An FIR has been registered against controversial journalist Vinod Dua in Delhi accusing him of misreporting the Delhi riots and also on charges of creating a public nuisance by false “contextual reporting”.
According to the reports, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has registered an FIR against journalist Vinod Dua for circulating fake news through a YouTube video.
The video, which he had uploaded on March 11, was related to the Anti-Hindu riots that occurred in Northeast Delhi earlier this year. The FIR was registered following a complaint by Delhi BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar.
The complaint accused Dua of reporting “facts” that never happened. Naveen Kumar, sharing a clip of the video along with the complaint, alleged that Dua had tried to incite communal tension by asking people to step out in large numbers during the riots.
The five-page FIR has been registered under IPC sections 290 (public nuisance), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), and 505 (2) (sale of printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter).
Dua committed public nuisance, mischief
In the complaint, Kumar said, “Dua, a known India media personality, committed the offence of public nuisance, mischief, printing and engraving matters known to be defamatory, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace”.
Further, the complainant alleged that Dua misreported the Delhi riots and Anti-CAA protests while blaming the Prime Minister, Home Minister and BJP’s Kapil Mishra for the riots.
BJP leader Naveen Kumar also cited one of the episodes of Dua’s video show called ‘The Vinod Dua Show’, where the alleged ‘journalist’ spread propaganda against former Congressman Jyotiraditya Scindia joining BJP. Kumar, in his complaint, called Dua’s remarks as “degrading”.
A senior police officer said that prima facie it was found that an FIR could be filed against Vinod Dua The FIR was registered on June 4.
Meanwhile, Vinod Dua, who is accused of molesting a filmmaker, however, said that he was not yet contacted by the police. ‘I cannot react to it at this point’, he added, saying that he has seen the tweet by the BJP leader.
Vinod Dua provoked Indians after George Floyd incident
Just a few days back, controversial journalist and MeToo accused, Vinod Dua in his daily show provoked Indians to protest and riot in the same manner as witnessed in the United States, following the extra-judicial killing of George Floyd by a white police officer.
Taking cue from how violent protests could even make the elected US President hostage in his Presidential estate, Dua said, “We will want to see such people here too. We have 130 crore people after all. America does not even have that much population”.
In his concluding remarks, he had reiterated how the people in India had failed to display their anger against the mistreatment of minorities.
Vindo Dua has a history of peddling fake news through his social media platforms and also through his podcasts on Youtube. He has been caught several times for spreading fake news, however, the left-wing ‘journalist’ has never retracted his stories nor apologised for the same.
The nation was shocked after news surfaced of a one-month pregnant elephant died in Palakkad on May 27, days after it injured its jaws due to explosives packed in pineapple that it had eaten. Soon, news surfaced that the perpetrators may have belonged to the Muslim community and it was then that the Islamic propaganda website AltNews published a ‘fact-check’ to discredit the story and shield the perpetrators, as they have done several times in the past.
There were two ‘Fact-checks’ that were done by AltNews in the matter. One was about the district of Kerala where this incident took place, and the other, fact-checking the names of the Muslim perpetrators that were circulated on Social Media. Both fact-checks were extremely problematic and dishonest and we will deal with each one separately.
Two fact-checks done by AltNews as shown by Google, in both, the ‘verdict’ is ‘false’
It is important to note that these two problematic ‘fact-checks’ are still on the website and are prominently displayed on their home page as their featured posts till the time this article was written.
Homepage of AltNews
The first fact-check by AltNews: District being misidentified as Mallapuram by NDTV led to anti-Muslim sentiment
The first attempt made by AltNews to shield the Muslim perpetrators surfaced after Maneka Gandhi tweeted a note asserting that Mallapuram, a Muslim majority district in Kerala, has seen cases of animal brutality and even after repeated requests, no action has been taken. AltNews ‘fact-checked’ this information to say that the incident actually took place in Pallakad and that the name of Mallapuram surfaced only to target the Muslim community.
The fact-check of AltNews started with how, “as with most other issues in India”, this incident “provoked wave of anti-Muslim sentiment”.
AltNews article
In the article, AltNews quoted the Kerala forest minister and the chief minister to say that the incident happened in Palakkad. While that information is correct, AltNews blatantly claimed that the district being misquoted led to an anti-Muslim wave.
