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Newslaundry publishes a hitjob against PBNS, Prasar Bharati and the Modi govt: Here are 12 lies they peddled

Editorial Desk
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Newslaundry publishes a hitjob against PBNS, Prasar Bharati and the Modi govt: Here are 12 lies they peddled

On the 1st of September, propaganda outlet Newslaundry published an article that essentially said that the Modi government could not ‘capture’ PTI and hence, it launched PBNS. Alleging that the Modi government had a ‘hunger for publicity’, it alleged that just at the start of the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus, FM Gold became a 24-hour news station to satisfy the Modi govt’s urge for publicity and the change cost 80 casual employees their jobs.

The article said, “The actual motivation wasn’t as mundane, however. There are multiple threads linking FM Gold’s sudden transformation to the spat between Prasar Bharati, the state broadcaster, and the news agency Press Trust of India; the formation of the Prasar Bharati News Service last year; and the Narendra Modi government’s excessive love for publicity”.

The article essentially insinuates that since the Modi government could not influence PTI and Prasar Bharati had an ‘open spat’ with PTI, the Modi government turned FM Gold into a news channel and launched PBNS so he could have a hold on the ‘publicity’ he so craved.

The entire article was laden with lies and unsubstantiated insinuations.

Here are 12 lies that The Newslaundry furthered in their desperation to malign the Modi government.

Claim 1: FM Gold became a news station on March 25, the same day India went into lockdown. As a consequence, 80 casual employees lost their jobs almost overnight.

Casual assignees are not employees of All India Radio/Prasar Bharati. They are part-time freelancers who are engaged on a need basis only and are referred to as Casual Assignees. They are paid for the number of assignments done by them. Since their services are utilized for specific assignments on a need basis, there is no employer-employee relationship between them and All India Radio. They are free to accept employment in other public and private organizations of their choice or pursue any other business or profession. Such persons can be teachers, managers, engineers, doctors, lawyers or entrepreneurs and can yet contribute to All India Radio as casual assignees in their spare time.

Several casual assignees continue to receive payments from All India Radio for assignments completed as may have been assigned to them during the lockdown period and till date. There is no further entitlement for casual assignees to receive payments from All India Radio outside of assignments.

This lie is not unique to Newslaundry and has not been spread for the first time. In April 2020, Indian Express and The Hindu had spread the same fake news. There were two articles published, one in The Hindu and the other in the Indian Express that had spread fake news at a time the nation is dealing with a pandemic. The articles aimed to target Prasar Bharati, India’s Public Service Broadcaster, and allege that the channel had fired its employees amidst the Coronavirus pandemic despite the directive from the Prime Minister about retaining employees through the lockdown period. At that time, OpIndia had debunked these misplaced assertions.

Claim 2: FM Gold became a news station on March 25, the same day India went into lockdown. The rationale provided by AIR for this drastic move was that in a pandemic people needed information more than they did entertainment.  

Under the Prasar Bharati act, the following mandate is given:

“The Corporation shall, in the discharge of its functions, be guided by the following objectives – safeguarding the citizen’s right to be informed freely, truthfully and objectively on all matters of public interest, national or international, and presenting a fair and balanced flow of information including contrasting views without advocating any opinion or ideology of its own.”

Speaking to OpIndia, sources from AIR said that in all cities where AIR operates, out of 3 Radio frequencies in the FM mode, 2 frequencies have been dedicated to entertainment (Vividh Bharati, FM Rainbow), and one frequency has been dedicated to news and current affairs.

Claim 3: There are multiple threads linking FM Gold’s sudden transformation to the spat between Prasar Bharati, the state broadcaster, and the news agency Press Trust of India; the formation of the Prasar Bharati News Service last year, and the Narendra Modi govt’s excessive love for publicity.

While Newslaundry has conveniently tied PBNS and FM Gold, the truth is that PBNS is a Digital News Service of India’s Public Broadcaster which broadcasts Breaking Alerts, digests and curated developing stories from across the Globe. It has no connection with FM Gold.

Claim 4: The PBNS has to fulfil its mandate of reducing Prasar Bharati’s annual budget by ending the broadcaster’s reliance on PTI and UNI.

Newslaundry in its article craftily tries to insinuate that the PBNS was started solely for the purpose of reducing Prasar Bhart’s reliance on PTI. However, that is not the case and nothing that has been done goes beyond the purview of the mandate given in the act.

According to the Prasar Bharati Act, “the Corporation (Prasar Bharati) may take such steps as it thinks fit to establish a system for the gathering of news for radio and television”.

PBNS is an effort towards the same; it has nothing to do with FM Gold.

Claim 5: In March 2018, FM Gold was robbed of its 106.4 MHz frequency

Newslaundry insinuates that AIR “robbed” FM GOLD of its 106.4 frequency, to insinuate that it was “stripped for its identity” because it wanted to ensure that the entertainment channel was turned into a news channel.

