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MES employee posted in Jaipur arrested by military intelligence for sending information to Pakistan after getting honey-trapped on Facebook

OpIndia Staff
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MES employee posted in Jaipur arrested by military intelligence for sending information to Pakistan after getting honey-trapped on Facebook

In a joint operation conducted by the Military Intelligence (MI) Lucknow and the Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana, an employee of the Military Engineering Services was arrested in Rewari, Haryana on espionage charges. The employee Mahesh Kumar was reportedly honey-trapped on Facebook and was sharing classified information to the Pakistan Military Intelligence.

According to reports, a joint interrogation of the accused is underway and his mobile phone is also being examined. The accused was in contact with the operatives of the Pakistani Military Intelligence for two and a half years. He had also received money on many occasions.

In June this year, Lucknow Military Intelligence had received an input that user of a mobile number used by Mahesh Kumar was sharing sensitive military information to a young woman associated with Pakistani MI. It was learnt that he addressed the Pakistani operative as “Madamji”, and he was sharing informed in exchange of money.

Based on this input, the MI had launched an operation code-named “Ops Madamji”, where it was found that Mahesh Kumar, who is a cleaning staff at MES Jaipur, is friends with at least three known and established Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO)-run Facebook accounts. When the MI further probed the matter, they found that Mahesh had received at least two payments of Rs 5000 each from his Pakistani handlers via Kerala.

As Mahesh Kumar was staying in Rewari in Haryana, the MI informed about the same to STF Haryana, and a joint team of both the agencies was formed to nab him. They had planned to nab him for interrogation on 13th and 14th September, but he was not in Rewari during those days. When Mahesh Kumar reached Rewari on Wednesday, he was apprehended by STF Haryana. His mobile phone was also taken, and he was jointly questioned by MI Lucknow, STF Haryana and MI Jaipur.

During questioning, MES employee Mahesh Kumar admitted that he was in contact with known PIO-run Facebook account with the name ‘Harleen Gill’ in July 2018. He said that he had sent the friend request to the PIO run account. They became friends on Facebook and used to communicate through text and audio or video chat on Facebook messenger. The account was run by a young woman who claimed that she was working with Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA) office in Jalandhar. The Facebook account of ‘Harleen Gill’ was later deactivated.

Next year in 2019 Mahesh Kumar received a fried request from another Facebook account with the name ‘Harman Kour’. They started communicating through Facebook messenger and later through WhatsApp. He was in contact with at least two PIO operatives on WhatsApp, and they used to exchange text and audio messages, apart from talking via video chats.

During the questioning, Mahesh Kumar has accepted that he shared details about Jaipur based Army Brigade, details of senior army officers, location of PCDA Jaipur, details of MES complaint records, Covid19 state of the Jaipur cantonment and posting order of civilian MES employees with his Pakistani handlers. He said that he used to gather such information by conversations with service personnel coming to Jaipur MES office for various purposes.

The Pakistanis used to ask him to send contact details of army officers posted in Jaipur and Bikaner, movement of army units, the state of Covid-19 in Jaipur cantonment etc. Mahesh Kumar revealed that he had given him bank account details to his Pakistani handlers, and he had received Rs 5000 on two occasions. However, it is suspected that he received more money and the same is being probed.

Although Mahesh Kumar’s main job is to clean offices, photos of several letters and notices, some with sensitive details, were found on his phone. Names of contact details of MES were also found in the phone.

Before his arrest, he had deleted all the chats with the Pakistani intelligence operatives. Although he had confessed to having sending information to Pakistan, it is suspected that he leaked more information that he had accepted.

In the month of February this year, eleven Navy personnel and two civilians were arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information to Pakistani operatives through their social media profiles after being honey-trapped.

On his 70th birthday, PM Modi fondly recalls his teacher and mentor, read how he was as a student

OpIndia Staff
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On his 70th birthday, PM Modi fondly recalls his teacher and mentor, read how he was as a student

On the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s birthday, journalist Sheela Bhat, who is also the treasurer of Editors’ Guild of India, took to Twitter to share an anecdote of one of her meetings with PM Modi.

Bhatt, in her tweet, said that she had met Prime Minister Modi when he was studying second year MA at home of his teachers Praveen Seth and Surabhi Ben.

Tagging the image of Surabhi Ben, Bhatt said that Modi during his days at Ahmedabad, had lived an extraordinary life. She went on to say that Prime Minister Modi only got his first home at the age of 51 years when he became of the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 suggesting that Modi had truly lived like a nomad without owning any materialistic possessions till he became the chief minister and got government accommodation.

Prime Minister Modi, remembering his earlier days, said he was delighted for bringing back memories from his student days and especially memories of his teacher, late Praveen Sheth. He was an outstanding mentor, said PM Modi while asking the whereabouts of Surabhi Ben.

Responding to Prime Minister Modi, Bhatt said that Surabhi Ben is currently 87-years old and living in Fremont, USA, with her family.

Bhatt said that Surabhi Ben also recollected how Prime Minister Modi had liked ‘black coffee’ at the age of 14 and was a ‘voracious reader’ who borrowed many books to read in the 1980s. She added that Surabhi ben is not at all surprised to see where he has reached today.

Prime Minister Modi’s journey

Before becoming the Prime Minister of India, PM Modi served as Chief Minister of Gujarat. When Keshubhai Patel-led BJP government in Gujarat was facing severe backlash over allegations of corruption, abuse of power and poor administration after the devastating 2001 earthquake, Patel resigned. Modi was brought in to lead the state. Within few months of swearing in as chief minister, Gujarat had byelections where he Rajkot (West) seat as MLA in February 2002, his first ever electoral victory.