AltNews article
This fact-check by AltNews was published on the 4th of June 2020 and till yesterday, one would find nothing wrong with it other than their force-fit narrative of Hindus hating Muslims. However, the problem surfaces when one realises that the article has not been updated till the time this article was written.
The perpetrator who was arrested on the 5th of June was one P Wilson and the other two who have been absconding were confirmed to be two Muslim individuals called Abdul Kareem and son Riyasudheen.
Since the AltNews fact-check clearly aims to say that the ‘anti-Muslim’ sentiment that was supposedly expressed by many was misplaced, one would have expected AltNews to add an update to the story clearly identifying the perpetrators, who, as it turns out, did eventually belong to the Muslim community. However, no such update was made by AltNews.
The second ‘fact-check’ by AltNews: The ‘fact-check’ and the shameless chicanery by AltNews
As the case progressed, on the 5th of June, several individuals tweeted information that two perpetrators who had been arrested for the heinous crime were two individuals called Amzath Ali and Thamim Shaikh. One of the first to tweet about this information was Amar Prasad Reddy, media advisor to the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.
AltNews jumped at the opportunity to “fact-check” this claim.
AltNews ‘fact-check’
In the ‘fact-check’, AltNews had started the article with this: They claimed that the news had turned into another issue “to target the Indian Muslim population”.
The lines now deleted from the AltNews fact-check
Interestingly, after 2 of the perpetrators turned out to be Muslims, this line has unceremoniously been deleted from their “fact-check”.
After an entire “fact-check” that claimed that there was no Muslim angle to the crime, AltNews quietly updated their report with this “update”.
AltNews story “updated”
They have retained the narrative that the “anti-Muslim” narrative and the “communal angle” that was given on social media was incorrect, insinuating that the crime was not committed by Muslim perpetrators. Retaining that angle, they quietly updated their story to say that their copy has been updated with the names of Abdul Kareem and his son Riyazaudiin who are ‘suspects’ in the case. Further, they say this is a “developing story”.
The glaring problems with the AltNews fact-check
Headlines
Even after the names of the perpetrators surfaced and two of whom turned out to be Muslims, the headlines of the AltNews articles have remained unchanged. In both the headlines, the insinuation is rather evident. AltNews aims to insinuate that no Muslim perpetrator was involved in the crime and any suggestion to the contrary is ‘fake news’. However, this is not true and it is evident that AltNews jumped the gun to shield the Muslim perpetrators.
The police statement mentioned
AltNews has a pathological habit of quoting the police selectively and as per convenience. For them, where in one case, the police claims are deemed unreliable, when it suits their agenda, it is considered sacrosanct. Similarly, where in one case, they deem the statement of the victim and their families fake prematurely, when it suits their agenda, they take the victim’s word over that of the police.
Recently, the AltNews had selectively quoted the police to exonerate a Muslim perpetrator who had deliberately discarded a contaminated current note in a petrol pump.
In this current story as well, that glaring bias of AltNews is rather evident.
In their earlier ‘fact-check’, AltNews had claimed that they spoke to Palakkad Superintendent of Police, Mr G Siva Vikram. AltNews then quotes him to give a sweeping statement that claims of the perpetrators being Muslim is ‘fake’ and that one P Wilson was arrested in the matter.
AltNews ‘fact-check’
However, after the news of the names of the suspects being Abdul Kareem and son Riyasudheen surfaced, AltNews, while retaining this paragraph, added another one:
AltNews added this para to their report
It was AFTER Mathrubhumi reported the names of the Muslim suspects, that AltNews claims that it was confirmed by the very same police officer they spoke to earlier.
It is entirely possible that when AltNews spoke to the police officer earlier, the police officer said that either he cannot confirm the names of even said that the specific names “Amzath Ali and Thamim Shaikh” had not come up in the case.
It is also possible, and far more plausible, that when asked about these names, the police officer may have said that the investigation is on-going and any names that have surfaced may be fake. Given the history of AltNews, it would not be far-fetched to assume that the officer was selectively quoted to present a completely different picture to shield the Muslim community.
Anyone journalist, through experience, knows that the first statement that the police generally gives is that the investigation is on-going and that the journalist could contact later for specifics.
In the case of the petrol pump, for example, the police had specifically said that they cannot claim that the Muslim perpetrator was either innocent or guilty and that the verdict could be given only by the court. AltNews in their report had, in turn, mentioned that the police had told them about the innocence of the perpetrator. The detailed report on that incident can be read here.
