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17-year-old girl escapes human trafficking and walks 200 KMs to Hathras from Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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17-year-old girl escapes human trafficking and walks 200 KMs to Hathras from Delhi


The Uttar Pradesh police chanced upon a human trafficking network active in the nation’s capital when a 17-year-old girl was found in a troubled state in Hathras. The girl had reportedly escaped from the clutches of the human traffickers in Delhi and walked 200 KMs continuously for three days, taking short lifts in the way, to reach Hathras—about 794 KMs short of her native in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district.

The passerby and police officials deployed in Hathras suspected something wrong when they saw the girl in the village. When the police confronted the girl, she made startling revelations about the human trafficking network in Delhi.

Hathras SP Vineet Jaiswal said that the girl was rescued on Saturday night after police were informed about the girl. She told them that she is from Togal village of Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh. A week ago, a man in her village took at least 12 girls to Delhi on the assurance that he would get sewing-embroidery work in Delhi.

Girl was held hostage with at least 12 other girls in Delhi

According to the girl’s testimony, she had walked for about 3 days and travelled about 200 KMs to reach Hathras. She told that a man lured the girls to travel with him to Delhi on the pretext of providing employment. For several days, the girls were confined in a single room and not provided with food or water. Troubled with their predicament, all the 12 girls, she informed, escaped the place.

Vineet Jaiswal further added that the girl was unable to tell the exact location where she and other girls were held captive. The girl was distraught and hungry and was walking for the last three days, he said. Jaiswal also said that an investigation has been launched in the matter.

The SP said that the girl has been handed over to the Child Helpline. The girl said, “my family is very poor and needs money. Some villagers advised him to send me to Delhi along with some other girls in exchange for some money,” the girl said.

No wonder India Today had to buy TRP: Netizens call out India Today for their cheap ‘fact check’ on Anushka Sharma

OpIndia Staff
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No wonder India Today had to buy TRP: Netizens call out India Today for their cheap ‘fact check’ on Anushka Sharma

India Today’s desperation to see itself on the top of the Television Rating Point (TRP) list has compelled it to resort to cheap stunts. Left red-faced after its treachery of leading the TRP race was caught, India Today has resorted to other tawdry tactics to preserve itself from oblivion. The media giant has now claimed that if one searches for Afghan cricketer ‘Rashid Khan’s wife’ on Google, actress Anushka Sharma’s name will appear first in the results page.

In its article dated October 12, India Today has claimed that if one types ‘Rashid Khan’s wife’ in the google search bar then actress Anushka Sharma’s name and pictures will pop up.

India Today’s article

Other networks also picked up India Today’s story and reported about the same.

Amar Ujala report
Free Press journal report

However, the fact is that Anushka Sharma’s name comes up because in an old interview of his, Rashid Khan had said how Anushka is his favourite actress. Somehow, Google algorithm has picked it up as same interview of his included a question on his wife.

Search result for Rashid Khan’s wife

Khan, however, is unmarried. Soon after India Today’s article was published, Google algorithm again picked up the article and it now appears in the first search result.

The result when one types ‘Rashid Khan’s wife’ in Google search bar

Netizens mock India Today

Netizens soon took to Twitter to mock India Today for its flimsy ‘journalism’.

Some even pointed out how the headline was misleading.

And there were a few burns too.

So basically, after its lie about the viewership ratings fell flat, India Today is trying to keep itself afloat, by just writing click-baits on Google and its SEO algorithms.

British school book compares Dharma to terrorism, withdrawn after outrage amongst the Indian diaspora

OpIndia Staff
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British school book compares Dharma to terrorism, withdrawn after outrage amongst the Indian diaspora

In a blatant display of Hindu hatred, a British GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) workbook on religious studies had linked Hinduism to terrorism.

As per a reports, the contentious workbook was a part of the academic curriculum of a secondary school named Langley School in Solihull in West Midlands. Reportedly, the text was published by Hodder Education and has been a part of the AQA GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies Specification A” since May 27, 2016. It bore the logo of Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) and was named, ‘GCSE Religious Studies: Religion, Peace and Conflict.’ AQA is the awarding body that lays down specifications and holds exams for GCSE and A levels in the United Kingdom.