The rest, as they say is history.

‘Attempts made to discredit police probe in Delhi riots’: More than 400 eminent citizens issue statement after Prashant Bhushan alleges criminal conspiracy in the probe

OpIndia Staff
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‘Attempts made to discredit police probe in Delhi riots’: More than 400 eminent citizens issue statement after Prashant Bhushan alleges criminal conspiracy in the probe

A day after activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan alleged ‘criminal conspiracy’ in the ongoing Delhi police investigation, more than 400 eminent citizens have issued a statement saying that attempts have been made to discredit the Delhi Police to derail the probe. The statement signed by teachers from JNU and Delhi University, authors, lawyers, demands that the investigation in the conspiracy to execute riots must be investigated thoroughly irrespective of the social economic religious or political standing of the person.

The statement states that the signatories are anguished to note that a number of persons are casting doubts on the police probe in the Delhi riots case. “We are writing to register our dissent, resist and oppose any kind of pressure and needless interference in the working of law enforcement agencies”, the statement adds.

The full text of the statement is given below.

We are a group of concerned nationalist citizens of India who have been keenly watching the developments in the cases related to Delhi Riots 2020 which occurred in February this year. We are anguished to note that a number of persons, including those who have served the in law enforcement in senior capacities in the past are now working to cast a doubt on the Police probe in the cases related to Delhi Riots 2020. We are writing to register our dissent, resist and oppose any kind of pressure and needless interference in the working of law enforcement agencies.

We submit that the dangerous attempts to discredit the Police probe in the Delhi Riots 2020 can be understood in the following ways:

1. Such attempts are being made by ideological pressure groups which a small section of persons who have served the Police and law enforcement in the past have aligned with possibly due to political and ideological reasons.

2. Such discrediting of the Police probe is being carried out in a section of the media which has clear ideological affiliations.

3. Statutory bodies like the Delhi Minorities Commission and clearly biased international bodies like the Amnesty International are now picking up on this narrative and further trying to build an opinion against the probe by the Delhi Police. They have also implicated the Delhi Police in the riots itself!!

In this regard the Delhi Police has already given detailed explanations in the past regarding the falsity of the narrative being floated against the probe. We as responsible citizens want to highlight the following:

1. The attempts to discredit the Delhi Police by implicating them in the Delhi Riots 2020 as well as discrediting their probe is clearly inspired by an attempt to build a narrative that the Delhi Riots were a Muslim pogrom which by definition is State led violence against minorities.

2. There is ample evidence that rather than being responsible for organizing the Delhi Riots 2020, the Delhi Police was in fact at the receiving end of violence by rioting mobs of agitated minority women and men that were prepared in advance with large caches of dangerous ammunition. Information regarding the death of policemen and law enforcement officers by gunshot and violent stabbing and large number of injured men in uniform is there in the public domain. Who can forget the image of Shahrukh Pathan pulling the gun on a lathi carrying police jawan. This certainly is not evidence of a pogrom organized by the State.

3. There is also ample evidence that both communities have suffered loss of life and property in the violence stemming from anti-CAA protest sites. The anti CAA protests witnessed stone-pelting, launching of petrol bombs, torching of school buses, attacking the police, doing violence and causing disturbance in residential areas as also injuring and killing the people. Radicalisation of women and children continued in these protest sites wherein inflammatory speeches were given and communal slogans were raised. Finally the blocking of metro station and roads in North-East Delhi led to a bloody attack on residents and riots in North East Delhi. Who can forget that one of the earliest images of the Delhi Riots was that of a 19 year old Hindu boy who was attacked in his own shop in the area ,with a drilling machine and had it embedded in the back of his head. Some of the early victims of the Delhi Riots were Vinod Kumar Kashyap and Dinesh Khatik who were Dalits.

4. It is very disturbing that ex- Police officials are now seeking to join the ideological chorus of those who have a clearly stated an anti-State and anti-national agenda and executed it during the Delhi Riots 2020. This amounts to pressure on the law enforcement by questioning the independence and commitment of a force that they have headed at one time.

We as citizens of this country including professors, writers’ authors, lawyers, and academicians urge that the Constitution of India mandates that rule of law must prevail. The investigation in the conspiracy to execute riots must be investigated thoroughly irrespective of the social economic religious or political standing of the person. No one should escape the long arm of law just because some so called esteemed citizens are involved or some ex- officers of the force are casting aspersions on their own cadre. The Article 14 of the Constitution of India guarantees that every person is equal in the eyes of law. Article 19 ensures that life and liberty can be taken away only by the due process of law. Thus let the law prevail and let the people of Delhi get justice.

It may be noted that in a press conference on Wednesday, Prashant Bhushan had alleged that the Delhi riots case by the police was a criminal conspiracy to protect the perpetrators and frame innocents.  He had alleged that Delhi police probe was framing innocent people who were protesting peacefully against an ‘unconstitutional’ law.

From Ranbir Kapoor to Sanjay Dutt to Gauri Khan: The celebrities who flew ‘high’ and have battled drug addiction

OpIndia Staff
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From Ranbir Kapoor to Sanjay Dutt to Gauri Khan: The celebrities who flew ‘high’ and have battled drug addiction

If someone tells Bollywood has no drug problem and stories you hear are either one-in-a-million or exaggerated, one should hear the hush-hush logical voice in your head laughing. There is no denying that the film industry has a drug problem. From Ranbir Kapoor to Sanjay Dutt, many actors, male and female, have confessed they had a drug problem at some point in their lives. From Gauri Khan to Mamta Kulkarni and from Honey Singh to Ranbir Kapoor, here is a list of top celebrities from B-town who either got involved or were accused of substance abuse.