The likely AltNews defence
In all likelihood, the defence that would be mounted by AltNews would be to claim that in both their “fact-checks”, they got the basic premise right. In the first, that the incident took place in Palakkad and not Mallapuram and in the second, that the perpetrator’s names were indeed not Amzath Ali and Thamim Shaikh (but in fact Abdul Kareem and son Riyasudheen).
However, the fact remains that in both their so-called fact-checks they have attempted to insinuate that the Muslim community was not involved in the crime at all and any suggestion to the contrary can only be branded as an attempt to hound the Muslim community unfairly. This insinuation is evident from their headline and the excerpts quoted in this article.
The fact that they have not clearly removed all sentences that insinuate an unfair targeting of the Muslim community proves that they wish the keep their insinuations alive while defending themselves on the basis of technicalities. There are various techniques that AltNews employs to shield Islamists and Muslim perpetrators and this seems to be one of them.
What makes this case even more interesting is that AltNews claims itself to be purely a ‘fact-checking’ website which does not report on current affairs. The fact that they felt the need to “fact-check” this developing story also proves that the only agenda of the portal is to shield the Muslim community and not really present facts or the truth.
Amidst the ongoing political tussle over the naming of a flyover in Karnataka after the freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has stoked a controversy by claiming that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s statue was even greater than social-reformers such as ‘Sharanas’.
In an interview last week, senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah spoke to Kannada news channel TV9 regarding various issues including the coronavirus pandemic, Modi government’s response to the crisis, etc.
During the interview, the former CM also spoke about the ongoing political fight between the ruling BJP and the opposition parties over the naming of newly built flyovers in Bengaluru and Mangaluru after nationalist icon Veer Savarkar.
Rejecting the government decision, the former Chief Minister said Veer Savarkar was a controversial figure, who was an accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and claimed that the flyovers should not be named after him.
Siddaramaiah also said that the state government should name the flyover after freedom fighters. He said, “Don’t we have 7 Jnanapeeth awardees from the state. Name the flyover in the honour of any one of them. Don’t we have freedom fighters? Name it after them. What is wrong? They are from Karnataka, and they are Kannadigas and they are achievers. Name it after them.”
In a hurry to target the BJP government, the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who often claims to be championing the cause of Kannadigas, perhaps forgot the basic fact that it is not seven, but eight literary giants from the state have won the prestigious Jnanpith awards for their contribution in the field of literary arts.
Indira Gandhi is above all social reformers
When the anchor questioned about the hypocrisy of the Congress party over naming various schemes, parks, public properties after the Gandhi-Nehru family by ignoring the local leaders, the Congress leader said that there is no comparison between Indira Gandhi and any other leaders like Veer Savarkar.
The anchor also asked the rationale behind naming the government-run canteens after Indira Gandhi and not after social reformers from the state who first initiated such welfare programmes hundreds of years ago. The anchor hinted that why the then Congress government did not name the canteens in the name of social reformers such as Basavannas or any other Sharanas.
To which, Siddaramaiah at around 20:00 mins in the video, shockingly said, “Indira Gandhi was above all of these persons that is why we named canteens after her”.
Karnataka govt decides to name newly built flyover after Veer Savarkar
The Karnataka government has decided to name the newly built flyover at Yelahanka in Bengaluru after nationalist icon – Veer Savarkar.
The 400-metre long flyover, which was constructed under the Nagarotthana scheme at a cost of Rs 34 core, was to be inaugurated by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on May 28, on the day of Savarkar’s birthday. However, it was postponed to a later date.
Similarly, on June 3, a banner that read ‘Veer Savarkar Flyover Pumpwell’ had also surfaced on the sidewall of the newly built Pumpwell flyover in Mangaluru. Reportedly, there is a demand by the locals to name the flyover after the nationalistic icon – Veer Savarkar.
However, the opposition parties in the state – Congress and JD(S) have opposed the BSY-government’s decision to name a flyover after the freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, terming it as an insult to freedom fighters of the state.
In a shocking revelation, American filmmaker Cynthia Dawn Ritchie has accused former Pakistan Interior minister Senator Rehman Malik of raping her in 2011 at his residence. Cynthia D Ritchie has also accused former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin of physically manhandling her inside President’s House in Islamabad. Asif Ali Zardari was then President of Pakistan.