The fourth page of the workbook stated, “Holy books reach that it is necessary to be able to morally justify a war in order to preserve the Dharma.” While misinterpreting the Hindu epic Mahabharata, it claimed, “Arjuna, as a Kshatriya, is reminded of his duty to uphold a righteous cause and that in fact there is nothing better than a righteous war. If the case is just, Hindus will take up arms.”

Screenshot of the contentious text (Image Courtesy: Twitter/Arif Ajakia)

The workbook then went on claim that India has nuclear weapons as ‘self-defence’ is justifiable in Hinduism. Further, linking Hinduism to terrorism, it alleged, “Some Hindus have turned to terrorism to protect Hindu beliefs. The Arthashastra scriptures state that governments must act with a suitable moral approach, which implies a just one.”

Hindu body criticises deliberate misinterpretation of religion

While criticising the deliberate misinterpretation of Hinduism, Trupti Patel said, “This is a political move to discredit Hindus and India. I am sure whoever wrote this did it deliberately. ” Patel is the President of the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB). She and Vice-President of the organisation, Ramesh Pattni, wrote to AQA highlighting that the text promulgated vexatious and false beliefs about Hinduism. They slammed the awarding body for misinterpreting the meaning of Dharma, Arjuna’s actions in Mahabharata and falsely linking it to terrorism. “We suspect that there may be a political agenda behind how Hindu beliefs and practices have been portrayed.”

Contentious texts removed from the school curriculum

Langley School took to Twitter to apologise to the Hindu community for the misinterpretation of the Holy texts and linking it to terrorism. In a statement, the school stated, “Thank you for alerting us to this issue. Unfortunately, this document was purchased externally several years ago and not produced by our staff at our school. We can assure you that it is not used in school.”

It further emphasised that the contentious workbook was removed from the website, following social media outrage and email from AQA. “The resource was immediately removed from our website, upon on receipt of your email and social media tweets yesterday, although it may appear in search engine links for a few days until indexes are updated. We apologise for any offence caused.”

AQA directs the publisher to withdraw the sale of textbook

While taking cognisance of the matter on October 5, AQA stated, “Just to confirm that, despite the use of our logo, this workbook wasn’t produced by us – but we’re looking into the material.” On the following day, it informed that the awarding body had directed the publisher to withdraw the sale of contentious textbook until the issue is resolved.

“We can confirm that we didn’t produce this workbook and our logo was used on it without our permission. Some of the material seems to have come from a textbook – we’ve spoken to the publisher, which has withdrawn the book from sale while it addresses the issue” the tweet read.

Electricity grid failure plunges Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai in darkness, trains delayed

OpIndia Staff
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Electricity grid failure plunges Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai in darkness, trains delayed

Inhabitants across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai have reported power outage on Monday morning.

According to sources from BEST power supply, Mumbai and suburban areas are witnessing power outage because of a grid failure.

“The electricity supply is interrupted due to TATAs incoming electric supply failure. Inconvenience is deeply regretted,” BEST Electric Supply informed on Twitter.

It further added that there is multiple tripping of lines and transformer(Kalwa-padghe and Kharghar ICTs) providing power to Mumbai system. The restoration of power is underway, BEST said.

Residents take to Twitter to inform about the power outage in Mumbai

Residents from different parts of Mumbai took to Twitter to confirm total power blackout that has swept the megacity in the wake of the electricity grid failure.

Some of the users were dumbfounded with the citywide failure of electricity, while others raised concerns about the interruption of power supply in hospitals at a time when the city is grappling with an unprecedented pandemic.

Still others took to Twitter to say that not just Mumbai but greater Mumbai Metropolitan Region(MMR) are also in the grips of the power failure.

Even Mumbai Airport is also reportedly facing power outage, with travellers posting on Twitter that there is no power at the airport.

Several local trains are reportedly delayed. The BMC has been announcing at CST station that due to power failure, local trains will be delayed by 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Energy Minister says power will be restored in an hour or so

The Energy Minister of Maharashtra, Nitin Raut took cognisance of the matter and assured that power will be restored in an hour or so.

TATA Power, the power supplier for Mumbai, has informed that At 10.10 am, there was simultaneous substation tripping in MSETCL’s Kalwa, Kharghar causing a huge dip in frequency in Mumbai transmission system which led to tripping of power supply. They informed that they are working to restore power supply by bringing supply from the 3 Hydro units & Trombay units.

