in December 2024, and after learning about this, Murshad was infuriated. On 16th February, Murshad went to meet his Muslim girlfriend. However, the two had an argument which took a fatal turn as the accused stabbed his girlfriend with a knife and killed her.

Soon after, the girl’s family caught hold of Murshad and brutally thrashed him. The police arrived at the spot and took the badly injured boy to a hospital, however, Murshad died during treatment. Subsequently, the dead bodies of the girl and the boy were sent to the mortuary for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, SP Ankur Agarwal said that a case has been registered and further legal action is underway. As tensions prevail in the Palani police station area, police force from multiple police stations as well as DIG and SP are monitoring the area.

Chhattisgarh: 97 detained, 3 booked after Hindu groups’ protest against forced conversion at a religious event in Durg

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: 97 detained, 3 booked after Hindu groups’ protest against forced conversion at a religious event in Durg

On 16th February, a major row erupted in the Amleshwar police station area of Durg district in Chhattisgarh over alleged religious conversions happening at a house in the region. Hindu organisations protested outside the house where conversions were allegedly taking place under the guise of a Christian prayer meeting. Following the protest, 97 people who were hiding in the house were detained by the police. Later, after questioning, three individuals were booked on charges of religious conversion.

The police took action based on a complaint by Meenakshi Sharma, a resident of Ayodhya Nagar. In her complaint, she accused Dr Vinay Sahu, Krishnakant Kurre, and Dhal Singh Sahu of converting people to Christianity. All three are residents of Amleshwar, and Dr Vinay Sahu was the organiser of the conversion event under the guise of a prayer meeting at his home. The so-called prayer meeting took place at around 1 PM on 16th February.

Meenakshi stated in her complaint that apart from Dr Sahu, two other individuals were present at the prayer meeting and spoke against Hindu deities while glorifying Jesus Christ. She further alleged that the trio pressured the attendees to convert by offering inducements.

When news of the alleged conversion event spread in the area, activists from Hindu organisations gathered in large numbers and surrounded the house to stage a protest. They raised slogans and accused the organisers of conducting conversions under the guise of a prayer meeting.

The activists of Bajrang Dal also recited the Hanuman Chalisa as part of the protest outside the house. Those who had come to attend the meeting remained locked inside until the police arrived and detained them.

When the police arrived, the protesters informed them that innocent and poor individuals were being manipulated into converting to Christianity.

Durg Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Shukla was informed about the situation, prompting him to deploy additional police forces in the area to maintain law and order. Despite repeated requests from the police, the protesters refused to leave. Senior police officials had to step in to urge the Hindu groups to disperse. The Hindu groups warned of intensifying the protests if strict action was not taken against the accused.

Based on Meenakshi’s complaint, the police detained 97 individuals from the prayer gathering for questioning. The police found that Dr Sahu and his associates, Krishnakant Kurre and Dhal Singh Sahu, were allegedly coercing people into converting to Christianity. Subsequently, an FIR was registered under Sections 299 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and other relevant acts, and the trio were placed in judicial custody.

Speaking to the media on 17th February, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abhishek Jha said that a complaint was received about a religious conversion event taking place under the guise of a prayer meeting. The police reached the house where the event was being held and brought the situation under control. Several people, including the pastor, were arrested by the police. Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Kerala: Palakkad mosque glorifies Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, posters of Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Hassan Nasrallah displayed

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Palakkad mosque glorifies Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, posters of Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Hassan Nasrallah displayed

A mosque’s annual festival procession in the Palakkad region of Kerala featured prominently displayed images of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Banners with the titles “Tharavadis, Thekkebhagam (Ancestrals, Southside) had pictures of terrorist commanders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah. Notably, all three were neutralised by Israel. A group of young participants paraded the banners on top of elephants. The development which transpired on the evening of 16th February in the presence of Communist and Congress leaders led to major controversy.

Although the event organizers have not yet responded, the participation of Congress leader VT Balram and Minister MB Rajesh also drew major criticism. The procession, which was part of the yearly “Uroos” of a mosque in Thrithala, attracted around 3,000 people but the installation of the controversial flags resulted in severe backlash. “Trithala Uroos” is celebrated by the Muslims in the area. The crowd applauded the youngsters as they carried the posters of the three terrorists during the parade. The event soon became a contentious issue, with many condemning the organizers for permitting such antics.

