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Andhra Pradesh: Contempt proceedings against YSRCP MP, 48 others for threatening judges over verdicts ‘against’ Jagan Mohan govt

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Andhra Pradesh: Contempt proceedings against YSRCP MP, 48 others for threatening judges over verdicts ‘against’ Jagan Mohan govt

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has initiated contempt proceedings against YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Member of Parliament Nandigram Suresh and 48 others for making intimidating and abusive social media posts against judges, reports Live Law.

YSRCP leader and Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh and former member of the Andhra Pradesh legislative Assembly Amanchi Krishnan are among 49 others those who were served the notices by the High Court for attributing motives to judges of the High Court in abusive language. They are also accused of attempting to lower the dignity of the institution of the High Court.

Reportedly, a division bench of the AP High Court comprising of Chief Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice C Praveen Kumar issued orders to the state government to issue notices to all the individuals, including eight who are yet to be identified.

The High Court has asked all the accused to appear before the court in person or through an advocate on June 16. The Court took the action after it received details of social media posts of the accused targeting judges. The Advocate General had also stated that the comments tend to scandalize the institution of judiciary.

“All this shows that there is a larger conspiracy against the judges. It attracts contempt for scandalising and lowering the image of the court and judges,” the court said.

Threats and abusive comments against judges

The attack on the judiciary, especially against the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly began after it struck down Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s decision to make English the mandatory medium of instruction in government schools.

However, the situation took an ugly turn after May 22 when the HC had transferred the Dr Sudhakar’s assault case to the CBI. Later, on the same day, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had set aside the suspension of senior IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao, leaving members of YSR Congress and Chief Minister frustrated.

Causing further shock to YSR Congress government in the state, the High Court had also ordered to seize the premises of LG polymers, in addition to issuing noticed to officials for contempt after they had attributed political motive behind the orders. The HC had also issued notice to Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government on the sale of government land.

The opposition parties had demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister claiming that every step of the government was failing to pass the judicial scrutiny. Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had said the court gave orders against the government in at least 64 cases.

The High Court also noted in its orders that how Bapatla MP had attributed motives to the court stating that Naidu was managing the High Court, who used to be aware of the judgements it was going to deliver or within 10 minutes of the order being issued.

The bench also referred to one Chendu Reddy’s tweet, which read, “All judges shall be cut into pieces,” and “All judges shall be kept in a room and a corona-positive patient should be left with them.”

In another post shared by one individual named Kishore Reddy Dasari, it was written, “All High Court judges are ba***rds, they are good for nothing except for sleeping with wives. Let them arrest me and order a CBI inquiry.”

Major terror attack averted in Pulwama after police received credible information of explosive-laden car

OpIndia Staff
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Major terror attack averted in Pulwama after police received credible information of explosive-laden car

The Pulwama Police and security forces have averted a major terrorist attack after an attempt was made by terrorists to carry out a blast using a vehicle-borne IED. The terror attack was averted due to timely input and action by the Pulwama Police, Central Reserve Police Force and the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police have said.

Reportedly, the Pulwama Police received information that a terrorist was moving in a car laden with explosives. Eventually, the suspected vehicle arrived at night and a few rounds of bullets were fired at it. The driver abandoned the vehicle a bit further down the road and managed to escape in the darkness. On inspection, the car was found to be carrying explosives in a drum. The attempted terror attack has great resemblance with the one in Pulwama where a vehicle-borne IED was used in a suicide attack.

The vehicle was kept under watch at night and residents in nearby houses were evacuated. Moving the vehicle would have involved serious risk, therefore, the vehicle was exploded in-situ by bomb disposal squads. As per reports, the vehicle was using a number plate that belongs to a scooter from somewhere in Kathua district.

Intriguingly enough, only yesterday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had claimed that Pakistan was under threat from India due to ‘false flag operations’. Pakistan always denies its involvement in sponsoring terrorism against India and has, in the past, claimed that it had nothing to do with the Mumbai Terror Attack and the Uri Terror Attack despite overwhelming evidence. That a major terror attack was averted by the police and security forces in Jammu & Kashmir only a day after Imran Khan spoke of ‘false flag operations’ may point towards the sinister designs of India’s neighbour.

LAC standoff: Chinese ambassador, foreign ministry insist on ‘dialogues’, experts say de-escalation has begun

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LAC standoff: Chinese ambassador, foreign ministry insist on ‘dialogues’, experts say de-escalation has begun

The tensions between the India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) eased a bit on Wednesday as China began to de-escalate the conflict through a conciliatory approach by saying that the situation at the border with India is “overall stable and controllable.”