As per sources quoted by Indian Express, the BEST procures electricity from Tata Power whose major transformer in Kawla and Pardha had suffered multiple tripping and failures. This is the major transformer that is the main supply line that provides 350 MW electricity to Mumbai. Tata also provides electricity to Adani power which then distributes outside city limits, while BEST provides power inside the city.

‘Met old friend George Soros’: As Shashi Tharoor fear mongers about Hathras, old tweet hailing man who now wants to destroy nationalists goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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‘Met old friend George Soros’: As Shashi Tharoor fear mongers about Hathras, old tweet hailing man who now wants to destroy nationalists goes viral

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday expressed concerns over the Hathras incident where justice for the victim took a back seat as politicians rushed to score brownie points.

Mouthing platitudes, Tharoor claimed that the UP government is trying to suppress facts instead of solving the face. Which is strange considering the UP government filed an affidavit in Supreme Court last week requesting for court monitored CBI inquiry. The CBI on Saturday took over the investigation and has filed an FIR and investigation is currently underway.

A 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly strangled by four men in Hathras on 14th September, 2020. She succumbed to her injuries on 29th September 2020. She had alleged gang-rape by four men before they tried to strangulate her. Her death led to a nation-wide outrage and soon politicians flocked to score some political brownie points under the garb of getting her justice. The case is currently taken over by the CBI for investigation.

Interestingly, Tharoor’s tweet came just hours after his decade-old tweet of him meeting George Soros went viral.

On 26 May 2009, Tharoor had tweeted how he met his ‘old friend’ George Soros who was ‘upbeat about India’. Tharoor swore in as Minister of State for External Affairs on 28th May 2009 after Congress-led UPA won 2009 elections.

George Soros and Congress nexus

At OpIndia we have reported extensively on the links between the Congress party and American billionaire George Soros. The links revealed that George Soros, through his complex network of NGOs, had a disproportionate influence over the Congress party. Shiv Shankar Menon, the National Security Adviser of India during the UPA regime, sits on the Board of one NGO along with George Soros. Furthermore, Harsh Mander, who was on the National Advisory Council formed by Sonia Gandhi, is also the Chairman of George Soros’s Open Society Foundation’s Human Rights Initiative Advisory Board.

George Soros is an America-based philanthropist who declared war on nationalism and nationalists.

China occupying Nepal land in Humla district, has heavy military presence: Says Nepalese Lawmaker

OpIndia Staff
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China occupying Nepal land in Humla district, has heavy military presence: Says Nepalese Lawmaker

Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Nepali Congress lawmaker of Karnali Province, had reportedly led a team to investigate the encroachment of Nepal’s land by China on the Nepal-China border in Humla. In his report, he has accused China of encroaching the territory of Nepal in the said district.

In his statement, he said that eight pillars on Humla’s northern border were damaged, namely Pillars No 9, 10, 11, 12, 5 (1), 6 (1), 7 (1) and 8 (1), and 12. He confirmed that the Chinese side had replaced Pillar 12 so that a large chunk of Nepal’s land is now under the control of China.

He said, “Our watches showed Chinese time deep into Nepali territory — up to one-and-half kilometres from Pillar No 12.” Shahi said Pillar 6 was once a Nepali pillar, but now it was on the Chinese side. As these pillars are in a remote area, the Nepali administration does not visit the location very often.

Shahi asserted that a team of experts should be sent to Nepal-China border to confirm and estimate what China had done.

Chinese security personnel pelted stones on Nepal’s armed forces and fired tear gas

According to Shahi, when the Armed Police Force of Nepal went to inspect Pillars 6(1) and 5(1) a few days ago, the Chinese security personnel pelted stones on them. He further added, “Chinese security forces have a heavy presence on the northern border, but our security forces are nowhere to be seen in those remote areas.”

He alleged that they fired tear gas canisters at his team members when they were inspecting pillars at the border. He was not affected by the tear gas as he was at some distance. “However, the Vice-chair of Namkha Rural Municipality who was in our team said he felt a burning sensation in his eyes and suspected that it might have been caused by tear gas canisters, “ Shahi added.

China and Nepal’s government denies encroachment

Luan Xiutan, a media liaison officer at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, said that the two countries do not have any land dispute and have friendly relationships. He added, “China has always respected Nepal’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he further added.