The incident is the latest in a series of incidents involving pro-Palestine demonstrations in the state. Intifada, the name of Kerala University’s annual youth festival, triggered a massive row in 2024 because the word was linked to the Palestine-Israel conflict and its utilization by Hamas. The university’s vice-chancellor, Mohanan Kunnummal, ordered that the term be taken off of all festival promotional materials, including posters and social media posts. The event was dubbed the “Kerala University Youth Festival” afterward.

Khaled Mashal, the former leader of Hamas, spoke at a rally in Malappuram in October 2023 for at least 7 minutes. It was hosted by the “Solidarity Youth Movement,” the youth arm of radical “Jamaat-e-Islami.” The group had started a campaign titled “Uproot Apartheid Zionism and Hindutva.” Meanwhile, slogans like “buldoze Hindutva” and “unroot Zionism” were raised during the event.

The involvement of Hamas leaders in these events had been sharply denounced by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The participation was referred to as “extremist” by party’s state president K Surendran, who also sought for an investigation into the event and added, “Things have reached such a state in secular Kerala. Hamas extremists are participating in programs in Kerala.” Additionally, he noted that Mashal’s address was virtual only due to his visa denial. Interestingly, it has been discovered that banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was being funded by Hamas.

Bihar: Stone-pelting on Hanuman Chalisa devotees near a mosque amidst chants of “Allahu Akbar”, a Muslim mob of over 300 had women and children, eyewitnesses say

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Stone-pelting on Hanuman Chalisa devotees near a mosque amidst chants of “Allahu Akbar”, a Muslim mob of over 300 had women and children, eyewitnesses say

In Bihar’s Jamui, Hindus returning from a Hanuman Chalisa recitation were attacked. A mob surrounded their convoy, pelting stones and bricks, and vandalising several vehicles. Hindu activists claimed that the attackers were Muslims. Women were also injured in the violence. Following the incident, police officials arrived, and internet services in Jamui were suspended. Authorities have arrested several individuals in connection with the attack.

According to media reports, on Sunday, February 16, 2025, activists from the Hindu Swabhiman organization gathered in Baliadih village, Jamui, for a Hanuman Chalisa recitation. As they were returning, a mob near a mosque attacked their vehicles.

The attack occurred as the convoy passed through a Muslim-majority area. The mob shattered vehicle windows and threw stones. Several activists, including Hindu Swabhiman district president Nitish Kumar and activist Khushbu Pandey, sustained serious injuries.

As per News18 Bihar, women and children were also present during the attack. One injured activist stated, “We were returning after reciting Hanuman Chalisa when suddenly 300-400 people attacked us.” Another activist mentioned that they were pelted with stones and their vehicles were damaged without provocation while passing through the Muslim area.

Khushbu Pandey, injured in the attack, said, “The Hanuman Chalisa event was held at Bhaleshwar Nath Temple in Baliadih village. After receiving Prasad, as we were heading back, stone-pelting started suddenly near a mosque. Vehicles were vandalized, and chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’ were heard.”

She further claimed that there was a plan to target specific individuals, and discussions about attacking the police were also taking place. Many Hindu activists were reportedly stranded in the area for hours. Videos of the incident, showing stone-pelting, have gone viral on social media.

Reports indicate that local police officers initially mishandled the situation. However, additional police forces later arrived to restore order. To prevent the spread of rumours, internet services were suspended in Jamui. SP Madan Kumar Anand confirmed these actions, stating, “After slogans were raised against those returning from the Hanuman Chalisa event, the police did not inform senior officials. Instead, they attempted to handle the situation themselves and even suggested changing the route. We have sought clarification from them and suspended them.”

A case has been registered regarding the incident. Eight individuals have been named in the FIR, while 50 others remain unidentified. As part of the crackdown, nine suspects have been arrested. A significant police presence has been deployed in the village to maintain law and order.