OpIndia reached out to the people in the know within AIR. Speaking on the issue, AIR said, “to achieve one nation, one frequency for FM Gold across the country, its 106.4 MHz frequency was swapped with that of Vividh Bharati 101.4 MHz. Vividh Bharati was given 106.4 MHz”.

Claim 6: FM Gold was handed over to AIR news division. Now it airs news bulletins all day long, as also Modi’s speeches, government ads and repeated programmes.

While Newslaundry seems to allege that Prasar Bharati stripped FM GOLD of its identity, it seems that the author of the article had not read the Prasar Bharati Act that clearly states what the aim of any division of the PB is.

The public service mandate as specified in Prasar Bharati Act, “it shall be the primary duty of the Corporation (Prasar Bharati) to organise and conduct public broadcasting services to inform, educate and entertain the public and to ensure a balanced development of broadcasting on radio and television.”

It would thus appear that FM GOLD is doing exactly what the Prasar Bharati Act mandates it to do, but Newslaundry seems to have a problem because it is conforming to the law and not their agenda.

Claim 7: Running Modi’s old speeches and repeating programmes became necessary after the firing of the 80 employees brought the production operations to a near halt.

OpIndia found that FM Gold’s operations have continued uninterrupted with more than 12 Hours of daily fresh news and current affairs programmes. Interestingly, in this claim also, Newslaundry repeats the lie of Prasar Bharati firing 80 employees that have long been debunked.

Claim 8: The news broadcasts on FM Gold are heavily skewed towards Modi’s government and party.

OpIndia spoke to people in the know from Prasar Bharati. They said, “News broadcasts on FM Gold are not unique to FM Gold, they are produced by news services division of All India Radio, and are carried throughout the network of All India Radio in multiple modes, such as local FM (FM Gold etc.), mediumwave analogue and digital, Satellite Radio (DD FreeDish DTH), Internet streaming (NewsOnAir and YouTube)”.

Claim 9: Prasar Bharati had ordered all its employees over 35 years of age to be rescreened and reinstituted.

Speaking to OpIndia, sources from Prasar Bharati sad that no such order had been passed and they have no idea where Newslaundry was getting its information from.

Claim 10: Prasar Bharati News Service, an ambitious project of the Modi government. Bureaucrats and journalists aligned with the BJP advised the government to start its own news agency using Prasar Bharati.

Newslaundry claims that PBNS was started solely because the Modi government wanted a channel they could control and further the agenda of the Modi government. It also claims that journalists aligned with the BJP advised the government to do so using Prasar Bharati. Firstly, it is hard to imagine Newslaundry having any sort of access to private conversations even if they did take place. Given the track record of the publication, it is not unthinkable that they would make this claim up entirely.

Further, they have proven yet again that they have failed to do their due diligence and read the Prasar Bharati Act. The Act says, “the Corporation (Prasar Bharati) may take such steps as it thinks fit to establish a system for the gathering of news for radio and television”.

PBNS seems to fulfil the mandate as mentioned in the Prasar Bharati Act itself and the assertions by Newslaundry, as usual, ring hollow and reek of propaganda.

Claim 11: In 2017, Prasar Bharati decided to stop subscribing to PTI and UNI in favour of Hindusthan Samachar, a news agency backed by the RSS. The truth is, Prasar Bharati had already been using the services of Hindusthan Samachar, offered by it free of cost. In the end though, given the uproar the news had generated, Prasar Bharati didn’t subscribe to Hindusthan Samachar.

PTI has been receiving huge fees from the public broadcaster, the fees are said to be in crores and it has been going on for decades. Reportedly, Prasar Bharati pays PTI over RS. 9 crores annually, which is in addition to the amount paid by PIB. In fact, currently, Prasar Bharati pays PTI approximately 9.15 crores, OpIndia has leant.

In an article OpIndia had done back in June 2020, we had explored that since 2016-2017, Prasar Bharati has been trying to rationalise the amount paid to PTI as it does not think that the service provided by PTI is worth more than Rs. 2.5 crores. In 2017-18, Prasar Bharati had rationalised the amount paid to PTI and unilaterally reduced the amount paid to PTI by about 25%. However, sources had confirmed that it is just the tip of the iceberg and there is a long way to go before the fees are rationalised to Rs. 2.5 crores.

The assertion by Newslaundry that Prasar Bharati has stopped subscribing to PTI and UNI is a pure lie. Further, Newslaundry saying that Prasar Bharati does not subscribe to Hindusthan Samachar after “hue and cry” is also a lie.

Truth is, Prasar Bharati continues to subscribe to PTI, UNI and Hindusthan Samachar.

Speaking to OpIndia, a source said, “These are purely commercial arrangements and Prasar Bharati reserves the right to review these commercial arrangements based on their usefulness and its needs from time to time”.

Claim 12: When the PBNS started its operation, Kumar became its CEO.

Hilariously, Newslaundry says, “Here’s where it gets rather shady. Back when Prasar Bharati was considering going with Hindusthan Samachar, the news agency’s CEO, Sameer Kumar, was involved in the decisionmaking. When the PBNS started its operation, Kumar became its CEO”.