Fardeen Khan

Fardeen Khan, Image: Stars Unfolded

Son of veteran actor Feroz Khan, Fardeen, had a short-lived Bollywood career. He was arrested with cocaine by Mumbai Police on 5th May 2001. He had to undergo a detoxification course to get rid of the habit in the same year. In an interview with Times of India in 2012, Fardeen said, “Any mind-altering substance, whether it’s narcotics or alcohol or prescription pills, creates a lethal dependency. Before you know it, you’re sucked into a downward spiral.” It took the narcotics department ten years to charge him in the case, after which he was granted bail with immunity to drug possession charges.

Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt, Image: Bollywood Bubble

Son of veteran actor Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Dutt was arrested over drug possession charges in 1982, and he had to spend five months in jail. Dutt had his names involved in several high-profile cases, including the 1993 serial blast in Mumbai. In an interview with India Today, Dutt talked about his addiction problems in detail. He called his drug phase the worst nine years of his life. Dutt spent time in a rehabilitation center in the US to get rid of the drug problem. Dutt had said once, “from cocaine to heroine, if there is a drug, I have done it.”

His was perhaps one of the most publicised drug problem since it was even put upon celluloid when Ranbir Kapoor played Dutt in his biopic. He had once revealed how under the influence of heroin, he went to sleep for two days straight. When he woke up after two days, very hungry, he was informed that he had just passed out. That’s when he decided to go to his father Congress leader Sunil Dutt seeking help for drug addiction.

Mamta Kulkarni

Mamta Kulkarni, Image: Stars Unfolded

For many 90s kids, Mamta Kulkarni was one of the early-life crushes from the B-town. The actress, however, had her fair share with cases associated with drugs. She was booked in Kenya in a drug trafficking case in 2014. She was arrested by Kenya Police along with her husband, Vicky Goswami, and another Indian national, Kulam Hussein. Kulkarni left Bollywood in the 2000s, and she reportedly married Goswami, an infamous international drug lord.  Goswami spent ten years in Dubai jail over drug possession charges, after which he shifted to Kenya to start a business in real estate.

Honey Singh

Image: Huffpost India

Known for his raps and Punjabi music, the rapper-cum-star singer has a long history of alcohol abuse. In 2016, in an interview, Honey Singh revealed his addiction problem that led to his absence from the industry for 18-months. When he disappeared without any information, there were rumors that he was lodged in a rehab center for his drug problem. In his interview with Times of India, he denied those allegations but said that he was getting treatment for alcohol abuse. He admitted that he has bipolar disorder and is an alcoholic with a mental illness took a toll on his mental and physical health. He said, “I must confess that I was bipolar and an alcoholic, which aggravated the condition.”

Geetanjali Nagpal

Model Geetanjali Nagpal, Image: Indiatimes

Those who follow the fashion industry must have heard the name of Geetanjali Nagpal. Known as one of the successful models who shared the ramp with Sushmita Sen and other famous models, things went downside for Nagpal when she fell in the hands of drug addiction. In September 2007, she was noticed by a photojournalist begging on the streets in Delhi. Though no one knew what forced the daughter of an ex-Navy officer to live on the streets, it was learned that she was in a relationship with a British national before getting discovered on the streets.

Gauri Khan

Shahrukh Khan’s wife Gauri Khan, Image: BW Businessworld

Gauri Khan, wife of one of the most successful Indian film industry actors Shah Rukh Khan, was not the name anyone would have thought to be associated with drug abuse. However, it is alleged that she was held on Berlin Airport after a small amount of marijuana was found in her possession. She was let go off as the quantity was sufficient only for self-use, but her name was never released in public by Airport authorities in Berlin or India. The only news that came out was an actor’s wife was held in Berlin.

Sussanne Khan

Image: Times of India

A famous interior designer and ex-wife of Hrithik Roshan, Sussanne Khan, separated from the actor on mutual terms. However, there are alleged reports that one of the primary reasons behind their divorce is her addiction problem. In an interview, when her father, veteran actor Sanjay Khan, was asked about her daughter’s divorce, he did not say much. However, he talked about the institution of marriage. He said, “Do not be distracted… see the value of a home life, see the value of a good family, don’t think frivolously and while under the influence of alcohol or drugs”. It was alleged that he was hinting out the drug problem of her daughter that played a role in the divorce. Sussanne Khan is Fardeen Khan’s cousin.

Ranbir Kapoor

Image: India.com

Son of veteran actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, has his fair share of generations-old association with the film industry. However, Kapoor had also been linked with substance abuse. In one of his interviews with Deccan Chronicle, he admitted using drugs during college times. He said, “I have tried drugs when I was in film school and got into bad influence. But I realised that nothing will happen in life if I continue with drugs. When we did that section, I did a lot of research.” Though he had not tried hard drugs after college, but he is addicted to nicotine, which he says is worse than drugs. Ranbir played the role of Sanjay Dutt in his biopic Sanju which was criticized for glorifying drug use. In another movie Rockstar, he played the role of a singer who was a habitual drug user.