The firm and strong posturing by India in response to Chinese decision to intimidate the country along the LAC, perhaps, made Chinese to seek a de-escalation of the matter.

As per a report in CGTN, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated that both China and India have proper mechanisms and communication channels to resolve the issues through ‘dialogue and consultations’.

In Beijing, Zhao also claimed said that China’s position on the border-related issues is clear and consistent.

“We are committed to safeguarding our territorial sovereignty and security and safeguarding peace and stability in the border areas. Now the China-India border area situation is overall stable and controllable.” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson added.

The Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong on Wednesday also said that China and India should never let their differences shadow the overall bilateral ties and must enhance mutual trust.

“China and India should be good neighbours of harmonious coexistence and good partners to move forward hand in hand. The realisation of ‘Dragon and Elephant dancing together’ is the only right choice for China and India, which serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples,” he added.

India’s strong response to China resulted in de-escalation

As per Defense Expert Nitin Gokhale, India’s refusal to back down from a standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) pushed China to soften its stand. Reportedly, Indian Army moved its troops to Daulat Beg Oldi, the last military post south of the Karakoram Pass, resulting in China being aware that India will not yield to Chinese aggression.

According to a Hindustan Times report, India’s security establishment took a firm stand against alteration of Indian territory and instead decided to face the Chinese threat with “strength and restraint”.

The Prime Minister, along with Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, which had earlier stood-up against Chinese aggression during the Doklam stand-off,  led India’s response during the current escalation at Northern borders.

According to strategic affairs expert Nitin Gokhale, the retreat by China at the LAC was due to India’s aggressive response of not to back off despite tensions were mounting at the border.

US President Donald Trump offers to mediate

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump had stated that he was willing to mediate between India and China over their ongoing military standoff in the Ladakh region. President Trump has tweeted saying that the USA has conveyed it to both India and China.

Trump stated that the USA has informed both India and China that it is “ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute”.

Galwan Valley standoff

India and China are currently engaged in a military standoff in the Galwan Valley region of Ladakh, near the Line of Actual Control between India and China. It is notable here that vast areas of Ladakh region have been under Chinese control for decades.

In the Galwan flashpoint, it was initially reported that China had started moving heavy equipment and troops in the LAC, and had increased patrols in the area creating skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops.

As a result, India too has mobilised troops and aircraft in the region. In 2017, India and China had engaged in a similar standoff in the Doklam region near the Bhutan border.

Mumbai: BJP MLA files petition in HC, questions the constitutional validity of Uddhav government’s gag order on citizens

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: BJP MLA files petition in HC, questions the constitutional validity of Uddhav government’s gag order on citizens

BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the 23 May prohibitory orders issued by the Mumbai Police. Lodha has questioned the constitutional validity of the order.

The Mumbai police commissioner had on May 23rd, 2020 issued prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting any kind of ‘online hate’ on various social media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc. The order is valid through 00.15 hours on 25th May 2020 and ending at 24 hours on 8th June 2020.

The petition filed by Lodha states that the order is so vague that there are no guidelines for the authorities for its implementation and it is creating panic and ‘unjustified and harsh gagging effect on freedom of speech’.

As per a report in The Livemint, Lodha, who is the President of BJP’s Mumbai unit, has stated, “We do not agree with this order. It is absolutely wrong. It is exactly like the Emergency period.” The petition is due to be heard in the HC in two days.

It is notable here that citing the total failure of law and order and administration in the state and the dire situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BJP has been demanding President’s rule to be imposed.

Order directed to curb criticism against state government

Essentially, the order also indirectly bans all criticism of the Maharashtra government led by Uddhhav Thackeray as one of the clauses in the prohibitory order says that messages that incite “mistrust towards government functionaries and their actions taken to control Covid-19” will also be acted against.

The order issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Pranaya Ashok reads that the Mumbai police will hold the group admin of the social media and messaging platforms personally responsible for any such information being disseminated from a group administered by them and he or she would attract action under the relevant laws.

The controversial order also stated that any person contravening it shall be punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

Aaditya Thackeray’s biggest worry: Hate on social media

In a recent interview with NDTV, Shiv Sena MLA and CM Uddhav Thackeray’ son Aaditya had stated that the most worrying aspect of the pandemic in Maharashtra is the ‘hate’ allegedly perpetrated on social media.