Is the Indian system incapable of controlling the Indian ‘Bheed’? Stampede after stampede, the crowd behaviour stays unchanged, just like the bureaucratic incompetence

Rukma Rathore
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Is the Indian system incapable of controlling the Indian ‘Bheed’? Stampede after stampede, the crowd behaviour stays unchanged, just like the bureaucratic incompetence

The stampede at New Delhi railway station on 15th February, which claimed at least 18 lives including 5 kids, and wounded 15 people, has raised many questions. The stampede was preceded by an abrupt spike in the number of people waiting to board trains for Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, where the auspicious Maha Kumbh is underway. Some passengers slipped while descending on the foot-overbridges that connected platforms 14 and 15, resulting in panic and fatal crush.

There has been a continuous outpouring of condolences, reflections on the circumstances that led to the tragedy, proposed measures to prevent similar events in the future along with severe criticism. A high-level committee consisting of two members has been established by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to look into the lapses.

Meanwhile, travelers complained about a multitude of shortcomings, from improper communication from railway employees to the lack of skilled medical assistance in addition to the lack of precautions that could have avoided the instance. A number of X (previously Twitter) users started writing about the swarming crowd near the stations at 8:15 pm, two hours before the catastrophe. However, it has been claimed that no action was undertaken to manage the situation. Congestion only grew worse in spite of glaring warning indicators.

On the other hand, railway officials have attributed the tragedy to multiple factors including the delay of two trains, an excessive number of passengers waiting on one platform and an announcement of a special train which prompted people to rush towards the ill-fated location.

However, beyond politics, blame games and petty point scoring, the tragedy which led to the loss of precious lives could have been easily avoided. More importantly, larger problem lies in the lack of an effective apparatus to avert these incidents, which have become more common, especially during large gatherings or major events. 

Major events turn into stampede disasters

The likelihood of an unfortunate incident unfolding during a major assembly is ever present, but it has only increased tenfold in the last few years with numerous stampedes at various occasions. A sad turn of events transpired a few days prior when a stampede at Maha Kumbh on 29th January left about 30 people dead and 90 injured. The incident happened on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya (new moon) when many devotees gathered to take a holy bath.

The commotion started between one and two in the morning when a huge group of devotees broke down barriers in anticipation of the Brahma Muhurat at the event. The newly arrived throng behind the barricade failed to recognize that there were already individuals sleeping on the ground and inadvertently trampled on them. Afterward, Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath revoked all of the VVIP permits and ordered a judicial investigation into the matter.

On 8th January, a stampede in Tirupati killed six persons as the devotees waited to gather tokens for Lord Venkateswara’s darshan. The sacred Vaikunta Ekadasi event had attracted thousands of people to collect the tokens. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman Baron, Bollineni Rajagopala Naidu stated that “overcrowding” was the reason behind the tragedy. “To distribute tokens for Ekadasi Darshan, we opened 91 counters. It is unfortunate that stampede happened. 6 devotees died and 40 sustained injuries. We are providing the best medical facilities possible to them. This has never happened in TTD history. I sincerely seek an apology from the devotees. We will conduct an inquiry and take serious action,” TTD Board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy conveyed.

On 2nd July 2024, at least 121 people including women and children lost their lives during a satsang organised by a self-styled preacher called Bhole Baba also known as Narayan Sakar Hari or Sakaar Vishwa Hari. The incident happened in the Phulrai village of Uttra Pradesh’s Hathras distict. The place was packed and cramped. The stampede started as the Satsang concluded because the suffocated devotees hurried out of the small venue amid the sweltering heat.

“Honi ko kaun taal sakta hai, jo aaya hai, use ek din jana hai (No one can prevent the turn of fate, one who has taken birth, has to die one day),” the self-proclaimed godman had voiced in an interview, a few days after he disappeared following the tragedy.

A large influx of devotees at 2:45 am on 1st January 2022 caused a stampede at the prominent Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in at least 12 fatalities and more than a dozen injuries. Dilbag Singh, the director general of police for Jammu and Kashmir, infromed that initial reports from the scene indicated that a minor brawl broke out between a few young boys and then a stampede ensued shortly after. “Police and officials of the civil administration were quick to respond, and the order within the crowd was immediately restored, but by that time, the damage had been done,” he added.