Vijay Raaz

Image: Super Star Bio

Known for his comic roles, Vijay Raaz was arrested by Abu Dhabi police in 2005 for possession of drugs with DJ Aqeel. Raaz spent a week in jail before he was released. Vijay claimed that he was innocent, and he did not understand what airport officials were telling him in Arabic. He alleged that he was not carrying any narcotics.

Kangana Ranaut

Image: Naidunia

Kangana Ranaut is not a new name to be associated with controversies. A few days back, she claimed that 90 percent of Bollywood is a drug addict. However, there were allegations on her in the past that she was addicted to drugs. In March, she uploaded an IGTV video in which she admitted to being a drug addict at one point in life. Her ex-boyfriend Adhyayan Suman also alleged in an interview that she was a drug addict and his interview resurfaced after Ranaut’s recent allegations on Bollywood’s drug addiction.

Parveen Babi

Image: Patrika

Once known for her unmatchable beauty and acting skills, the career and life took a sad turn after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Parveen Babi’s alleged drug and alcohol addiction fuelled the mental health problem, and she started to doubt his colleagues. At one point, she allegedly claimed she had proof of Sanjay Dutt’s involvement in the 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blast case. She was also in relationship with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Manisha Koirala

Image: DNA

Better known for her acting skills and being a cancer survivor, there are reports that she was addicted to drugs during the peak of her career. It is alleged that her addiction caused cancer. Though Manisha never talked about her addiction problem, rumors suggest her addiction took a toll on her personal and professional life as well.

Bollywood, parties, and drugs

If one wants to succeed in Bollywood, they need to attend parties. It is the best way to connect to established names in the industry. However, these parties are not only for network building. Sources in the industry say that drugs are openly thrown around during such parties. There can be a small corner where anyone can snort some ‘powder (code for cocaine),’ or the whole party floor might be full of ‘white powder’ and ‘weed.’ Industry insiders say cocaine and other hard drugs might be difficult to spot in a party, but if you want to smoke pot, every third person in a Bollywood party would have some on him/her.

Attorney General KK Venugopal denies consent for initiating contempt of court proceeding against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai

OpIndia Staff
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Attorney General KK Venugopal denies consent for initiating contempt of court proceeding against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai

Attorney General KK Venugopal on Friday declined to give his consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against controversial journalist Rajdeep Sardesai for making a series of statements against the judiciary on Twitter.

According to Live Law, Attorney General KK Venugopal, in his letter to Supreme Court advocate Om Prakash Parihar, denied his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against controversial ‘journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai for his tweets on the suo-motu contempt case against Prashant Bhushan and judiciary.

In the letter, KK Venugopal has stated that that the tweets made by Rajdeep Sardesai are not of “so serious a nature as to undermine the majesty of the Supreme Court or lower its stature in the minds of the public”.

“The reputation of the Supreme Court as one of the greatest pillars of democracy has been built assiduously over the last 70 years. Trifling remarks and mere passing criticism though perhaps distasteful are unlikely to tarnish the image of the institution,” said Attorney General KK Venugopal while saying that he did not find any warrant for initiation of contempt proceedings.

Contempt proceedings against Rajdeep Sardesai

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking contempt proceedings against India Today employee Rajdeep Sardesai for his tweets on the suo-motu contempt case against Prashant Bhushan and judiciary. The petitioner had also sought the consent of Attorney General KK Venugopal for initiating contempt proceedings against Rajdeep Sardesai.

The plea which sought contempt action against Rajdeep Sardesai for making comments against country’s judiciary stated that Rajdeep Sardesai’s tweets showed that these were “not only a cheap stunt of publicity among people but a deliberate attempt to spread hatred in form of Anti India campaign”.

Rajdeep Sardesai had criticised the Supreme Court after the apex court had convicted controversial far-left activist Prashant Bhushan for making disrespectful remarks against the Supreme Court.

However, it was not yet clear which tweet of his has warranted petition on contempt of court proceedings. Rajdeep Sardesai had made a series of tweets after Supreme Court had found Prashant Bhushan guilty in the contempt proceedings against him.

In one tweet, Rajdeep Sardesai had criticised the Supreme Court over its ruling on Prashant Bhushan case while claiming that the apex court had time to hear contempt case while habeas corpus petitions of those detained in Kashmir was pending for more than a year.

In another tweet, he had also said that the contempt of court case agains Bhushan was an embarrassment of its own making by the Supreme Court. In one more tweet, he had asked the courts on how to do their job.

Special CBI Court orders filing of criminal case against Arun Shourie on the charges of corruption in disinvestment of a hotel in Rajasthan

OpIndia Staff
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Special CBI Court orders filing of criminal case against Arun Shourie on the charges of corruption in disinvestment of a hotel in Rajasthan

A Special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Jodhpur yesterday ordered the filing of criminal case in relation to the sale of a government-run hotel against former Union Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, former Disinvestment Secretary Pradeep Baijal. Cases have been also ordered against three others namely, Ashish Guha, then MD of investment firm Lazard India Limited, Kanitlal Karamsey Vikamsey, then head f valuation firm Kanti Karamsey & Co. and Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson and MD of Bharat Hotels Limited. The case will be filed under section 120 B (criminal conspiracy), section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and section 13(1) D of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

It is alleged in the FIR filed by the CBI in 2014 had alleged that the Laxmi Vilas Palace Hotel in Udaipur whose value was estimated to be Rs 252 crores was disinvested for Rs 7.52 crores. Based on its preliminary inquiry, the CBI had alleged that Baijal had abused his position and entered into a contract for the disinvestment of the hotel. The hotel was earlier run by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation. In the year 2002, it was sold to the Bharat Hotels Limited which runs the Lalit Group of Hotels during the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Court Rebuked the CBI

The Special CBI court was hearing the closure report of the CBI in this case in which the investigating agency said that it could not prosecute the accused due to lack of evidence. The Special CBI judge Pooran Kumar Sharma disagreed and rebuked the CBI for filing the closure report. The court ordered the hotel to be handed over to the state government. “The CBI is a reputed agency of the country; closure report by it despite facts pointing towards criminality is a case of concern” the court remarked.

