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Congress, India Today get together to promote Rahul Gandhi, end up adding imaginary zeroes in social media views. Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Congress, India Today get together to promote Rahul Gandhi, end up adding imaginary zeroes in social media views. Read details

In what appears as another desperate effort to relaunch the Gandhi Scion–Rahul Gandhi for the nth time, India Today’s notorious “Data Intelligence Unit” seems to have colluded with the Congress party to exaggerate the reach of his recent videos lambasting the Central Government vis-à-vis the Line of Actual Control stand-off with China.

Quoting the Congress social media cell, the India Today report claimed that the videos released by the former Congress president on July 17 and July 20 had so far garnered 15 crore views. “Both videos have been watched by four crore people on Twitter, six crores on Facebook, two crores on Youtube, and shared by two crore users on WhatsApp,” the report published by India Today read.

Rahul Gandhi’s first two videos on Twitter have approximately 45 lakh views, not 4 crores

However, a cursory glance at Rahul Gandhi’s Tweets about the videos criticising PM Modi on the India-China border dispute reveals the true extent of its reach. The India Today report stated that Rahul Gandhi’s videos had been watched by over 4 crore people on Twitter. But the count of views on the video shared by him on the microblogging website suggests otherwise. Rahul Gandhi’s first video which was released on July 17 has so far accumulated 2.7 million views which translates to 27 lakh views.

The Wayanad MP’s subsequent video that was released three days later on July 20, 2020, racked up 1.8 million views, that’s equivalent to 18 lakhs.

The combined views of the two videos are just 45 lakhs, which is nowhere close to the inflated claims of “4 crores” by the Congress social media cell and the India Today report. Perhaps, the Data Intelligence unit of India Today misinterpreted 4.5 million as about 4.5 crores.

Six crore people on Facebook watched Rahul Gandhi’s video?

The tale of exaggeration of the reach of Rahul Gandhi’s videos on India-China stand-off on Facebook similar to that on Twitter. The India Today report overstated that the first two videos posted by Rahul Gandhi on his official Facebook account were viewed by over 6 crore people.

However, the first video posted by Rahul Gandhi on Facebook has been viewed by about 358,000 people so far and the second video uploaded on July 20, 2020, has been watched by 2,37,000 people.

First video on India-China stand-off posted by Rahul Gandhi on Facebook
Second video on the India-China standoff posted by Rahul Gandhi on Facebook

The total views of the two videos amount to around 5,95,000 views, which is approximately 5,000 short of the 6-lakh figure. Far from crossing the 6 crore-mark as stated by the India Today report, the videos have struggled to pass the half a million mark.

The reality about the claims made about YouTube views of Rahul Gandhi’s videos

The report goes on to assert that Rahul Gandhi’s popularity is soaring as people are associating themselves with the former Congress president in his critique against the current dispensation for sweeping under the rug the looming border crisis with China. Citing the Congress IT cell, the report contends that Rahul Gandhi’s attack against the government is gaining traction on Internet as 2 crore people have watched his first two videos on YouTube.

But Rahul Gandhi’s YouTube channel spills the truth that the Congress IT cell and India Today tried to hide with their embellishing account of his latest videos. The first video posted by Rahul Gandhi had so far garnered about 81,000 views while the second video, uploaded three days later, could fetch only 41,000 views until now.

First video on India-China conflict posted by Rahul Gandhi on YouTube

Second video on the India-China LAC standoff posted by Rahul Gandhi on YouTube

When combined, the overall reach of the two videos uploaded on YouTube is close to 1,22,000 but the Congress IT cell inflated it, claiming that 2 crore people have watched his videos on YouTube.

Were Rahul Gandhi’s videos shared by 2 crore people on Whatsapp?

Perhaps, the most outrageous claims made by the Congress IT cell in conjunction with India Today is that the first two videos of Rahul Gandhi were shared by over two crore people on Whatsapp. If one goes by the claims made about the YouTube, Twitter and Facebook views of the videos, it can be easily inferred that the assertions made in the article published on India Today are nothing but whoppers.