There are so many contradictions in this article, that it makes the head spin.

Firstly, earlier in the article, Newslaundry had clearly said that after the outrage, Prasar Bharati had not signed a contract with Hindusthan Samachar. Though it was not true and Prasar Bharati does have contact with them, for Newslaundry to later claim, in the same article, that the CEO of Hindusthan Samachar became to “CEO of PBNS” due to this contract, it is rather amusing.

Further, PBNS is an internal unit of Prasar Bharati. It doesn’t have a CEO. The CEO of Prasar Bharati is Shashi Shekhar Vempati and Samir Kumar is the head of PBNS, not the CEO.

Aside from these glaring contradictions, Newslaundry seems to be terribly inept at simple research.

Prasar Bharati got into a contract with Hindusthan Samachar in February 2020. However, Samir Kumar quit Hindusthan Samachar as their CEO in February 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile and became the PBNS head in March 2019.

Linked In profile of Samir Kumar

What Newslaundry essentially wants to say is this: Prasar Bharati did not get into a contract with Hindusthan Samachar because their content was substandard, however, when the talks were going on with Hindusthan Samachar, Samir Kumar was a part of the discussion. Then, when PBNS was launched, he became the CEO of PBNS, and even though Prasar Bharati had no contract with Hindusthan Samachar, this job change by Samir Kumar indicates impropriety.

However, facts do not support their argument. The contract between Prasar Bharati and Hindusthan Samachar happened only in February 2020. To insinuate that Samir Kumar became PBNS head in March 2019 due to some sort of a quid pro quo is ridiculous in itself.

But why let facts come in the way of propaganda.

It is interesting to note that Newslaundry has published a propaganda piece, laden with lies against Prasar Bharati only after it decided to rationalise its payments to PTI. PTI had recently gone rogue and touted the China propaganda during the stand-off between India and China.

PTI had come under great criticism recently after an interview with Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong. During the interview, the Chinese ambassador blamed India for the clash between the two countries at Galwan Valley. Journalists of other agencies were outraged by the fact that the PTI did not bother to counter-question the Chinese ambassador on his dubious claims. People have also pointed out that the ‘interview’ came across as a press released by the Chinese Communist Party rather than a genuine interview.

By peddling the Chinese propaganda and going rogue as far as its content is concerned, PTI stands to lose the crores that it earns from the public broadcaster. 

Prasar Bharati is India’s largest public broadcasting agency. It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament and comprises the Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio, which were earlier media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

With Prasar Bharati being a public broadcaster, it is obvious that such blatant anti-India propaganda which goes against the government of India and its stand in sensitive issues like the China conflict will not sit well.

It is only after this fiasco has Newslaundry sprung into action to further their lies and propaganda perhaps at the behest of PTI that stands to lose crores that it makes from Prasar Bharati.

Chinese firm with military and communist party links caught collecting personal information of 2.4 million people globally, including 10,000 from India

Anurag
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Chinese firm with military and communist party links caught collecting personal information of 2.4 million people globally, including 10,000 from India

Collecting information on important personnel available in the public domain is not new for the data agencies, even if they deny it. As it is publically available information, no eyebrows are generally raised on them. However, if some agency is found to have data possibly collected via the dark web or hacking, it raises concerns. This is what has been happening in the case of Chinese firm Zhenhua.

According to a recently released paper [PDF] by Christopher Balding and Robert Petter et al, China is collecting a vast amount of data available in the public domain. The data collected is possibly being used to support influence and intelligence operations through private enterprises.

The domestic data collection

China has acknowledged that it collects all the possible information on its residents. It gathers a large amount of data domestically, and it often uses the collected information to enhance surveillance technology. However, its attempts to collect the information on foreign nationals are raising eyebrows worldwide. In the report, Balding mentioned that the data of 2.4 million individuals they have scanned is small evidence on how China is monitoring foreign nationals and institutions.

Overseas Key Information Data Base (OKIDB) of 2.4 million individuals

A Chinese firm called China Revival created a database called Overseas Key Information Data Base (OKIDB) that contains 2.4 million individuals, 650,000 institutes, 2.3 billion news articles, and 2.1 billion social media posts. Now, most of the information in this database is available in the public domain. It would not have raised concerns if the data had not contained information that can only be obtained either using the dark web or hacking. According to the researchers, 10 to 20 per cent of the data available in the database is not available in the public domain.

What information China Revival collected?

The report suggests that the substantial amount of data stored in the database comes from Dow Jones owned database Factiva. However, researchers were not sure if the firm collected the information via authorized channels or not. The database revolves around the information related to the key individuals to build a deeper information tree about their contacts, familial contacts, address, phone numbers, mail Ids, positions they have held or hold currently, and more. It did not stop here, though.