The court also observed that, prima facie, it appeared that Arun Shourie and Pradeep Baijal abused their official positions. “Prime facie, it appears that the then minister Arun Shourie and Secretary Pradeep Baijal misused their offices and caused a loss of Rs 244 crore to the central government in the deal”, the court observed. “The unknown officers and private persons indulged in this conspiracy from 1999 to 2002 to cause loss of money to the government. The value of the land was evaluated at Rs 45 per square yard. Even a spoon in the hotel would have been costlier than that” the court said.

The court has ordered the accused persons to be summoned through arrest warrants.

Sudarshan TV controversy and the crackdown on the ‘UPSC Jihad’ show: Putting things in perspective

Editorial Desk
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Sudarshan TV controversy and the crackdown on the ‘UPSC Jihad’ show: Putting things in perspective

For a country that proudly proclaims that the tenet of Freedom to express the uncomfortable truth is at the core of its existence, the entire controversy surrounding Sudarshan News and its show ‘UPSC Jihad’ has left a bad taste in the mouth. The lynching of the truth started when Sudarshan TV released the promo of the show. Those who believed that ignoring any voice that does not conform to their worldview would make them go away, came out in swaths to demand that the show be banned and Suresh Chavhanke be arrested for “spreading bigotry and hate” through his show ‘UPSC Jihad’.

At this point of time, it must be borne in mind that none of those who were asking for a ban on the show had actually watched the show or even evaluated what facts, if any, have been presented by Sudarshan TV. They couldn’t have. The 9 part-series had not even aired yet.

The Supreme Court first said that it could not impose a pre-publishing ban. While the SC chose to uphold Sudarshan TV’s freedom of the press, the High Court at the time imposed a ban on the show – the ban was imposed before any of the episodes were aired. The broadcast of the programme was earlier stayed by an order of the Delhi High Court. The order was passed on the petition of some students of Jamia Millia Islamia University in which it was alleged that the programme could incite hatred against Muslims.

Thereafter, the channel had made a representation to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and got a nod to air their show.

There was enough drama that played out while the legal tussle was on, and even beyond that. After Sudarshan TV got the nod to air their show, a Muslim mon had gathered outside the Sudarshan TV studio in an attempt to stop the telecast of the show. Allegedly, they had also pelted stones.

Through it all, the media continued to sabre-rattle without evaluating the contents of the show. It was almost as if the Media was hoping that a Jihadist mob would get outraged at the telecast of the show and help them stop it – the means would justify the end for the media Lynch mob.

The contention of the media was:

  1. The show incited hate against Muslims
  2. The show was bigoted against Muslims
  3. The show could cause communal disharmony

Each of these claims must be examine individually to get an accurate perspective on the entire controversy.

The Sudarshan News series on UPSC Jihad focuses on certain very specific aspects – mainly, the undue advantage to Muslim candidates and the infiltration of problematic organisations like the Zakat Foundation, which, per the show, receives funds from terrorist organisations. Hence, the issue that Sudarshan TV highlighted was two-fold – Firstly, it was about the indue benefit to Muslim candidates in Civil Services Examinations and secondly, the hold of problematic organisations like Zakat Foundation on the coaching and selection of the Muslim candidates.

The unfair advantages which are given to minorities, where Muslim candidates benefit overwhelmingly, according to Sudarshan News show ‘UPSC Jihad’

  1. Suresh Chavhanke said during the show that Rs. 1 lakh is granted to members of the minority community through the Udaan Yojana to crack entrance exams for UPSC while Hindus do not receive any such benefits. Similarly, for gazetted posts in-state public service commission (PSC), the minority community receives Rs. 50,000 and for non-gazetted posts in state PSC and SSC exams, they receive Rs. 25,000. While the benefit is meant for minorities, the beneficiaries are overwhelmingly Muslim candidates.
  2. The other unfair advantages that Muslim candidates appearing for civil services receive are a higher number of attempts and higher upper limit for the age of candidates. Suresh Chavhanke said that some Muslims take advantage of OBC categories and are included in them. Consequently, a Hindu can appear for the civil services till 32 years of age, Chavhanke said, while Muslims can appear for the exams till 35 years of age. Also, Hindus can make only 6 attempts while Muslims can make 9.
  3. Suresh Chavhanke showed that the rate of success for candidates who opt for Urdu is disproportionately high when compared to other languages. For instance, in the year 2011, the success rate for Urdu candidates was 40.9% while the same for Sanskrit and Hindu were 11.8% and 13.1% respectively. In 2017, the success rates for Urdu, Sanskrit and Hindu were 19.2%, 7.1% and 7.1% respectively.
  4. The Sudarshan News editor said that in Urdu, the question paper is prepared by people from the same community, the answer sheets are checked by the same community and those who choose the language also belong to the same community. Suresh Chavhanke also revealed that Muslims on an average score higher than non-Muslims in interviews, which is bound to attract suspicion as an assessment during interviews can be highly subjective. In fact, In 2018, the difference in the marks for interviews between Muslims and non-Muslims was as high as 9.5 per cent. A similar trend has followed since 2013

Any unfair advantage to any community in exams of national importance is a grave concern that needs to be challenged and addressed. One wonders if the ‘liberals’ and others in seats of power are of the opinion that undue advantages to one community over all the others must not be seen with suspicion and flagged by the media simply because that community happens to be that of the Muslim community.