During the 2015 Mahapushukaram, a Hindu religious bathing festival, on the banks of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, a stampede rendered at least 29 persons dead and more than 60 wounded. Chandrababu Naidu, then chief minister, and his family had just departed Rajahmundry after taking the holy bath when the tragedy struck nearly 8 am. Tens of thousands of people pressed forward to bathe in the Godavari on the first day of the festival, triggering a stampede as some pilgrims tried to retrieve their shoes that had fallen off during the chaos. According to several witnesses, the instance transpired as some pilgrims attempted to scale a wall along the well-known Pushkar Ghat while others push onward.

Who is to blame

The above mentioned incidents are just a tip of the ice berg. Overcrowding is the primary issue, as many rightly state, but it’s not the only one. One of the primary factors is inadequate management. The administration has repeatedly demonstrated a serious lack of competence in managing sizable crowds, which ought to be their primary responsibility in a populous nation like India.

Unfortunately, there is an alarming absence of regard for life as well. According to the preliminary investigation at the New Delhi train station, the passengers mistook the Prayagraj Express for the Prayagraj Special and believed they could miss their train, a misunderstanding that could have been easily avoided.

Similarly, authorities had given permission for 80,000 people to gather at Hathras event but around 250,000 people attended. Nevertheless, little was done even after the incident as the influential man and those who permitted his event were never tried for their offenses.

Three police officers were sentenced to prison by a South Korean court in 2024 for their roles in the Halloween crush at a Seoul nightlife zone, which claimed 159 lives and wounded 196 others. The incident happened on 29th October 2022. However in India, where the system is designed to prevent the perpetrators from being penalised, such an action would be a rarity as everyone seeks to save face and engage in petty politics.

It is important to remember that it would be unjust and dishonest to just place the blame on the authorities when even individuals act selfishly and disregard the safety of others. Individuals from trains to airplanes and other places show a startling lack of consideration for other people’s time, safety and security. They would push one another aside, disrupt lines, behave erratically at the slightly inconvenience and even get into fights with other passengers, staff members and personnel.

Furthermore, those who possess even a small amount of influence and authority abuse it to make their lives easier while creating issues for others. The “laal-batti culture” is a prime example of the same.

What’s the solution

These tragedies should serve as a wake-up call for the public and the authorities as well as an honest evaluation of what went wrong. Railway stations and bus depots are known to have higher-than-normal traffic during the pilgrimage season. Officials at these transportation hubs should be on the lookout for anything that could cause panic or anxiety, much like their counterparts at places of worship.

There will always be crowds, whether it’s a rock concert or a religious event and organizing them will be challenging when turnout surpasses projections. At least 79% of stampedes in the nation occur during religious gatherings and pilgrimages, based on 2013 study published in the International Journal of Stampede Reduction. Notably, on 10th February of the same year, a stampede broke out at the train station in Prayagraj killing 42 people and injuring at least 45 others, during Kumbh Mela.

The use of technology including drones to assist law enforcement and event planners in monitoring crowd density and swiftly identify any source of pressure or disruption could aide in prevention of such incidents. This year, the administration in Maha Kumbh made use of technology, nonetheless, the two tragedies highlighted the necessity of expanding the use of cutting-edge crowd control techniques at such sites.

Train stations are crowded even on regular days and the situation only escalates during significant events and festivals. Hence, the security and well-being of passengers must be a part of such arrangements. Ensuring the safety of pilgrims, migrants, workers, tourists, and vacationers who utilize this kind of transportation both at the station and throughout the travel should be prioritized. If necessary, add more buses and trains to ensure smooth and proper travel.

However more crucially, technology alone can only go so far, the administration needs to be more vigilant, take better crowd control measures and keep an eye on things. The administration or authorities cannot bear all the responsibility alone, though, because cooperation from individuals is also required. They must also be conscious of what they are doing and consider if they are contributing to the problem or helping to fix it.

A watchful watch should be kept out for offenders who damage and deface trains and other public property, inciting panic and alarm in the public. The responsibility for identifying such individuals and turning them over to the authorities falls not only on the officials but also on the general public. The fundamentals of civility, such as waiting one’s turn, forming queues and showing patience which many people lack are must during these events.