The system created by China Revival further scrolled social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others to find more information about the individuals or institutions. They collected information on blog posts, social media posts, photographs, likes, retweets, shares, etc. Such a variety of information can help state agencies to target individuals on a personal level. According to a report in News.com Australia, there is a possibility that they have also collected information on bank records, job applications, psychological profiles, and public sector employee records.

The database has information about several think tanks and universities. There is some unknown pattern of scoring the individuals associated with these institutes. Though researchers were unable to reverse engineer the technology the firm used to score the individuals, it was clear that those who are marked “important” hold strong posts in the listed institutes.

The database has the capability of forming connections between the individuals based on their family tree and workplaces. The complex system can map relationships and networks between individuals and businesses, which can be further explored to specifically target them for the state’s gains. According to the report, the database contains public and private information of people from a vast arena. “From politicians and their families to professors and think tanks to scientists and tech leaders to organized crime figures, all are individuals and institutions Chinese security, intelligence, and influence operations are known to be interested in targeting,” it said.

How can the data be used?

According to the researchers, how the Chinese state is using OKIDB is easy to determine by studying the firm itself. Shenzhen Zhenhua claims on its website that it has clients from military, intelligence, security, and Chinese state institutions. By conducting background research on key individuals and their linked entities, researchers found out that the database is being used for various purposes, including but not limited to tracking influencers. It helps the state agencies to determine how news move around specific geographical locations such as India.

China has been using multiple channels to interact with people on social media and attempting to influence debate and narrative about itself. Using the information on individuals and analytic tools, China can create an information cloud where it can largely impact influencers and make them talk in favor of China. Though there was no direct evidence that China is indeed directly using this database, the OKIDB is designed for the specific purpose to “craft information warfare campaigns.”

What is hybrid warfare?

Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud and Dr Patrick Cullen, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, in a 2016 paper [PDF] said the term Hybrid War or Warfare (HW) rose to prominence in defence and policy circles as well as in the media after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. Dr Patrick Cullen, in a project report in 2017 [PDF] said that our understanding of the Hybrid Warfare is underdeveloped. He further added, “Hybrid warfare is designed to exploit national vulnerabilities across the political, military, economic, social, informational and infrastructure (PMESII) spectrum.”

As it is a relatively new concept, it is often considered to be an ill-defined notion in conflict studies. It can be roughly defined as warfare in which non-state actors work simultaneously with state actors to influence on-ground reality. The non-state actors collect information about influential individuals and use them to dictate positive information about the state, in this case, China.

Hybrid Warfare is different from conventional warfare as it is not based on the military capabilities of the two nations. In such warfare, a nation uses several components to influence the on-ground narrative to create domestic unrest in the countries that are not in good terms with it.

The history of Hybrid Warfare is not new, though. Its first known conceptualization was done in 1999 by Unrestricted Warfare, a publication by China’s People’s Liberation Army, as reported by Indian Express. It talked about warfare in which the attention is diverted from military actions to political, economic, and technological aspects. China has been attacking nations in every possible sector using these notions. By expanding its borders using muscle power to overtaking developing countries’ assets by drowning them in loans, China is indulging in Hybrid Warfare at an unmatchable level.

What are the experts saying about the database?

Co-author of the report, Canberra-based expert Robert Potter, said that it is not clear why Zhenhua needs processing centers in so many countries. ? “If you don’t want attention from the platforms you are mass scraping, you simply use proxies,” he added. According to Potter, the only plausible purpose is to build capacity for following up on the actionable data. He said, “The threat of surveillance and monitoring of foreign individuals by an authoritarian China is very real.”

Dr Samantha Hoffman, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that the database shows how powerful the open-source intelligence collection is. Australian Financial Review quoted her, saying, “This Company is involved in data collection to support China’s party state and undermine Australian security.”

Professor Christopher Balding, an associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society and co-author of the report, said the database is just the tip of the iceberg. It shows how China is systematically scrutinizing millions in the West as potential intelligence targets.  “UK data suppliers also need to be much more careful in their business dealings with Chinese-linked firms – it is clear China’s Big Data dystopia is using Western data to effect its agenda,” he added.

Dangers associated with such data collection

Every second country is indulging in Hybrid Warfare at some level, but China is way far ahead in terms of data collection and surveillance on influential individuals globally. According to Indian Express, the said database has details of several key individuals including President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee Ashok Gehlot, Amarinder Singh Uddhav Thackeray, Naveen Patnaik, Shivraj Singh Chouhan Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal, Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde and brother judge AM Khanwilkar and Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Singh Rawat to at least 15 15 former Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force are in the list along with their family members and close acquaintances.

It is not limited to individuals of important stature but also bureaucrats in key positions, scientists, academicians, journalists, actors, media persons, religious figures, activists, and NGOs. Even hundreds of accused of terrorism, smuggling, financial crimes and corruption are included in the list. One can imagine the amount of data this firm has collected and the extent they can use this data to influence the narrative across India. The database has information about important figures of other countries, including Australia, the UK, the USA, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and many others.