There were several other relevations about Zakat Foundation that claims to help Muslim candidates clear the exams for Civil Services:

  1. Zakat Foundation has links to Zakir Naik – the radical Islamist preacher who believes that Kafirs must be punished with death and has been linked to various terror attacks and radicalisation of Jihadis.
  2. Zakat Foundation believes that bureaucrats rule the country and through the civil services, Muslims could capture the PMO and all other ministries. We had reported on the matter in detail.
  3. Zakat Foundation has received funding from Islamist organisations linked to terrorism and Jihadi activity
  4. From 2009 to 2019 a total of 119 Zakat Foundation of India fellows have joined the Civil Services as per their website. As per reports, in 2020 alone 27 out of 40 Muslim candidates selected by Union Public Service Commission are products of the Zakat Foundation of India.
  5. As per FCRA records available with Ministry of Home Affairs Zakat Foundation of India received donations from Madina Trust U.K., through deposit in their bank account maintained at Bank of India, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi which is – 2007-2008—-Rs.1,68,031/-, 2010-2011—-Rs.6,37,650/-, 2011-2012—-Rs.6,30,835/-, 2012-2013—-Rs.5,19,817/-, 2014-2015—-Rs.9,59,345/-, 2015-2016—-Rs.11,90,203/-, 2017-2018—-Rs.12,73,960/-, 2018-2019—-Rs.13,64,694/-.
  6. Zakat Foundation links to Medina trust according to Sudarshan News – As per records of Charity Commission for England and Wales, Dr Zahid Ali Parvez, Trustee, Madina Trust is also a trustee with the Islamic Foundation. The Times, UK had reported that two Islamic Foundation trustees were on the UN sanctions list of people associated with banned terror organizations Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Further, they mention that according to reports, Madina Trust was also involved in an attack on Indian High Commission, London in September 2019.

Several such revelations have been been mentioned by Sudarshan News in its response to the court.

It is thus clear that Sudarshan News was not aiming to target ‘all Muslims’ as his detractors and even the court is attempting to allege but bring to the fore a serious concern of extremists and Jihadists making their way to Civil Service Exams through organisations like Zakat Foundation and also aided by the advantages given by the Indian state to Muslim candidates.

Essentially, even from a partial perusal of the presentation by Zakat Foundation, one will have to understand that the issue at hand is not about Muslims getting into the workforce or entering civil services, the issue at hand is about an ideology trying to rule Indians and more importantly – Hindus.

To understand the dangers of extremists entering the civil services, one has to understand what their underlying ideology is. What their ‘idea of India’ is. What their idea of law and justice is.

For Muslim extremists and Zakatis, the concept of Nation, as understood and followed by most Hindus of India does not exist. For most Hindus, the concept of Nation is defined by the political boundaries of modern India. For most Hindus, the country within the political boundary comes before the assertion of their religious beliefs. For extremists Muslims, that concept of Nation makes little sense. The concept of Ummah reigns supreme for Islamic extremists which essentially means that they believe in the larger Muslim brotherhood, globally, than the limiting idea of ‘nation’ defined by political boundaries. Essentially, for an extremist Muslim, his loyalty would lie with the Turkish Muslim or the Islamic nations of the world rather than with Hindus (Kafirs) of India and India itself, which is deemed as a Kafir nation.

In fact, add that even Savarkar incorporated political boundaries in his idea of Hindutva, so it’s ridiculous that Congress/intellectuals find that idea, which is rather in consonance with modern concepts of nation-state, as ‘dangerous’ while sleeping with a primitive idea that considers nationalism ‘haraam’

Following the same theme, for extremist Muslims, the ‘secular’ laws of the nation state mean absolutely nothing if it contradicts the religious laws of Sharia.

These problematic ideas were extremely apparent in the case of Shah Faesal, an IAS officer who had trained from the Zakat stable. For him, it was India responsible for demonising Imran Khan because his loyalties would lie with an Islamic State more than it could ever lie with the Kafir state of India. Further, his reaction of trying to malign India after the abrogation of Article 370 was another glimpse into his mindset – the Ummah and the laws of Sharia reign supreme.

For Islamists, India is a turf to be captured. A Kafir nations to be turned into a caliphate – to submit to the laws of Sharia.

This mentality is rather evident in the conduct of the Zakat Foundation itself. The Foundation itself tells its candidates that they should enter the civil services not because it is a respectable job avenue, but because they need to enter the bureaucracy and ‘capture’ the south block and ‘fight for the rights of Muslims’.

Now imagine such people entertain civil services. What happens when the IAS officer responsible for your area believes that he needs to only fight for the right of Muslims. Or that the Ummah is more important than the Nation-state. Or that Hindus are Kafirs. Or that the laws of the nation mean nothing if they contradict Sharia?

What Sudarshan News wanted to show was how this mentality and this ideology wanted to reign supreme in India through the civil services and by entering the bureaucracy. Further, the dangers of an extremist organisation that have connections with elements like Zakir Naik and other Islamic organisation that have been named in terror attacks.