In addition to this, it is reasonable to assume that Whatsapp data cannot be accessed by a third party, let alone a political party, to assert that their leader’s reach is steadily expanding. Also, it is unlikely that Whatsapp alone has a staggering 2 crore shares while the videos on other social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook registers below ordinary numbers.

Another launch attempt for Rahul Gandhi?

The India Today article about Rahul Gandhi’s so-called phenomenal popularity also added boastful lines from Congress. Congress Social Media cell head Rohan Gupta was quoted saying, “Rahul Ji is getting this kind of traction in his videos because when one speaks the truth, one connects with masses”.

India Today article that added extra zeros converting lakhs into crores

The fact that the Congress IT cell and India Today extrapolated 4.5 million views to 4 crores on Twitter, 6 lakhs to 6 crores on Facebook and 1,22,000 views to 2 crores on YouTube, demonstrates that in their bid to show the resurgence of Rahul Gandhi, they are even willing to embarrass themselves by getting the basic maths wrong.

Kerala: High Court refuses anticipatory bail, ‘activist’ Rehana Fathima to approach SC over controversial video case

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: High Court refuses anticipatory bail, ‘activist’ Rehana Fathima to approach SC over controversial video case

On Friday, the Kerala High Court reportedly dismissed the anticipatory bail of ‘activist’ Rehana Fathima after she was booked for posting offensive social media video of minor children drawing on her naked body. As per reports, she has now decided to move to the apex court.

As per a report in Mathrubhumi, Fathima has informed that she is hoping for a ‘favourable judgment’ from the Supreme court. Meanwhile, she has also asked the state government to clarify its position on the said issue. The activist claimed that court verdicts are influenced by public opinion and that the phenomenon must change. “I hope to get a favourable judgment from the court. Law cannot always be favourable to a section of people. It is the same for everyone,” she concluded. Rehana Fathima emphasised that everyone has the responsibility of earning their own rights.

Reportedly, she has accused the State government of trying to save its face, amidst the raising debate surrounding the morality behind using minor children for painting on a naked body. Fathima alleged that the Kerala government led by Pinarayi Vijayan is ready to ‘sacrifice anyone and everyone’ and that it was a repetition of the government’s past track record. As per the reports, the government has asked the Kerala High Court to dismisses her anticipatory bail. It argued that people don’t have the rights to engage in ‘whatsoever activity’ with people, including their children, under the pretext of ‘art’. The Kerala government has also asked the court to take cognizance of the activist’s past actions.

‘Body painting’ gets Rehana Fathima in jail

Earlier, the Thiruvalla police of Pathanamthitta district in Kerala had booked Rehana Fathima, under the Juvenile Justice Act and section 67 of the Information Technology Act (Electronically transmitting sexually explicit content) for non-bailable offences. On June 19, she took to her youtube channel to post a 2:00 minute video where she was seen lying on the bed wearing only a pair of red shorts, while her children painted on her naked torso. She also uploaded the same on her Facebook page with hashtag #BodyArtPolitics. According to Rehana, the video was made to reiterate that women need to be open about sex and their bodies in a society where sex and nudity are taboo.

Fact-check: No, Govt of India is not selling 3 Khadi masks for Rs 999

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-check: No, Govt of India is not selling 3 Khadi masks for Rs 999

On Friday, several social media users took to Twitter to share images of an advertisement put out by a certain seller, who claims to be selling three Khadi masks for Rs 999.

The advertisement promotes Khadi masks, which has images of Prime Minister Modi alongside ‘Make in India’ logo. The masks which are priced at Rs 999 for a pack of three were soon passed off as the official masks being sold by the KVIC themselves.

Various social media users, sharing these images of masks, accused the government of selling Khadi masks at a higher price. The trolls associated with the Congress party even mocked Prime Minister Modi as his image was on the advertisement and called him ‘virus’.

Few other social media users said that it was an unacceptable act by the government to sell the Khadi masks at Rs 999. Claiming that safety of Khadi masks was not even guaranteed, another user claimed that the government was using pandemic to promote Khadi.

Trolls, associated with Aam Aadmi Party too jumped on to the scene to ask why would someone buy three masks for such a high price.