Shahi said while Nepal’s government claims China has not encroached land, “We had constructed our road some kilometres beyond where China has built these structures. I am not sure why the government says China has not intruded our territory.” He alleged that China had manipulated GPS so that the 2-3 KM land that they have intruded shows as China’s territory on the map.

Encroachment was reported in September

Chinese encroachment of Nepalese territory was reported in September 2020. In September, it was reported that China had constructed structures in Nepal’s territories. Humla’s Assistant Chief District Officer Dalbanhadu Hamal informed the central administration about the encroachment. Local Nepali people have also complained about the harassment they have to face in the hands of the Chinese military.

‘Few people on higher level dictating terms’: Congress spokesperson Khushbu Sundar resigns from party

OpIndia Staff
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‘Few people on higher level dictating terms’: Congress spokesperson Khushbu Sundar resigns from party

Congress spokesperson Khushbu Sundar on Monday resigned from Congress citing highhandedness of higher ups in the party.

In her letter addressed to party president Sonia Gandhi, she claimed that she did not join the party for monetary gains as she joined it in 2014 after Congress had lost the general elections. However, she said that few elements within the party, especially the higher-ups, with no ground-level connectivity were dictating terms to people like her. After a long deliberation, she has decided to quit the party.

Earlier, Khushbhu Sundar had supported the BJP government led National Education Policy against the party stand. There are speculations that she may join the BJP but there is no official statement on the same yet.

Fact Check: Randeep Surjewala lies about the death of a temple priest in Uttar Pradesh, gets exposed by police

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Randeep Surjewala lies about the death of a temple priest in Uttar Pradesh, gets exposed by police

A day after a temple priest named Samrat Das was shot by miscreants in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress party resorted to the politicisation of the case by peddling fake news. The unfortunate incident took place on Saturday in Tirre Manorama village in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh where the priest of Ram Janki Temple was shot over land ownership dispute with the local land mafia.

On Sunday, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter to claim that the injured priest was dead. While casting aspersions on the ‘integrity’ of the Hindi media, he lamented how the journalists were not holding the Uttar Pradesh government accountable for the ‘death’ of Samrat Das. He further claimed that it was not ‘permissible’ for the media to question the BJP’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his government.

Surjewala tweeted, “Now, a temple priest named Samrat Das was killed in public view in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. I wish Hindi media channels and reporters would have questioned the UP government in a similar manner as they did in Rajasthan. Ah! I forgot. It is not allowed to seek answers from Yogi Adityanath and the BJP.”

Surjewala’s Tweet on October 11

His tweet comes at the backdrop of a social media backlash over the ‘inaction’ of Rajasthan government against the killers of a temple priest named Babulal Vaishnav in the Bokna village, Sapotra division of Karauli district of Rajasthan. The said priest was burnt to death by 6 people, who were allegedly eyeing to encroach upon the temple land.

UP govt, police busts fake claims of Randeep Surjewala

Hours after Congress leader Randeep Surjewala falsely claimed the ‘death’ of the injured temple priest in Uttar Pradesh, in a bid to draw parallels with the Rajasthan case, the Uttar Pradesh police exposed his lies. While responding to his tweet, Gonda police informed, “We would like to inform you that two people have already been arrested. The accused are being interrogated in connection to the case.”

Gonda police further emphasised, “The temple priest is currently undergoing treatment at the KGMU (King George’s Medical College). His condition is stable now. Police teams have been constituted the nab the other accused in the case. “

Taking to Twitter, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, the media advisor to the UP Chief Minister, posted a video clip of the temple priest Samrat Das and lambasted Randeep Surjewala for spreading misinformation. He stated, “Congress is the factory of fake news. The priest, who is being claimed to be dead, is in fact in a stable condition. He has minor injuries and is satisfied with police action in the case. The miscreants who attacked Das over land dispute have been arrested. But, you will peddle fake news nevertheless to hide your misdeeds.”

In the video clip posted by Tripathi, Samrat Das was asked about his health condition. “I am little unwell and has little pain. But, I am told that two people have been arrested. I have full faith in Yogi government.”

The background of the Gonda case

On the night of October 10, Samrat Das, the priest of Ram Janaki temple, was attacked over a land dispute with the local land mafia. The dispute between the two parties is over 25 acres of land (100 bighas) that belong to the temple. The miscreants attacked him on Saturday night and escaped. Police have registered FIR against four miscreants and started an investigation. Reportedly, the temple priest was attacked last year as well.