Limiting the number of guests to avoid crowding, planning spaces with several exits and unobstructed walkways as well as guaranteeing strong communication between security staff and event planners is very important. Additionally, it is critical to inform attendees of the safety procedures. At the event location, a well-trained emergency response team also contributes to lowering the hazards.

Moreover, regardless of their influence in government or standing in society, those responsible for these tragedies must face legal consequences to set an example for the others. Such further catastrophes could only be evaded by an integrated approach and a fundamental shift on the side of the people and the government.

US funding for ‘voter turnout in India’ scrapped: How MSM and ‘journalists’ passed off suspension of foreign interference as a ‘blow to India’

OpIndia Staff
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US funding for ‘voter turnout in India’ scrapped: How MSM and ‘journalists’ passed off suspension of foreign interference as a ‘blow to India’

On 16 February, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), United States, published a post on X announcing a list of funding initiatives that were recently stopped or cancelled. According to the list posted by DOGE, $486 million was given to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), which included $21 million for ‘voter turnout’ in India—equivalent to ₹182 crore as per today’s USD to INR value.

While the money was pumped into India via CEPPS, several media houses and alleged journalists presented it as if the funding that had been stopped was meant for the Government of India. Journalist Ranvijay SIngh put up a screenshot of Jansatta report and wrote, “Trump and Elon Musk have jointly stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding. This funding for India was halted two days after a meeting with Modi.”

Source: X

In a similar post, quoting Jansatta, Mumbai Congress wrote, “What did Trump do after meeting Modi? Chained Indians and expelled them from the US on a military plane! Stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding! It’s only been two days, who knows what he’ll do next!” Notably, the funding was not meant for “India” (read Government of India). Furthermore, Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, has clearly stated that SoP is being followed for the deported Indians who entered the US illegally.

Source: X

In a post on X, Congress’s Vice Chairman – Social Media and Digital platform, Dinesh Pant, wrote, “Trump and Elon Musk have jointly stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding.”

Source: X

Journalist Shailesh Pandey wrote, “After all, why did the US administration halt the ₹182 crore funding even after a meaningful discussion between the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the American businessman-turned-minister, Elon Musk? But what can be said about the way the BJP IT cell chief and the dubiously credible Amit Malviya immediately turned against Congress?”

Source: X

Journalist Deoki Nandan Mishra echoed what Mumbai Congress wrote and said, “What did Trump do after meeting Modi? Chained Indians and expelled them from the US on a military plane. Stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding. It’s hard to predict what Trump will do next.”

Source: X

Aaj Tak Radio also added a line “America stopped 182 crore funding to India” in a post on X without giving any context.

Source: X

Hindustan Times’ report’s title read, “Musk-led DOGE’s latest move: Stop $21 million grant for voter turnout in India”. The title or the report did not clarify that it was not going to the government but to NGOs.

Source: Hindustan Times

A similar report was published by The Hindu with title “$21 million for ‘voter turnout in India’ among grant cuts announced by Elon Musk-led DOGE”. Again, no clarification was provided in the report that the funds were not meant for the government but for the NGOs.

Source: The Hindu

Jansatta sensationalised it, and that is among the reasons why screenshots of its report were widely used to spread misinformation.

Source: Jansatta

Times of India released a video on the similar lines with caption that read, “Donald Trump’s $21 million jolt to India: Elon Musk cut US funding to India amid foreign aide purge”.

OpIndia has published a detailed report on the $21 million funding that has been stopped by the US. It should be noted that the money was coming from USAID via CEPPS, which claims to be a coalition of nonprofit, nonpartisan, and nongovernmental organisations dedicated to promoting democratic institutions and governance worldwide. CEPPS’s website is currently non-functional.

During our investigation, we found that CEPPS operates through three fronts: the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Documentation available on the internet showed that CEPPS was established in 1995 and, since then, has received over $2 billion in funding from USAID. One of the biggest red flags is that CEPPS does not merely assist election commissions; it explicitly states that it directly engages with political parties, civil society groups, and even election monitoring bodies. This means it has the potential to influence political dynamics in the countries where it operates. The Democratic Elections and Political Processes (DEPP) programme, under which CEPPS functions, is structured in a way that allows the US to provide funding and support to selected groups, potentially tilting election outcomes in their favour if required.