In a Facebook live video, Cynthia Ritchie detailed how the PPP senator, Rehman Malik sexually assaulted her and also revealed about two other senior PPP leaders of manhandling and harassing her.
— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) June 5, 2020
Cynthia Dawn Ritchie, who has close connections with the current Pakistani ruling establishment, also alleged that she was assaulted by other senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). She also alleged that her e-mail accounts were hacked and people spied on her.
The American adventurist said that sexual assault against her by Senator Rehman Malik had happened occurred at Interior Minister’s residence in 2011. “I thought it was a meeting about my visa but I was given flowers/ a drugged drink. I kept quiet,” said Ritchie asking who in the then PPP-led government would have helped her to complain against the interior minister.
Tweet by Cynthia D. Ritchie
Cynthia also said she had informed the US embassy in 2011 about the incident, adding that “owing to fluid and complex Pak-US relations, the response was less than adequate”.
Ritchie also alleged that her family was attacked recently. “I’ve had it. Ready to face any accuser,” the American filmmaker tweeted.
Cynthia had put out scandalous photographs of PPP leaders
The American blogger Cynthia Richie has also been reportedly sharing scandalous photographs of PPP leaders on social media. Cynthia, who is an adventurist, filmmaker, journalist and blogger, had stoked controversy in Pakistan recently after she had attacked former prime minister Benazir Bhutto for which an FIR was registered against her by the PPP.
Last week, she had posted parts of the book “Indecent Correspondence: Secret sex life of Benazir Bhutto” on Twitter, which has the details of private lives of Benazir Bhutto, her son, current PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto and senior party leader Sherry Rehman.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties in Pakistan have claimed that Cynthia, who came to the country as a tourist, journalist and belly dancer, was interfering in the internal affairs by making such demeaning comments against a former PM.
In another development in the investigations into the north-east Delhi riots case, the Delhi police have booked the second activist of Pinjra Tod group, Devangana Kalita, under stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). She was arrested on May 23 on the allegations of inciting violence.
The JNU student and far-left group Pinjra Tod activist has been booked under the anti-terror charges for allegedly conspiring to incite riots in the parts of Delhi and involving in Unlawful activities.
She was arrested on May 23 by the special cell of Delhi police. The court permitted police to interrogate her and if required arrest her formally on June 3. Devangana has been booked under several sections related to sedition, an attempt to murder, murder, criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, etc as per a lawyer.
The Pinjra Tod activist is currently under judicial custody after her arrest on the allegations on fuming riots in North-east Delhi. This is the fourth case she’s slammed with within a few weeks. The two other cases relate to North-east Delhi riots while one of them is related to the violence that burst out in early December last year.
She was granted bail earlier by the court but the Delhi police crime branch rearrested her again in a case in a murder case related to riots. Later on May 30, she was again arrested for fuming riots in old Delhi’s Daryaganj in December last year. She was again granted bail in the case.
Natasha Narwal also booked under UAPA
Prior to this, the Delhi Police booked ultra-left activist Natasha Narwal of the controversial group ‘Pinjra Tod’ under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for her role in inciting the anti-Hindu communal riots in Northeast Delhi in February.
Pinjra Tod has been accused of inciting riots
Some citizens of Seelampur, Jafrabad, and Trans-Yamuna had accused Pinjra Tod and other elite civil society groups of inciting riots in the national capital.
Pinjra Tod claims to be an autonomous collective of women students fighting for a just, accessible, non-discriminatory University and affordable accommodation and has been involved in numerous protests and campaigns of a far-left nature.
Arrests made in Anti-CAA riots case
Before Devangana Kalita, the Pinjar Tod ‘activist’ Narwal is the seventh person to be booked under UAPA in the case. The suspended Aam Aadmi Party councilor Tahir Hussain and two Jamia students – Meeran Haider and Safoora Zargar, have also been booked under UAPA for inciting anti-Hindu riots in Delhi.
Recently, Special Cell of Delhi Police has nabbed the Jamia Millia Islamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for purportedly being a part of a larger conspiracy behind the February riots in northeast Delhi.