It is not just the information the firm has collected that is problematic. China has a history of poking its nose in the internal affairs of nations worldwide. The current situation on LAC in Ladakh has created much unrest in the country. India has banned hundreds of Chinese apps in the last few months to reduce the possibilities of personal information theft by China-backed apps. The capabilities of the China Revival’s system to connect individuals on important posts increase China’s influence on narrative running on Social Media, Mainstream Media, and on-ground in India.

Who shared and who worked on the data

An anti-China activist allegedly stole the full content of the Zhenhua servers in early 2020. It was shared with the Five Eyes intelligence network of the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A detailed report on the database was written by Christopher Balding and Robert Potter et al. News agencies The Indian Express, The Australian Financial Review, Italy’s Il Foglio, and The Daily Telegraph, London, have worked on the data provided to understand its reach and how it can affect the countries on the ground level globally.

Republic TV journalists, illegally detained by Maharashtra police, granted bail by Court

OpIndia Staff
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Republic TV journalists, illegally detained by Maharashtra police, granted bail by Court

The Khalapur court has granted bail to Republic TV journalists Anuj Kumar, Yashpaljit Singh, and Ola driver Pradeep Dilip Dhanavade on Monday after being illegally held for 138 hours by the Maharashtra police. The Court has levied a bail bond for the release of Republic TV members. At the same time, the Court has directed that there are no restrictions on their travel.

NHRC files case against Maharashtra Police

Earlier on Monday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has lodged a case in New Delhi against the Maharashtra police for illegally detaining the crew of the leading media channel. In response to the complaint filed by Republic Media Network, NHRC reiterated the high-handedness and the ‘malafide move’ of the Maharashtra police. In its fight for press freedom, the media house had written to the NHRC and was planning to approach the Bombay High Court.

In its two page petition, the news network argued that the Maharashtra police remanded the journalists in custody without permitting legal representation. The petition stated that the detention was illegal in light of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Indian Constitution in Article 1 (D) and Article 21 (Right to personal liberty). Republic TV argued that the Maharashtra police refused to provide remand copy, which ‘hindered’ the process of seeking bail for the journalists.

Illegal detention of Republic TV journalists

The Republic TV journalists were held by Maharashtra Police under the charges of ‘trespassing’ after they made some inquiry with a security guard at a certain residential building in Karjat, reportedly owned by Uddhav Thackeray. The channel stated that they will also approach the Bombay High Court as the Maharashtra police have attempted to interrogate Anuj and coerced him into revealing his sources.

Bombay High Court raps Maharashtra government

In a massive embarrassment to Shiv Sena, the Bombay High Court on Friday observed that party’s affiliate Shiv Cable Sena was not a ‘statutory body’ to interfere or supersede Republic TV contract with its cable network operators. According to the reports, the Bombay Court coming to the rescue of Republic Media Network said that if the cable network operators violate their contractual relationship with the network, then the channel can approach appropriate authority for relief. 

Kolkata Mayor who addressed Muslim rioters as ‘brothers’ mocks the political killing of BJP workers in WB, says they suffered from ‘depression’

OpIndia Staff
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Kolkata Mayor who addressed Muslim rioters as ‘brothers’ mocks the political killing of BJP workers in WB, says they suffered from ‘depression’

On Sunday, September 13, the body of a BJP worker Ganesh Roy was found hanging on a tree in Goghat in Hoogly district of West Bengal. On being questioned about this gruesome incident and on how BJP workers have continued to face the wrath of the ruling dispensation over the years, Firhad Hakim, a prominent Trinamool Congress leader and the mayor of Kolkata was seen mocking the brutal murders of the BJP workers in the state.

BJP’s IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya shared a video clip where the Kolkata Mayor, speaking to the media in Bengali, says that the State BJP supporters are suffering from depression. “Problem is that those who do BJP suffer from depression”, said the Kolkata Mayor, furthering that the mental health of those who are calling out these political murders should be checked.

Recent murders of BJP workers in West Bengal

In Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal, the menace of political violence against Opposition, especially BJP leaders, workers, and supporters has continued unabated. Yesterday, after Ganesh Roy’s body was found hanging from a tree, his son had accused the TMC party goons for the brutal murder of his father.

Prior to this a BJP worker named Rabin Paul was lynched to death in the Pathar Ghata village in Kalna in West Bengal. He was reportedly beaten mercilessly by the TMC supporters and then taken to another place in the village where Paul was allegedly thrashed by the TMC Deputy Chief.

Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim not new to controversies

However, this is not the first time when the Mayor of Kolkata has been in the news for the wrong reasons. He had earlier called a Muslim-dominated area of Kolkata as “Mini-Pakistan.”

In order to pacify Muslim rioters, during the anti-CAA riots that had seen extensive vandalism, arson and damage to public properties, Hakim, referring to the rioters as ‘brothers’ claimed such acts by Muslims will ‘help BJP to come to power in Bengal’ and then the Muslims have to ‘keep their heads down’, like they allegedly do in UP.