Now, coming to its influence in India, we found that in FY 2018 alone, CEPPS spent $318,614 in the country via IFES, one of its fronts. Interestingly, IFES signed an MoU with the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 2012 under then-Election Commissioner SY Quraishi. IFES is not only funded by USAID but also by several private entities with questionable motives.

Considering that IFES is heavily funded by USAID via CEPPS, its other sources of funding also need to be scrutinised. According to IFES’s “Our Partners & Donors” section, the Election Commission of India itself is listed as a funder, alongside major public entities like USAID, the US Department of State, and Australian Aid.

The real concern, however, is that one of the funders of IFES is Open Society Foundations (OSF), which is owned by George Soros. Notably, Soros has been involved in funding anti-India activities for a long time.

The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) partnership with IFES did not end with the 2012 MoU—it continued under IIIDEM (India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management) and International IDEA, a global intergovernmental organisation. IIIDEM, an ECI-established body, was founded in 2011—the same time when SY Quraishi signed the MoU with IFES. It is important to note that the ECI is an autonomous body. This means that while the Government of India is not directly working with IFES, it is engaging with IIIDEM.

It is evident that what media houses, journalists, and opposition leaders tried to project is misleading.

OpIndia’s investigation into USAID’s funding in India is underway. As we uncover more information, further reports will be published.

UP: Dilshad abducted minor Hindu girl to convert her to Islam and do nikah with her in Moradabad, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Dilshad abducted minor Hindu girl to convert her to Islam and do nikah with her in Moradabad, arrested

In the Sonakpur area of Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district, a Muslim youth identified as Dilshad allegedly abducted a minor Hindu girl studying in class 10. The accused Muslim youth was harassing the girl for quite some time and on 11th February, he abducted the girl. Reports say that a similar incident was reported in Sonakpur wherein a Muslim youth abducted a Hindu girl, converted her to Islam and did nikah with her.

On 12th February, the 17-year-old Hindu girl’s father lodged a complaint against Dilshad accusing him of luring the girl to flee with him and marry him. The complainant demanded strict action against the accused. In his complaint, Sauram Singh said, “On 11th February 2025 at around 8:30 am, my daughter left for her school, however, she did not reach there. After this we searched for her, however, she could not be found.”  

The complaint further stated that the Hindu girl’s family suspects that the accused lured the girl to elope with him on the pretext of marriage. Local Hindu organisations organised a protest and demanded action against the absconding Muslim accused.

After registering the case, SSP Satpal Antil formed four teams to arrest the accused Dilshad and recover the Hindu girl. During a raid on Sunday (16th February) afternoon, the police arrested Dilshad from the house of his relatives in Barkheda village of Sonakpur police station precinct. Meanwhile, the minor girl was sent to the hospital for medical examination.

Assam CM announces Rs 27 crores for renovation of rural roads in Kokrajhar: Bodoland Council welcomes decision

ANI
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Assam CM announces Rs 27 crores for renovation of rural roads in Kokrajhar: Bodoland Council welcomes decision

Ahead of the historic Budget and Assembly Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly in Kokrajhar, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced Rs 27 crores for the renovation of rural roads in Kokrajhar.

In a post on X, the government of BTR said, “Ahead of the historic first-ever Budget and Assembly Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly in Kokrajhar, CM Dr Himanta Biswa and CEM Pramod Boro BTR inspected road infrastructure in the Jarbari-Dighli area leading to Saralpara. During the visit, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma conducted a comprehensive review of the ongoing road development projects and announced a commitment of Rs 27 crores for the renovation of rural roads in Kokrajhar.”

“This significant support reflects the joint efforts of the Assam Government and BTR leadership in enhancing connectivity, accelerating infrastructure development, and improving rural livelihoods,” the X post of the Govt of BTR further said.

CM Sarma arrived to a warm welcome in Kokrajhar on Monday morning to attend a historic sitting of the state Assembly outside Guwahati.