Prior to that, Safoora Zargar, a member of the Jamia Coordination Committee, was arrested in connection with her alleged involvement in the anti-CAA riots. Her arrest has led to a barrage of propaganda accusing the Delhi Police of ‘anti-Muslim’ bias.
Meeran Haider, also a member of the Jamia Coordination Committee, was arrested by Delhi Police. He was arrested on the 2nd of April in connection with rioting and criminal conspiracy pertaining to anti-Hindu riots in north-east Delhi.
The website of the People for Animals (PFA) organization that is founded by animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi was hacked on Friday by a group of hackers. The hacker group Kerala Cyber Warriors cited her remark over the Malappuram district while talking about the death of the pregnant elephant.
The hackers put a message on the web page, “Maneka Gandhi dragged the sad death of pregnant elephant for dirty politics”, with the popular coffin dance music in the background.
The message read, “Your agenda is clear, love for animal is intertwined with hate for Muslims. Spreading false information by a person especially being an ex-minister and a Lok Sabha member is a real threat to the nation and not acceptable.”
The hackers slammed Maneka Gandhi for accusing people of Malappuram district for the incident while the elephant died in Ambalapara in Pallakad district. They advised her to find the place on Google Map to know where it is located. The hackers posted that she deliberately brought up Malappuram district to spread communally motivated false information targeting Muslim majority.
They said that bond between Hindu and Muslim in Malappuram is strong, and advised her to “stay down, keep dreaming and keep it real”.
They ended the message with “We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us”, the popular slogans used by international hactivist group Anonymous.
Later the site’s control was taken back from the hackers, as their message has been removed from the website. But the Website is still down, as it is showing a message that the sire is under construcion.
Maneka Gandhi said that people of mallapuram are ‘repeat offenders’.
In a video statement, Maneka Gandhi has stated that people of Malappuram are repeat offenders in this matter and questioned why Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi is not taking any action.
She said, “Action should be taken against everyone who is suspected in Malappuram. These are repeat offenders. Whether it is children being sold in orphanages, as we have found, it is Malappuram. Whether it is people being killed, look at the crime rate in Malappuram. What is being done in Malappuram? Nothing. Look at the communal conflict there. Highest in Malappuram. We take so much action against other districts, why is no action being taken against Malappuram. Rahul Gandhi is from the area, why is he not taking action?”
Mallapuram is know for its intense criminal activity specially with regards to animals. No action has ever been taken against a single poacher or wildlife killer so they keep doing it. I can only suggest that you call/email and ask for action pic.twitter.com/ii09qmb7xW
— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) June 3, 2020
Maneka alleged that the district is known for its intense criminal activity with regards to animals. No action has been taken against a single poacher or wildlife killer so they keep doing it.
Complaint against Maneka Gandhi
A lawyer and a native of Malappuram Subhash Chandran had filed a complaint against BJP Leader Maneka Gandhi and others for allegedly involved in the hate campaign against Mallapuram and its residents following the death of a wild pregnant elephant which was fed pineapples packed with firecrackers in the state. Subhash Chandran in the plaint sought FIR against the leader and others under section 153 A and 120 B etc of the Indian Penal Code.
The complaint stated that Maneka Gandhi’s remarks on Malappuram are derogatory and delivered to malign the image of the residents of the district. Secondly, the unfortunate demise of pregnant elephant occurred in Mannarkad of Palakkad district that gained mileage on social media in the last two days, and not in Malappuram. The complaint alleged that a group is trying to give a communal color to the incident citing the population demography of Mallapuram district, which is a Muslim majority area.
Female elephant death case
A pregnant elephant had died after some locals deliberately fed her cracker-filled pineapple which later exploded in her mouth. Initially, it was reported that the incident took place in Malappuram district of Kerala, but later the officials clarified that the elephant died in Pallakad. The incident had happened when the elephant had wandered into a village in search of food. However, some villagers stuffed pineapples stuffed with firecrackers on her tusks while she was walking on the streets. The crackers exploded in her mouth that caused severe wound in her mouth because of that she could not eat for weeks and became weak due to starvation. She was standing in a river before her death, but because of weakness she collapsed and died due to drowning.
The autopsy report of the dead elephant has revealed that the crackers stuffed in the pineapple which was fed to the elephant burst in her mouth leading to severe injuries. The elephant was not able to eat anything due to the deep wounds, due to which she fell and drowned due to weakness. The elephant’s preliminary post-mortem examination was conducted at the Mannarkkad Forest Division. It revealed that the animal died as a result of drowning, followed by inhalation of water which led to lung failure. This has been identified as the immediate cause of the death of the elephant.