Monsoon Session in Parliament: BJP MP Ravi Kishan raises issue of drug trafficking in movie industry, says it is destroying young lives

OpIndia Staff
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Monsoon Session in Parliament: BJP MP Ravi Kishan raises issue of drug trafficking in movie industry, says it is destroying young lives

On the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, BJP MP and actor Ravi Kishan raised the issue of drug trafficking in India and the film fraternity.

“I want to bring the attention of the Parliament to an important issue. We know that cases of drug trafficking and drug addiction are on the rise in the country. There is a conspiracy to destroy the lives of Indian youth through the distribution of lethal drugs. I am saddened to say that the neighbouring countries have a role in this conspiracy,” he emphasised.

Ravi Kishan continued, “Every year, drugs are trafficked from China and Pakistan through Punjab and Nepal. And drug addiction is a serious problem even in our film industry. Our government is taking strong action against people involved in the drug trade. NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) is doing very good work. Actors are considered role model in India but the problem of drug use is rampant in the industry.”

“I want to urge our government to nab the accused as soon as possible and curb the drug abuse with an iron hand. I request the government to ensure the failure of the conspiracy of our neighbouring countries to destroy the youth of this country,” he reiterated.

Drug consumption and peddling in the movie industry

The allegations of rampant drug trafficking and consumption in the movie industry had come to the for when chats of deceased Bollywood actor Sushant Singh’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty were reported by media portals. The NCB had filed FIRs in the case and several of the alleged traffickers have been arrested.

Two actresses, and several people from the Kannada Cinema industry have also been arrested by the Karnataka Crime Branch over accusations of drug usage, peddling and consumption. Multiple raids were conducted by the CCB to nab large stashes of narcotic substances. Allegations have also been levelled against several political leaders.

In a shocking disclosure, Rhea Chakraborty has reportedly confessed that actress Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh, designer Simone Khambatta had consumed narcotics substance. Sushant’s friend Rohini Iyer and filmmaker Mukesh Chhabra’s names have also been mentioned by Rhea during her interrogation. Following the disclosure, NCB officials are set to summon at least 25 prominent Bollywood stars in the drug investigations. 

Chinese state media finds proof of terrorism by India – a spoof video on PUBG by India Today

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese state media finds proof of terrorism by India – a spoof video on PUBG by India Today

Chinese state media Global Times had made a bizarre statement that it had found proof of terrorism in India. In the report, GT suggests that the video created by India Today group with a toon of PM Modi wielding guns at Chinese apps as a ‘proof’ of “terrorism and provocation of national sentiment against China.”

Chinese state media claimed that this spoof video is ‘condemned’ by Chinese netizens. This video shared by India Today group to essentially mock Indian government to ban the Chinese apps amid the current tension at the border with China in Ladakh.

Recently, the Indian government has banned more than a hundred Chinese apps, including massively popular TikTok and PUBG, the Korean game that got banned because of its Chinese connections. The government is not sparing any app that has Chinese origin for the fact that there have been reports of China spying on people across the globe. Some time back, Zoom, the US-based video conferencing app, was condemned for having servers in China. It was reported that Zoom users were thrown out of a virtual meeting without any legal ground as they talked against China or had a history of talking against China.

The video that was uploaded by the India Today group on 8th September shows Modi as an App slayer. He parachutes from a plane in an area that looks more like a China-based location. He then starts shooting apps with human-looking bodies. In the end, a giant app, PUBG, appears in front of him, but PM Modi defeats him in a fist-fight. India Today has clearly mentioned in the title of the video that it is ‘hilarious’ take on the Modi government’s ban on Chinese apps amid Ladakh tension. It is a part of the “So Sorry” series by the new agency in which they create spoof videos on current topics.

Global Times claimed Chinese netizens are angry

The Chinese state media Global Times has claimed in its report that Chinese netizens and experts are angry. They quoted one professor Xie Chao of Tsinghua University, who said that the video depicts the true side of Prime Minister Modi. “Using the state machinery to crack down on private enterprises shows the true colors of the Bharatiya Janata Party in mobilizing populism,” he added. The news agency alleged that some netizen said on Chinese social media Weibo, “India Today advocating such a violent and bloody video is publicity for terrorism.” However, the agency failed to provide any link or screenshot of such statements.

The ban on Chinese apps

India has so far banned 172 Chinese apps, including major players like PUBG and Tiktok. It is believed that the Galwan Valley standoff was one of the tipping points that led to a massive crackdown on Chinese apps and companies. Recently, PM Modi encouraged Indians to use more indigenously developed apps in his Mann Ki Baat address. The government of India is shooting multiple targets with such bans. Firstly, they are removing apps that may spy on Indian citizens and send their personal information to their Chinese headquarters. Secondly, they are promoting the India-based app industry. Lastly, they send a clear signal to China that India is not interested in continuing economic relations if China does not stop poking around in India’s internal matters and remove its forces from LAC.