As rumours began to circulate that the government was selling masks at a higher price, the Khadi India themselves clarified on Twitter stating that the masks that are being sold at a higher price as ‘Khadi masks’, were not official masks which are being distributed across the country by KVIC.

The Khadi India also said that the manufacturers of these masks were fraudulently using the name of Khadi, to sell their products. “Our legal team is looking into this matter and will take strict action against such promotions,” said Khadi India confirming that these maks did not belong to them.

With an increase in demand for masks amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) had recently launched online sales of khadi face masks for affordable rates.

The online sales of masks, which was to be sold at a nominal rate of Rs 30, was started as to benefit people in the remotest parts of the country, particularly those who cannot afford to move out of their houses or visit Khadi India outlets due to various constraints.

Two girls get trapped in raging Pench river in Madhya Pradesh while taking selfies, rescued by police and locals

OpIndia Staff
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Two girls get trapped in raging Pench river in Madhya Pradesh while taking selfies, rescued by police and locals

A major tragedy was averted in the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh when the police rescued two girls stuck in the middle of a gushing Pench river. A video of the girls being trapped at the centre of a violently raging river has gone viral on the Internet.

The two girls had gone to the centre of the river, in a bid to click a “perfect selfie” of themselves. However, the water level of the river suddenly rose, stranding the duo in the middle of the river. Local police were called in to extricate the beleaguered girls, who with the help of locals and ropes, brought the girls to safety.

According to a local police official who assisted the rescue of the two girls, a group of girls had come to the mountain river Pench on a picnic. But, two of them went inside the river to take a selfie. While they were clicking a perfect selfie from a stone perched smack in the middle of the river, the water level rose suddenly, trapping the duo. The other members of the picnic group immediately informed the locals, who in turn relayed the information to the police. After being stranded for almost an hour in the river in spate, the two girls were rescued by the police and the locals.

“If we don’t act now CCP will erode our freedom”: Mike Pompeo pitches for a new “alliance of democracies” to tackle China

OpIndia Staff
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“If we don’t act now CCP will erode our freedom”: Mike Pompeo pitches for a new “alliance of democracies” to tackle China

Upping the ante against Beijing, US state secretary Mike Pompeo on Thursday called for the creation of a “new alliance of democracies” to fight against the authoritarian Chinese regime. “If we bend the knee now, our children’s children may be at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)”, said Pompeo, fearing that if concrete and timely actions are not taken against the tyrannical Chinese regime, it won’t be long before the Chinese Communist Party “erode our freedoms” and undermine the rules-based international order.

“If we do not act now, ultimately, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will erode our freedoms and subvert the rules-based order that our societies have worked so hard to build”, said Mike Pompeo, in a speech in California on Thursday.

Chinese Consulate in Houston a hub of spying and intellectual property theft: Mike Pompeo

Speaking of USA’s sudden decision to shut the Chinese Consulate in Houston, the US State Secretary said that the consulate was a centre of espionage, operating to illegally obtain USA’s trade secrets.

“This week we closed down China’s consulate in Houston because it was a hub of spying and intellectual property theft,” Pompeo said.

Casting aspersions on Beijing and its relations with Washington, Pompeo added: “China ripped off our prized intellectual property and trade secrets costing millions of jobs across America”.

USA ordered China to shut down its Consulate in Houston

In an unprecedented move, the USA government had ordered China to shut down its Consulate in Houston, Texas within 72 hours, on July 22. Soon after, videos of Chinese staffers burning documents at the consulate had gone viral on social media.

Condemning the action, China had vowed to retaliate after what they called an ‘unprecedented escalation’ of the US’s actions against China.

China retaliates

Now, in what can be seen as an eye for an eye escalation between China and the US, China on Friday ordered the United States to close its consulate in the western city of Chengdu.

China’s foreign ministry said the closure was a “legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable actions taken by the United States”, in a statement.

Pinning the blame on the US, the Chinese foreign ministry added: “The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the US bears all responsibility for that.”