The point of the show was to show that the Zakat Foundation is brainwashing Muslims and ensuring that extremists work towards capturing India’s bureaucracy through which, they can fight for what Muslims are owed – needless to say – what extremists think Muslims are owed is an Islamic caliphate.

Interestingly, this is not a figment of Sudarshan TV’s imagination. They showed clips where extremists like Akbaruddin Owaisi and other Zakatis were making such claims in their videos. They said that they need to capture the bureaucracy.

Those who pretend to uphold the ‘idea of India’ and concern themselves with Hindus shouting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ have displayed remarkable discomfort with this subject being spoken about. They have tried everything in their power to shut down Sudarshan News and ensure that this subject is not spoken about maybe because for the liberals, the establishment of a caliphate aligns perfectly with their own dreams of subjugating Hindus of India.

On Sudarshan News’ part, one will have to concede that a lot of the drama could have been avoided had they been a little subtle in the marketing of the show. The tone and tenor of the promo could have simply spoken about the terror links of Zakat Foundation and then, slipped in the UPSC aspect later. Or, they could have replaced the word ‘Jihad’ with something else.

There is a plethora of options that they could have gone with. However, the non-Left has a long way to go to learn the art of deception from the Left, unfortunately. What Sudarshan News is being penalised for is being honest and not hiding its truth behind politically correct jargon. What Sudarshan News is being penalised and hounded for is saying it as is and not sugarcoating the reality. For not deceiving its readers. They are being called bigots because they are talking about the very people who are bigoted enough to want to infiltrate the system to peddle their jihadi agenda.

Sudarshan News is being punished for tugging on an all-important topic that shatters to the veil of peace. Tears the veneer of Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb. Gives a glimpse into a massive cultural problem that awaits India. Sudarshan News had not once raised a problem with Muslims entering the workforce or even the Civil Services, it had raised a concern about Jihadist entering positions of power.

Sudarshan News is being penalised for not conforming to the Omertà.

Nepal claims Indian cities Dehradun, Nainital under its ‘Greater Nepal’ campaign: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal claims Indian cities Dehradun, Nainital under its ‘Greater Nepal’ campaign: Reports

The tension between Indian and its Himalayan neighbour Nepal is likely to mount again as Nepal continues to provoke India.

According to latest reports, the ruling dispensation of Nepal – Nepal Communist Party, joining hands with Unified Nepal National Front has launched a new campaign for ‘Greater Nepal’ that includes a claim for Indian cities such as Dehradun and Nainital.

The Communists of Nepal, addition to illegally claiming Indian cities in its ‘Greater Nepal’ campaign, has also laid claims to parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim.

Citing the Treaty of Sugauli Nepal signed in 1816 between the East India Company and the then ruling establishment of Nepal, the current Nepalese establishment has been claiming Indian territories and has already launched a social media campaign.

Several Nepalese have taken to social media platforms and created a Facebook page called Greater Nepal that demands merger of Indian territories into Nepal.

The demand for Greater Nepal picked up ever since KP Oli came to power in Nepal. Earlier, Nepal had also raised the issue in the United Nations on 8 April 2019.

The brazen move to claim Indian territories by Nepal comes just months after it had brazenly included Indian areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani in its new political map causing huge uproar in India.

China influencing Nepal to carry out anti-India agenda

According to the report, Prime Minister of Nepal KP Oli has also been accused of taking huge bribes from China to push the anti-India agenda. The Chinese government is reportedly giving several million dollars to Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. 

There are allegations in Nepal that Oli has deposited Rs 41.34 crore in a Geneva bank account recently.

Acting on the behest of China, the Nepal parliament in June had passed an amendment to update the country’s map including Indian areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani in the constitution of the country.

India had urged Kathmandu to refrain from such an “unjustified cartographic assertion” and respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, the Communists in Nepal had acted belligerently to alter the existing border between two countries by including Indian territories. 

Agra: Asif Khan pretends to be Bunty Tyagi to lure a minor girl and keeps her in captivity, arrested by police after protests

OpIndia Staff
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Agra: Asif Khan pretends to be Bunty Tyagi to lure a minor girl and keeps her in captivity, arrested by police after protests

A person identified as Asif Khan was arrested by Agra police yesterday from Muradabad for allegedly kidnapping a minor girl. The girl, who was missing since last five days, has been rescued from captivity by the police. The police have also arrested a few other persons who assisted the Asif Khan. The information was also shared by UP government media advisor Shalabh Mani Tripathi on Twitter.

According to reports, Khan hid his identity and introduced himself as ‘Bunty Tyagi’ to lure the minor girl into a love affair. On September 11, the girl had gone out for a walk and did not return since then. When her parents started looking for her, a vegetable seller told them that Asif had taken the girl with him. According to the girl’s parents, Asif used to work at a medical store in the town.

A case was registered by the family of the girl with the police. However, people were not satisfied with the way the police were probing the matter. It was only after people in the area blocked the roads demanding speedy probe that the police came into action and nabbed the culprit.

Reportedly, a team of police had arrested seven co-accused in the matter on September 15. The names of the seven co-accused are Chaman Khan, Pawan, Aman, Sabir Khan, Rizwan, Asma and Rani. The next day police came to know that the girl held captive at Moradabad.

Cases of love jihad are on arise in the State of Uttar Pradesh. Another such case was reported from Uttar Pradesh yesterday where a man named Abdullah was arrested for kidnapping a minor girl.