Wolf in sheep’s clothing: The life and times of Umar Khalid who has always furthered the Islamist agenda in the guise of a ‘communist atheist’

OpIndia Staff
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Wolf in sheep’s clothing: The life and times of Umar Khalid who has always furthered the Islamist agenda in the guise of a ‘communist atheist’

Umar Khalid, the infamous JNU ‘scholar’, has been arrested by Delhi Police in connection with its investigation into the Delhi Riots. He has been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and is expected to be produced before the Court on Monday. The Police have informed that a chargesheet will be filed against him in the days to come.

As expected, his arrest has triggered a meltdown among liberals. Some have called for scrapping the UAPA itself while others have hailed him as “undoubtedly among the leaders that India deserves”. But there is good reason for the reputation that Umar Khalid has acquired over the years. Some of it is due to his background but mostly, it is entirely a consequence of his own actions.

Umar Khalid first shot to infamy during the ‘Tukde Tukde’ episode in 2016. On the 9th of February, 2016, protests were organised at the Jawaharlal Nehru University to commemorate terrorist Afzal Guru’s death anniversary. Numerous dangerous slogans were raised at the event, the most prominent among them being ‘Bharat tere tukde honge, Inshallah Inshallah’ and ‘Bharat tere barbaadi tak, Jung chalegi’.

Following the incident, the government cracked down on the protesters. Comrade Kanhaiya Kumar was initially arrested before being released and was made to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000. Umar Khalid was rusticated by the University for a semester, he had been arrested previously in the same matter along with Kanhaiya Kumar before being released.

In the subsequent chargesheet that was filed in the JNU Sedition Case, Comrade Kanhaiya and Umar Khalid were booked along with others. Only recently, the Delhi Government gave sanction for their prosecution. The approval was welcomed by the ‘scholar’. He claimed that he has full faith in the Judiciary and will be vindicated.

Umar Khalid’s father, interestingly, was a member of the now banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). After having quit the organisation, now his father is now a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). In fact, it was SQR Iliyas who had announced the AIMPLB’s decision to file review petition against the Ayodhya verdict that paved the way for the Bhavya Ram Mandir at Janmabhoomi.

SQR Ilyas has, in the past, contested the Lok Sabha Elections from West Bengal on a ticket from the Welfare Party of India (WPI) from the Jangipur constituency, a Muslim-dominated seat in Murshidabad district. The former SIMI member is now a member of Central Advisory Council of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and served as convener of Babri Masjid Coordination Committee.

Umar Khalid, meanwhile, has staunchly maintained that he is a Communist and an atheist; even though his stance on political matters rarely varies from his ideologically committed devout Muslim father. two days after the brutal murder of Kamlesh Tiwari by Jihadists for blasphemy against Islam, he prostrated profusely before prophet Mohammed and blamed Hinduitva for fueling divisions instead in a bid to deflect attention from the deep-seated radicalism that pervades vast sections of the Muslim community. Later, in an article, he passionately defended his decision to crawl before the Muslim prophet, as an atheist of course.

During the JNU sedition fracas, he had also appeared on Arnab Goswami’s newshour debate on Times Now. In the debate, Umar Khalid had vociferously defended Afzal Guru and said that there were many, such Arundhati Roy, who had questioned the death penalty awarded to him. He had also said that there were many who questioned whether Afzal was even involved in the attack on the Indian Parliament.

The ‘communist atheist’ had also claimed that Afzal was not given a fair trial and passionately defended the terrorist. He admitted that the slogans were raised but said that it was only raised by some people from Kashmir. However, he continued to accuse everyone else of bigotry even as he defended a terrorist. He claimed that the system was built on injustice.

Umar Khalid further claimed that over a lakh people had been killed in Kashmir and hundreds of women had been raped by the Indian Army. Arnab Goswami labelled their actions anti-national. For a person who calls himself a ‘Communist atheist’, his passion towards furthering the cause of Radical Islam is indeed worth noting.

In a speech on the 22nd of February, 2016, at the JNU campus, he had also claimed that it was the United States of America that was responsible for the tensions between India and Pakistan. Quoting a Pakistani poet, he had said, “Hindustan bhi mera hai aur Pakistan bhi mera hai, Par in dono mulqon mein Amrika ka dera hai”. It roughly translates tom “Hindustan is mine, Pakistan is also mine, but between these two countries, it is America that has created strife.” Umar Khalid had then proceeded to accuse his opponents of being American agents.

Umar Khalid is also associated with the United Against Hate (UAH) which launched a campaign against the Citizenship Amendment Act in collaboration with PUCL and others. PUCL is an organisation that has intimate links with the ‘Urban Naxals’ arrested in the Bhima Koregaon Case. UAH itself collaborates with organisations such as Bhim Army, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-hind, Jamaat-e-Islami and Alpsankhyak Adhikar. Khalid Saifi, the founder of UAH, has been arrested in the Delhi Riots case as a key conspirator.

The role of Umar Khalid first figured in connection with the communal riots in Delhi when a speech of his allegedly made on the 20th of February surfaced. In the speech, he said that Muslims should ‘show’ the visiting US president that the people of India are fighting against the ruling party of India. Donald Trump was scheduled to visit on the 24th of February and the riots broke out during his official visit.