Former Cricketer Yuvraj Singh has apologized for making a casteist remark against Yuzvandra Chahal during an Instagram chat which went viral on social media.
Taking to twitter the Former cricketer wrote, “I understand that while I was having a conversation with my friends, I was misunderstood, which was unwarranted. However, as a responsible Indian I want to say that if I have unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments or feelings, I would like to express regret for the same.”
Yuvraj Singh affirmed that he has never believed in any kind of disparity, be it on the basis of caste, color, creed, or gender. “I have given and will continue to spend my life for the welfare of the people,” he said.
Complaint filed against Yuvraj Singh
Dalit activist and lawyer Rajat Kalsan had filed a complaint against Yuvraj Singh in Hansi in Haryana’s Hisar and demanded the arrest of the cricketer. The advocate also targeted Rohit Sharma and said that he did not show any kind of displeasure over that casteist remark of Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvraj Singh’s casteist remark on Yuzvendra Chahal
A couple of month-old video clip has emerged on social media where cricketer Yuvraj was seen using a derogatory term for fellow cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal. In the video, that looked like an Instagram Live session, Yuvraj and Rohit were having a friendly conversation during which Yuvraj pointed out that Chahal is posting regular videos on Tik Tok and Instagram.
He said, “In Bha****on ko aur koi to kaam hai nahi. Video dekha tune jo Yuzi ne dala family ke saath?” (They have nothing to do. Have you seen the video posted by Yuzi with his family?) to which Rohit replied, “Maine usko wohi bola yeh apne baap ko nacha raha hai pagal to nahi hai” (I asked him why he was making his father dance, has he gone mad).
The casteist remark generated huge outrage on social media. A hashtag promoted by Dilip Mandal #युवराज_सिंह_माफी_मांगो (Yuvraj Singh Apologize) was trending on Twitter and received more than 30,000 tweets.
An explosion reportedly took place on Friday in the house of a 50-year-old man named Mohammed Nazir in the Azamnagar Durga Temple area of Darbhanga in Bihar. The area which falls under the jurisdiction of University Thana was shaken with a loud bang that could be heard as far as 1 kilometre away. The blast was so massive that the walls and roof of Nazir’s house had collapsed completely.
As per reports, the condition of the five members of Nazir’s family is said to be critical. Three children have been injured during the incident. They are now being treated at Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). On being informed, the police rushed to the spot. The cause of the explosion has not been ascertained as of yet. According to the local administration, the blast occurred due to firecrackers. However, local residents have claimed that the explosion took place during the course of making bombs. OpIndia could not independently verify these claims.
Locals alleged that the condition of the walls and the intensity of the blast was a testimony to the fact that the explosion did not occur due to firecrackers.
Ruins of a building destroyed in the blast
A child injured during the incident
Following the explosion, local residents helped in rescuing people stranded beneath the debris. The rescue and evacuation process is still underway. Local BJP MLA Sanjay Saragavi, taking cognisance of the matter, visited the affected locality.
Local MLA Sanjay Sarogi reached the spot
As per sources, the police have arrested Nazir in connection with the case.
The central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that the Markaz which organised a congregation of Tablighi Jamaat members at its headquarters in Nizamuddin in mid-March paid no heed to the concerns raised by the police about the situation arising out of the spread of the coronavirus.
In an affidavit filed through Ram Vilas Premi, under-secretary in the home ministry, the centre claimed that the Markaz management was apprised of the coronavirus situation and risks associated with it on March 21 by Delhi Police. The Muslim seminary was asked to send back its foreign members to their respective countries and Indian members to their states. However, the centre says that management of Tablighi Jamaat turned a deaf ear to their instructions.
“No one took account of the directions issued by the Delhi Police. On the contrary, as per an alleged audio recording of Maulana Mohd Saad, which was found to be circulated on social media, the Markaz chief asked his followers to violate lockdown and social distancing norms and continue attending religious gatherings,” the affidavit said.
The Centre further said that the risk presented by COVID-19 was conveyed to Saad and other members of Markaz management on several occasions during the meetings held in the police station but the organisation “deliberately “disobeyed” the directions of authorities.