Assam Legislative Assembly session is being held outside the capital city for one day for the first time in the state’s history.

The first day of the Budget session of the Assam Legislative Assembly is being held at the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) assembly in Kokrajhar on Monday, sending a message of peace.

Buses carrying Assam ministers and the state MLAs left for the BTC assembly in Kokrajhar where the first day of the Budget session would be held.

Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika said, “For the first time, under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, we are going to hold the assembly session in Kokrajhar. 15 years ago, there was a situation that the people of Kokrajhar wanted a separate state, but now they don’t want it and they are welcoming us… This is a great initiative. It will be continued.”

Deputy Speaker of Assam Assembly, Numal Momin said that it would send a very positive message of peace in the Bodoland Territorial Region.

Numal Momin said, “The message of all MLAs is that after the BJP government came, the peace prevails in BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region), which was a disturbed area earlier. We are having this budget session and the Governor’s speech in Kokrajhar today. It will carry a very good message to the people of Assam and PM Modi’s dream of ‘Sabka sath sabka vikas, sabka vishwas sabka prayaas’.”

BJP MLA Mrinal Saikia said that it is a great and historical day for Assam.

“The Assam Assembly is going to be held in Kokrajhar…We’ll discuss the economic, socio-economic and all-round development of the six scheduled areas. It is very significant…It will give a great message to the entire people of Assam,” he said.

AIUDF MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya said that this is a great initiative to go outside for a one-day Assembly session.

He said, “It is a good initiative. This is happening for the first time in India, where we are going out of the station and going to Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area. Everyone will praise this step as BTC was an underdeveloped area. Earlier there was insecurity in this area. Today it is in mainstream. It will send a good message that the government is thinking about the development of the Bodo people.”

Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal said, “It is a historical budget session that will start outside the capital. I think that will give a message to the people of the ‘sixth schedule’ area. Today’s one main discussion will be on the socio-economic and all-round development of the ‘sixth schedule’ area.”

AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam said that this was an indication of peaceful restoration going on there.

He said, “It is happening for the first time in the Assam Assembly, hosting the Assembly session outside the capital. It is one of the proofs shown by the government that earlier, the BTC area was a completely unraised area since 1985, but presently, peaceful restoration is going on there. Their demand is the separate state, but now it will suit them that they are part of the mainstream.”


(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Ramia Abdo Sultan of Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network defends the 2 Islamist nurses who threatened to kill any Israeli patient

OpIndia Staff
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Ramia Abdo Sultan of Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network defends the 2 Islamist nurses who threatened to kill any Israeli patient

A video of an Australian Palestinian lawyer Ramia Abdo Sultan aka ‘The Hijabi Lawyer’ defending the two Sydney nurses— Ahmad Rashad Nadir, a refugee from Afghanistan, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh—who threatened to kill any Israeli patients coming to their hospital, has triggered backlash on social media. ‘The Hijabi Lawyer’ also invoked Islamophobia to defend the indefensible and claimed that the two nurses were ‘entrapped’.

“It was very concerning, disturbing conversation, however, without doubt, it would’ve been provocative, it would’ve been one intended to entrap. These two contributors, let me tell you for someone who has been involved in the movement, we have heard and seen far worse come from the other side. We’ve had threats, we’ve had blatant killings, genocides, we’ve had hospitals completely held hostages massacred alive, genocide being live-streamed and complete silence by the media outlets and by the leadership here. And here you have a social media interaction, you know, miraculously surfaces on all media outlets and becomes a big issue. We’ve seen far worse,” advocate Ramia Abdo Sultan said completely disregarding the fact that Hamas terrorists invited this upon Gaza when they launched an unprovoked attack on Israel on 7th October 2023.

In the nearly two-minute-long video message, the executive member of the Australia Palestinian Advocacy Network (APAN) not only defended and downplayed the “kill Israelis” threats but also advised Muslims not to declare their murderous Jihadi intentions on social media. Ramia Abdo Sultan even advised her co-religionists not to trust anyone and avoid any social media interactions on the Israel-Palestine conflict or on the issue of Muslim hate for Jews as she claims these conversations are meant to entrap Muslims and use the same against them.