Haryana man Jumma arrested after confessing that he killed his 5 children over the last 5 years

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana man Jumma arrested after confessing that he killed his 5 children over the last 5 years

A man named Jumma was arrested by the Jind police in connection with the killing of his two daughters—Muskan (11) and Nisha (7) —in an incident of drowning. The police had recovered their body on July 20 from the Hansi-Butana Link (HBL) canal after they had gone missing on July 15 from Didwara village of Safidon town.

Bodies of two girls recovered from canal raised suspicions

A complaint of missing persons was lodged by the parents– Jumma, a labourer, and his pregnant wife, who is bearing their sixth child. However, the manner in which the two girls’ bodies were retrieved from the canal, raised suspicions among the police about the possibility of them being murdered. The cops then registered a murder case.

Meanwhile, the man, Jumma, apparently confessed to his crime of killing his daughters, claiming that he did so because of his abject poverty. According to the police, the man allegedly administered intoxicants to his daughters and later, when they were unconscious, threw them into the canal.

Jumma confessed of killing all his 5 children

This was not enough. The man also confessed to the panchayat that he had killed all his 5 children over the last 5 years. First, his son was found dead while sleeping 5 years ago. Then, a couple of years later, his daughter suddenly died while playing. Then, a year ago, his other son started vomiting and later died. However, despite the unusual and suspicious circumstances in which his children died, the man did not approach any doctor or hospital for a postmortem of his three children earlier.

While the sympathies flowed in for the man and his wife for losing all their five children, they were shocked after hearing the man’s confession to his crimes. Unnerved by his confession, the shocked villagers took the man to the police but the cops did not take any strict action against him. The man had again acknowledged his crime in front of about 30 villagers and the police were called and the man was handed over to them.

Registering a case against Jumma, DIG of Jind district, Ashwin Shenvi said, “Prima facie, he accepted his crimes but more information in the case is awaited. We are investigating the case and will soon make the case public.”

Jammu and Kashmir: Remote villages in Shopian get electricity for the first time with PM’s Soubhagya scheme

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Remote villages in Shopian get electricity for the first time with PM’s Soubhagya scheme

Some far-flung villages in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian area were finally provided with electricity for the first time. Various villages of Dunnadi in Sopian’s Keller Tehsil were without electricity even after 70 years of India’s Independence.

These villages in the Keller Tehsil are remote and difficult to access. The areas are within steep hills and forests, making electrification a challenging task.

Villages in Sopian get electricity under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar (Saubhagya) Yojana

The electricity to these villages has been provided under the central government scheme, Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana which was launched by the Prime Minister in 2017.

The Saubhagya Scheme or Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana is a Modi government initiative through which the central government aims to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas.

According to reports, five transformers have been installed in the area and were commissioned within seven days ot bring electricity to these villages.

“We had never seen electricity in our life. We feel good that this remote area finally received the electricity,” an elated local Muhammad Aslam told a local news channel. Another resident Muhammad Awan, an elderly person said these villages were without electricity since he was born. “We are happy now. Our homes have been lit up,” he said.

Since there was no electricity in these villages until now, the humble villagers were having to make do with candles and oil lamps, but things will now be different for these villagers.

Farooq Ahmed, Asst Executive Engineer in the Power Development Board, has stated that the villages are in high-altitude areas and the households were unelectrified through all these decades. Under the Soubhagya Scheme, the households were identified and steps were taken to electrify the hilly area.

Bengaluru: Municipal officials barricade residences of coronavirus patients by nailing tin sheets on doors, removes it after uproar

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru: Municipal officials barricade residences of coronavirus patients by nailing tin sheets on doors, removes it after uproar

On Thursday, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) sealed-down two residences in an apartment with tin sheets after a resident tested positive for coronavirus in Domlur, Bengaluru.

However, the BBMP had to remove it after residents of the housing society took to social media to post such images, leaving the civic authorities red-faced.

A resident of a housing complex in Bengaluru posted images of BBMP officials sealing down two flats in the complex with tin sheets after one resident test positive for the coronavirus. Satish Sangameshwaran posted two photographs on social media, in which BBMP officials were seen ‘sealing’ down the residence of a coronavirus person.