“Maulana Mohd Saad and Markaz management did not communicate about the organisation of a gathering to any health department or government agency. Written notices issued to Maulana Saad and Markaz management were ignored,” it alleged.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its affidavit, asserted that the investigation into the violations committed by Tablighi Jamaat is being conducted on a day-to-day basis in conformity with the authority of law by the Delhi Police, and a report will be submitted before the court in a time-bound manner.
“A missionary visa is granted to a foreigner whose sole objective of visiting India is missionary work not involving proselytization. It is submitted as per the visa policy, the visa is not to be granted to preachers and evangelists who desire to come to India on propaganda campaigns, whether on their own or at the invitation of any organisation in India,” the MHA said.
“The Union Home Ministry has taken cognisance of the actions suggested by SHO police station Hazrat Nizamuddin to the crime branch against necessary action as per law against Maulana Mohd Saad and others of Markaz for their unlawful acts. The MHA has put 960 foreigners present in India on tourist visas for their involvement in Tablighi Jamaat activities under blacklist. The ministry has also asked all the DGPs to initiate necessary legal action against all the violators who attended the Markaz congregation,” the affidavit said.
PIL filed into Supreme Court for CBI probe into Markaz event
A petition was filed in the top court seeking a CBI probe into the matter. A person named Supriya Pandita had filed the PIL to bring to forth the alleged lapses by the Delhi government and Delhi Police that led to the congregation that later turned out to be a potent coronavirus hotspot.
The Centre assured the apex court that the probe the Delhi Police into the incident is at an advanced stage and a CBI investigation is infructuous. The bench headed by CJI Bobde adjourned the case for two weeks for the petitioner to file a response.
The Cyber cell of Meerut police has revealed a shocking breach of security administered by the Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Vivo. The Meerut police revealed that more than 13000 mobile phones manufactured by Vivo are running on a single IMEI number. An FIR has been registered against the Vivo communications and its service centres. This has been considered as a huge lapse in security on the part of the company.
As per reports, sub-inspector Asharam, who is posted in the office of Additional Director General of Police, Meerut, owns a Vivo mobile phone. When the screen of the mobile broke, he submitted it for repair at the Vivo service centre on Delhi road in Meerut on 24 September 2019. The service centre gave him his mobile phone back after changing the battery, screen, and the FM. A few days later an error started appearing on the display. As the phone was not working properly despite being serviced, he suspected foul play, and gave the phone to cyber cell, which later exposed the huge security issue.
Investigation launched
ADG Prashant Kumar directed the investigation to Cybercrime cell-in charge of Meerut zone police, Prabal Kumar Pankaj and cyber expert Vijay Kumar. The investigation found that the IMEI number written on the SI’s mobile is different from the actual IMEI number present in the mobile. On January 16, the manager of the service centre replied that IMEI has not changed. Since the mobile had sim of Jio company, the Cyber cell sent the said IMEI to the telecom company and asked for the data. The report came that made an explosive revelation that on 24 September 2019 from 11 am to 11:30 am, the same IMEI number was running on 13557 mobile phones in the different states of the country.
Violations of TRAI rules
The cyber cell sent a notice to Harmanjit Singh, the nodal officer of Vivo India under Section 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code. However, the Police were not satisfied with the response to the notice. The officials of the company were even unaware that according to the rules of TRAI an IMEI should not be active on more than one mobile number. The cyber cell has admitted that the mobile phone manufacturer is grossly negligent in this matter and violated the rules of TRAI.
Chinese companies have been blacklisted earlier
According to ADG Rajiv Sabarwal, a few years ago when Chinese phones were introduced, then the IMEI number used to be the one. These were a treat in terms of security, so the Indian government blacklisted all the numbers. After this, the rules of TRAI came into force. Under this, an IMEI can be given to only one mobile phone.
ADG Sabarwal said that the investigation is underway after it was revealed the several thousand mobiles are running on a single IMEI number. It is a violation of rules and this can be dangerous in terms of security. If someday a crime has been done through a mobile phone with similar IMEI number, then it won’t be possible to catch the culprit.
IMEI or International Mobile Equipment Identity is a unique 15 digit number which is mandatory for any mobile device having SIM cards. This number helps in identifying a specific mobile device connected to a network. Security agencies can track phones using this number, and stolen phones can be traced and blacklisted.