“Regardless of this, my message to young people in particular, you are being watched and nothing and nowhere is safe. There is no such thing as safe space. Do not trust anyone. On social media, don’t engage in conversations like these seeking to especially entrap you, will be ultimately used against you potentially used to completely impact on your future. So we don’t live in a situation where you can freely have a conversation whether you mean things or you don’t mean things. If you are Palestinian or pro-Palestinian if you are an Arab and specifically if you are a Muslim…you will be met with the high end of the stick…” Sultan said.

Apparently, Palestinians threatening to kill Jews or Israelis, wishing a ‘disgusting death’ for a Jewish man, boasting to have sent Israelis to Jahannum (hell), is a ‘free conversation’ for ‘The Hijabi Lawyer’. She wants her co-religionists with a Jihadi mindset not to trust any Australian,  the very people who gave Muslims refuge, allowed them to practice their faith, the media that advertently or inadvertently helped them further their nefarious ‘Islamophobia’ narrative just because they may potentially call out the Jihadi intentions of her co-religionists.

Islamists have a penchant for making victims out of the perpetrators when they are their co-religionists. Pointing out this Islamist art of victimhood, Canadian professor Gad Saad said, “Yes. When Muslim nurses state on camera that they wish to kill Jewish patients, the real victims are the nurses (as I prophetically satirized yesterday).”

Amidst the controversy, Australian lawyer Michael Kroger, in a recent conversation with SkyNews’s Sharri Markson, alleged that Jewish people are subjected to discrimination and harassment at Bankstown Hospital where the two Muslim nurses worked. “They spit on the food of the Jews, before it’s delivered, they don’t do mandatory post-ops, they leave their beds soiled for as long as they possibly can…” Kroger said.

Notably, an Australian NSW healthcare worker Sharon Stoliar recently revealed how Jewish patients and healthcare workers are subjected to hatred and discrimination in the Australian healthcare system. Speaking to SkyNews, Stoliar said that she had raised the alarm about the rising antisemitism within the healthcare system after the October 7 massacre in 2023, however, instead of taking action against those with a Jihadist mindset, she herself was investigated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

“I raised the alarm about this not long after October 7th happened. When nurses and midwives were chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ while wearing NSW Health uniforms, I wrote an open letter explaining that this chant is a call for the annihilation of Jews and that they should not be shouting this genocidal chant, let alone while wearing NSW Health uniforms,” Stoliar said.

What the Muslim nurses said to the Israeli influencer

Recently, a video showing the two health workers, said to be employed at Bankstown Hospital in Sydney, making the blatantly hateful and anti-semitic remarks went viral on social media. The two Muslim nurses were identified as Ahmad Rashad Nadir, a refugee from Afghanistan, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh. They were suspended after the video attracted widespread criticism. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident calling it ‘sickening and shameful’ and ordered an investigation.

the controversial video in which the two health workers are expressing their antisemitic, hateful views and expressing a desire to let Israelis die without healthcare was posted by an Israeli influencer named Max Veifer on Instagram. Veifer came across Nadir and Lebdeh on an app called Chatruletka, which randomly connects users over video chats.

In the video, Nadir and Lebdeh dressed in scrubs with NSW Health insignia can be seen telling Veifer that any Israeli patient coming to them will be killed. Nadir, after coming to know that Veifer was from Israel, first praised him for having beautiful eyes and then said that he would go to hell for being Israeli.

“I am going to be really honest with you…I am so upset you’re Israeli. Eventually, you’re going to be killed and go to Jahannam (Hell), “ said Nadir.

Then Lebdeh entered the frame and said, “It’s Palestine country, not your country, your piece of shit.” Aggressively cursing Veifer, Lebdeh said, “When your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand you will die the most disgusting death.”

When Veifer asked them what they would do if an Israeli patient came to them, Lebdeh replied, “I won’t treat them, I will kill them”. Nadir boasted that he had already sent many Israeli patients to Jahannam. “You have no idea how many (Israelis) came to this hospital, and I sent them to Jahannam. I literally sent them to Jahannam,” he said.

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