The resident soon alerted the BBMP Commissioner on the issue and pointed out that it would be extremely dangerous if there was a fire hazard and asked what would senior citizens or children do when such a situation arises.

Soon, netizens joined the residents of the apartment to appraise the situation to the BBMP officials and demanded them to remove the barricades as soon as possible.

As the news spread, BBMP officials soon took notice of the lapse and rushed to the spot to remove the sheets. BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said that he has asked to remove the barricade immediately. He also added that the BBMP was committed to treating all persons with dignity. The purpose of containment is to protect the infected and to ensure uninfected are safe, he said in a tweet.

The BBMP commissioner said action will be taken against officials for the dereliction of the duty.

Hours after BBMP Commissioner promised of removing barricades, the BBMP officials visited the housing complex and removed the barricades put up across the doors of the residents of the coronavirus patients.

Satish, who had flagged the matter confirmed the same as well. Taking to Twitter again, Satish said that BBMP team visited the residence and removed the tin sheets from outside both the flats and the staircase access area.

Another social media user also posted a image showing that the sheets have been removed from the doors.

The garden city of Bengaluru, till Thursday, reported a total of 39,200 coronavirus cases, while active cases stand at 29,090. The death tally in Bengaluru stands at 783 out of the total 1,616 deaths in the state due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rajasthan Congress MLA Babulal Bairwa staying in Fairmont hotel develops breathing problems, admitted to hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan Congress MLA Babulal Bairwa staying in Fairmont hotel develops breathing problems, admitted to hospital

Babulal Bairwa, the Congress MLA from Rajasthan’s Kathumar, has been admitted to Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur after facing breathing problem. Bairwa is one of the Congress MLAs from the Ashok Gehlot camp, who is currently staying at the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.

According to the reports, the Congress MLA been admitted to Sawai Man Singh Hospital in the city after he complained of breathing problems.

Fairmont is a five-star hotel where the senior congress leaders of the Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are staying amidst the ongoing political crisis in the state. Currently, 80 MLAs are lodged at the Fairmont Hotel, where a single room cost around Rs 9,000 per night.

The development comes as Rajasthan High Court is all set to deliver its judgement on the disqualification notices sent by Speaker CP Joshi to former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and other rebel Congress lawmakers after they failed to attend the legislative party meet.

Delhi: COVID positive minor girl sexually assaulted by another patient at ITBP facility, case registered

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: COVID positive minor girl sexually assaulted by another patient at ITBP facility, case registered

The Delhi Police has reportedly arrested a man and his accomplice for sexually assaulting a minor girl and filming her at a Coronavirus care centre, managed by the ITBP, in the national capital. The incident took place on July 15. The victim, reportedly a 14-year-old girl, who was diagnosed with the Chinese virus, was admitted to the said facility earlier this month.

Reportedly, a 19-year-old boy sexually assaulted the victim while she was inside the bathroom of the facility. As per the report, his accomplice recorded the incident on his mobile phone. The duo was admitted to the facility around the same time the victim was admitted. The accused responsible for assaulting the minor girl was admitted to the ITBP Care centre along with a family member.

 An ITBP official has informed, “The men and women have separate bathrooms here. We are looking into the matter.”  The staff member stated that the victim had got up to use the washroom late at night and the accused entered the women’s toilet, despite separate washrooms. The victim is currently undergoing counselling session and has been kept at another facility with a family member. According to a senior district administration official, CCTV cameras have been installed and that arrangements have been made to accommodate everyone. The official conceded, “The SHO has the complaint, and two men have been held The police will submit their report and then judicial proceedings will take place.”

Police action against the accused

The victim informed about the said incident to her family members, following which a complaint was filed with the ITBP doctors working at the facility. They subsequently informed the police who then took cognizance of the incident. According to the additional DCP (South district)  Parvinder Singh, a case had been registered against the duo under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act and Section 376 (lays down punishment for sexual assault) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

He, however, added that the perpetrators will be under institutional care until they recover from the disease.  “We are investigating the matter further,” Singh emphasised. As per the report, the accused have been shifted to AIIMS. The police informed that the accused will be put behind bars after the duo tests negative for the Wuhan Coronavirus.

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