The priest was rushed to a local hospital after the incident. He was then referred to Lucknow Trauma Center as he was in critical condition. However, he is out of danger now. Superintendent of Police Shailesh Kumar Pandey said in a statement that the police had arrested two people, and the other two are still absconding.

Interestingly, even after his lies got exposed, Surjewala was yet to delete his misleading tweet at the time of this report’s publication.

Donald Trump claims he is ‘immune’ to coronavirus now, Twitter says ‘fake news’

OpIndia Staff
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Donald Trump claims he is ‘immune’ to coronavirus now, Twitter says ‘fake news’

United States President Donald Trump has tweeted on 11th October claiming that as he has got complete sign off from the White House Doctor, not only is he free from the coronavirus infection, he is also ‘immune’ to it now. As per his tweet, he cannot get it or give it to anyone.

The tweet was marked as ‘misleading and harmful information’ by Twitter, and they wrote, “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” As per Twitter regulations (and other social media platforms), anyone found spreading misinformation about Covid-19 may get suspended.

This is not the first time the social media giant has subjected the US President’s tweets to scrutiny. Twitter has been actively involved in ‘fact-checking’ Trump’s tweets, even to the point of supporting the Democrats’ campaign that mail-in ballots are safe and reliable.

The ‘Trump Ad’

The Trump Campaign had released a new advertisement on 10th October in which Dr Fauci, the infectious diseases specialist leading the response to the coronavirus pandemic in the USA was seen saying, “I cannot imagine that anybody could be doing more.” The ad shows him praising Donald Trump for his efforts to control the spread of the virus. The ad starts with narration, “President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus, and so is America. Together we rose to meet the challenge, protecting our seniors, getting them life-saving drugs in record time, sparing no expense,” followed by Dr Fauci’s quote.

Trump campaigners used my words out of context, alleged Dr Anthony Fauci

Top infectious disease specialist of the US, Dr. Anthony Fauci, claimed that his words were taken out of context by the Trump Campaign. He said he did not give permission to use his interview in a political ad. He added, “In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials,” while talking to CNN.

Reply from the Trump Campaign

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said as a response to the allegations that these are Dr Fauci’s own words. The quote was taken from the video of a nationally broadcast television interview. “The words spoken are accurate, and directly from Dr Fauci’s mouth,” he added. Donald Trump quoted him and said, “We have done a “phenomenal” job, according to certain governors. Many people agree…And now come the Vaccines & Cures, long ahead of projections!.”

Interestingly, on Friday, Dr. Fauci had said that the White House had hosted a “super spreader” event. He said, “We had a super-spreader event in the White House and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks. So the data speak for themselves.”

Amid reports of Turkey radicalising Indian Muslim youth with help of Pakistan, video of Robert Vadra holidaying there goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Amid reports of Turkey radicalising Indian Muslim youth with help of Pakistan, video of Robert Vadra holidaying there goes viral

A video of Congress President’s son-in-law Robert Vadra holidaying in Istanbul, Turkey, has gone viral on social media. In the undated video, Vadra, who is dressed in white v-neck t-shirt and black pants can be seen skating on along the river. He is not wearing any mask.

If one sees closely, the Hagia Sophia, the former church-converted to mosque-turned museum-converted to mosque, can also be seen in the background.

The most famous son-in-law in India, who has recently admitted of having political ambitions appears to be in Turkey currently. Recently, there were reports of Turkey radicalising Indian Muslim youth with help of Pakistan.

The expansionist Turkish government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is seeking to establish its dominance in the Islamic world through its conservatism and ‘Ottoman traditions’. It plans to achieve this by exerting its influence on South Asian Muslims. According to officials familiar with the security assessment, an extensive review was carried out to unearth the escalated anti-India activities that are perpetrated by Turkey in coordination with the deep state in Pakistan.

Congress opened office in Turkey

In November 2019, the Turkish media had reported that Congress’ Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) has issued a press statement about opening an office in Istanbul. One Muhammad Yusuf Khan was reported to be heading this office in Turkey. The reports of Congress opening an office there had come just days after Erdogan mirrored Pakistan’s stand over Kashmir in open defiance to India’s interests in the UN.

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