Janeudhari Brahmin Rahul Gandhi’s party celebrates a man who advocated physical violence against Brahmins

OpIndia Staff
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Janeudhari Brahmin Rahul Gandhi’s party celebrates a man who advocated physical violence against Brahmins

Ironically, the Congress Party, which dances to the tune of the uchch koti (upper-tier), Janeudhari, Kaul-Dattatreya gotra Brahmin– Rahul Gandhi, has time and again expressed its adherence to the anti-Hindu E V Ramasamy, popularly known as EVR and hailed as ‘Periyar’ by his followers. Today, once again the disciples of this ‘janeudhari Brahmin‘ have taken to the microblogging site Twitter to pay homage to the demagogue, who used the social evils which were then prevalent or perceived, as a capital for his propaganda.

The Congress party hailed Periyar as one of the strongest proponents against caste and gender inequality and discrimination in a tweet posted on its official Twitter handle. They further refered to him as a beacon of rationalism and self-respect.

The Janeudhari Brahmin-Rahul Gandhi’s fondness for the anti-Brahmin Periyar

The Congress party’s tweet does not come as a surprise because the janeudhari (sacred thread-wearing) Brahmin Rahul Gandhi has himself in the past, heaped praises and glorified Periyar, who is widely recognised as a rabid anti-Hindu, anti-Brahmin ‘intellectual’.

Periyar hated the Hindus and the Brahmins

Contrary to the Congress Party’s beliefs, the Dravidanist icon was neither a rationalist nor a humanist. In fact, he was a vehement advocate of anti-Hinduism, anti-Brahminism and a pro-British. 

Many EVR apologists today indulge in the propaganda that EVR never advocated racial hatred against Brahmins. However, EVR was explicit in his agenda. The magazine Periyar edited published articles praising the ascendancy of Adolf Hitler and warned Brahmins in Tamil Nadu that they should learn from the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany and opt for course correction.

Periyar’s dislike for Brahmins was so deep-rooted in him that he was almost blinded by his intense hatred and anger directed at Brahmins. He reportedly used to tell his followers that if they ever encountered a Brahmin and a snake on the road, they should kill the Brahmin first.

Periyar hated Hindu Gods and Godesses

Moreover, Periyar was a staunch critic of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. He has, in his lifetime, spread numerous canards about the Ramayana. All his lies were directed towards slandering the God who is considered Maryada Purshottam by Hindus. His lies ranged from accusing Shri Rama of being casteist to claiming that he killed and mutilated women.

Periyar not only claimed that no ‘North Indian Brahmin’ died in the war against Ravana but further propagated that Lord Rama had married women other than Sita for his sexual pleasure. He had also claimed that Lankan King Ravana was, in fact, a Dravidian King from South India. Periyar had also burnt pictures of Lord Rama, who is one of the most revered Hindu gods. This is not all, Periyar is notorious for organizing a procession in Salem in Tamil Nadu with big cutouts of “Ram”, “Sita” and “Hanuman” garlanded with slippers.

Apart from his hatred for Lord Rama, Periyar also broke statues of Lord Ganesha.

In fact, all his deeds reflected the virtual hatred that he harboured towards Hindus and Brahmins.

Periyar was a pro-British

Apart from being profoundly anti-Hindu, it is a well-known fact that EVR and his movement were pro-British and they also supported the Muslim League in its pro-Pakistan demand. In an interview to a Tamil magazine, Anantha Vikatan, in 1965, EVR expressed how he had hoped that, given the pro-British stand of their movement, the British would hand over the authority to the Justice party. 

Periyar seldom practiced what he advocated

For the uninitiated, after quitting the Congress Party, Periyar served as the President of Justice Party (1938 – 1944) in erstwhile Madras state. The party formed provincial governments in Madras state between 1920 and 1937 and it was one of the first to come up with caste-based reservations. Due to the success of Congress and internal rifts, the party declined after 1937. Periyar formed the Dravida Kazhagam in 1944.

But Periyar’s second marriage to a much younger woman and her anointment as his heir in politics sparked off a rift between Periyar and his protege CN Annadurai. Periyar seldom practised what he preached. The Dravidanist icon, who had strongly advocated women liberation and rights, had to the astonishment of his followers gone on to marry a woman who was 4 decades younger to him. A 70-year old Periyar Ramasami had married a 30-year old woman, Maniamma. Protesting against the unethical behaviour of Periyar, Annadurai and his supporters left the Dravidar Kazhagam en-masse and they founded a new political outfit in 1949 called the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

India’s former Prime Minister and Congress leader Indira Gandhi did not approve of Periyar ideologies. She had after Periyar’s death, rebuffed the demands of his supporters to abandon Ram Leela. Following his death, Periyarists also attempted to make ‘Ravana Leela’ an annual event, to coincide with Dussehra celebrations in the rest of the country, however, the PM Indira Gandhi had not given the approval for the same, urging them to avoid arousing sectarian sentiments.

Not only Indira Gandhi, in fact, Jawaharlal Nehru had also once said: “Old and SENILE men like Periyar deserve a place more in a lunatic asylum than in public life. It is HIGH time Periyar and his followers were BANISHED from this land.”

Contrary to the views of the past leaders of the grand old party, Rahul Gandhi has gone on to openly express his support for the rabid anti-Hindu Periyar. This only goes on to reflect how shallow the Congress party under Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi have become, that for their petty politics, they actively support everyone who speaks ill of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and hurts the sentiments of Hindus.

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