The chargesheets filed thus far in the matter assert that Umar Khalid was in touch with Tahir Hussain, another key conspirator, through Khalid Saifi. Khalid Saifi, the chargsesheet filed in FIR 114 says, had arranged a meeting between Umar Khalid and Tahir Hussain on the 8th of January at Shaheen Bagh. At that meeting, it was decided that ‘big action’ would be taken to internationalise the issue.

Thus, quite clearly, Umar Khalid may claim to be a ‘Communist atheist’ but actions speak louder than words. It might have been convenient for certain sections of the media to brand him an atheist but time and again, he has demonstrated through his actions that his political stances do not vary at all from Islamists. Now that he has been arrested, the Court will now decided whether there is sufficient evidence available to deem him guilty for his alleged role in the Delhi riots.

17 MPs including Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde test positive for coronavirus ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session

OpIndia Staff
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17 MPs including Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde test positive for coronavirus ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session

17 Members of Lok Sabha have tested positive for the coronavirus before the start of the monsoon session of parliament this morning.

Among those infected are Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde, Parvesh Sahib Singh, Sukhbir Singh, Hanuman Beniwal, Sukanata Majumdar, Goddeti Madhavi, Pratap Rao Jadhav, Janardan Singh, Bidyut Baran, Pradan Baruah, N Reddeppa, Selvam G, Pratap Rao Patil, Ram Shankar Katheria, Satya Pal Singh and Rodmal Nagar.

Mandatory coronavirus tests conducted before the start of the monsoon session

The compulsory tests were conducted before the start of the monsoon session this morning. Members belonging to the lower house of the parliament were tested on September 13 and September 14 for the novel coronavirus.

As coronavirus rages through the country, several lawmakers, including the country’s Home Minister, Amit Shah, had contracted the infection. Besides, an MP and several MLAs have died of the highly contagious disease. Given the pervasiveness of the virus, members of the parliament were advised to get themselves tested for COVID-19 before the monsoon session.

The monsoon session of the parliament is being carried out amidst extensive safety measures that include staggered seating for MPs in chambers of both Houses to conform to the social distancing norms. A mobile app is also been used to mark attendance. The seats in the houses have been separated with poly-carbon sheets.

Coronavirus case tally in the country cross 48 lakh mark

The coronavirus crisis in the country is exponentially expanding, with 92,070 caseloads registered in the last 24 hours. The total tally of the coronavirus cases registered in the country have risen to over 48 lakhs. The cumulative death toll has reached 79,722 mark, with more than 1,100 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of active cases stands at 4,846,427 including 9,86,598 active cases while total recoveries stand at 37,80,107, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Madhya Pradesh: Congress leader Sameer Khan arrested on charges of raping, blackmailing minor, SIT formed

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Congress leader Sameer Khan arrested on charges of raping, blackmailing minor, SIT formed

Satna police, which arrested Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Sameer Khan aka Sikander on Sunday following a complaint by a minor girl, accused him to be a sexual predator. The police confirmed that the Congress MP, arrested for the rape of a minor, used to click objectionable pictures and make videos of women and post it on porn websites. The Congress leader also used these pictures and videos to blackmail the victims for sexual favours and money, alleged the Satna Police.

Madhya Pradesh Congress leader posed as Hindu to befriend minor girl, used objectionable pictures to blackmail her

Sikandar Khan was arrested Sunday by the Satna police after a minor girl lodged a complaint against the Congress leader. As per reports, at least 4 FIRs have been filed against the Congress leaders. As per reports, Sameer Khan had posed as Sameer Singh to befriend the minor on Facebook. He then called her to his farmhouse, where he had raped her and clicked objectionable pictures of her. The Congress leader, since the last three years, has been using the pictures to blackmail the girl and sexually exploit her. The victim, at last, approached the police and opened up against the Congress leader.

Blank checks amounting to Rs 50 lakhs signed by victims recovered from the Madhya Pradesh Congress MP

The Satna SP has formed an SIT team to investigate the matter. It is being said that the Congress leader, who has appeared on hoardings and pictures with many other Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders, has exploited many women in the last few years. The police are screening his phone records from the last five years to dig out more information about Khan’s criminal activities.

Poster of accused Congress MP Sikandar Khan with Kamal Nath and other Congress leaders put up in Satna

According to reports, checks amounting to Rs 50 lakhs have been recovered from the Congress leader. These checks were allegedly signed by the victims, whom the Congress leader had been blackmailing with their objectionable pictures and videos.

BJP alleges Love Jihad

While the Madhya Pradesh Congress has distanced itself from the MP, BJP has accused Sikandar Khan of Love Jihad. VD Sharma, the BJP state president, while speaking to the media condemned the incident and called for strict action against the Congress leader.

Accusing the Congress MP of blackmailing the victims into Love Jihad, the BJP leader said that such transgressions would not be tolerated in Madhya Pradesh.

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