Earlier, in a classic ‘Heads I win, Tails you lose’ situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had stated that the lockdown was needed in Maharashtra because it had spiralled out of control. At the same time, he mouthed mandatory criticism to play petty politics in complete contradiction to his previous statement.

Coronavirus situation in Maharashtra

The pandemic situation in Maharashtra has been worsening day by day. It is the worst affected Indian state and has more than 54,000 confirmed cases so far, contributing to almost one third of all cases in India. It has registered more than 1700 deaths.

More than 1000 police officials have been affected by the coronavirus so far in Maharashtra. The state government had requested central forces to control the situation and maintain law and order in several localities. There have been reports of mismanagement in state-run hospitals where corpses of coronavirus patients can been seen lying unattended among live individuals under treatment.

Pakistan rants, issues statement ‘condemning’ the commencement of construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan rants, issues statement ‘condemning’ the commencement of construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya

Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan took to Twitter to interfere in India’s internal affairs yet again and fear-monger about India’s religious minorities even as Hindus, Sikhs and Christians continue to get persecuted in the Islamic Nation of Pakistan. In the statement issued by the Pakistan spokesperson, the commencement of the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya was ‘condemned’, calling the Supreme Court verdict in the matter ‘controversial’.

In the statement, it is alleged that the RSS-BJP are busy advancing their “Hindutva” agenda even as the world is grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic. While alleging this, Pakistan, a country which is based on the tenets of religious hatred and the premise that Muslims cannot live alongside Hindus, forgets that India is indeed a Hindu majority country and just because historic wrongs perpetuated by Islamic invaders are being rectified now, it does not qualify to be called ‘Hindutva agenda’.

The Statement then says that the “controversial” Supreme Court judgement in the Ram Mandir case “shredded the veneer of so-called secularism of India by making clear that the minorities are not safe in India and they have to feat for their lives, beliefs and places of worship”. In this segment, Pakistan obviously forgets to mention that the Babri Masjid was actually built after a grand temple was razed to the ground and desecrated by Muslim invaders. That the structure is now being razed to the ground and a temple is being built is only righting a historic wrong committed by Muslim invaders.

Then, as usual, the statement issued by Pakistan calls upon the world community to hold India to account for perceived injustices to Muslims, when there clearly exists none.

It is pertinent to note, that only recently, the Maldives, which is an Islamic country, had called out Pakistan’s agenda against India and asserted that Islamophobia allegations against India are untrue.

Maldives has come out in defence of India at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meet and called out Pakistan’s ‘rising Islamophobia’ propaganda against India. As per reports, Pakistan tried to push the narrative of ‘rising Islamophobia’ in India. The Maldives, however, called it out and said that isolated statements by motivated individuals along with the misinformation campaign on social media cannot be taken as the feelings of 1.3 billion Indians. 

Maldives Permanent Representative to the UN Thilmeeza Hussain said that alleging Islamophobia in the context of India would be factually incorrect. “Let me state that singling out India, the largest democracy in the world and multicultural society and home to over 200 million Muslims, alleging Islamophobia would be factually incorrect. It would be detrimental to the religious harmony in the South Asian region. Islam has existed in India for centuries and it is the second-largest religion in India with 14.2% of India’s population,” she said. 

The Maldives, which is also an Islamic country, said that India, in recent years, has developed stronger ties with Islamic nations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Palestine. Prime Minister Modi has been given high civilian awards in these countries.

SC asks central govt to identify private hospitals which were given free land, directs those hospitals to treat Coronavirus patients for free

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SC asks central govt to identify private hospitals which were given free land, directs those hospitals to treat Coronavirus patients for free

The supreme court on Wednesday asked the Central government to identify private hospitals which are given free land by the government. SC ruled that those hospitals will be treating Coronavirus patients for free or at a nominal cost.

The Bench headed by CJI SA Bobde observed that the hospitals that were given free lands should treat COVID-19 patients for free. The Bench comprising Justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “You identify all those hospitals and find out.” The Bench ruled, “They have been given land either free of cost or at a very nominal rate. These charitable hospitals should treat patients for free.”

The petitioner alleged that many hospitals are indulging in financial exploitation

Advocate Sachin Jain had filed a petition in court seeking relaxation in the cost of corona treatment in the private hospitals. He alleged that many hospitals are indulged in the financial exploitation of coronavirus patients even in times of crisis. Jain said that the private hospitals which are built on government land or fall under the category of charitable institutions, the government should ask them to at least test the coronavirus patients for free in the interest of the public.

The apex court had issued a notice to the central government on April 30 in the matter and sought a response. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared on behalf of the government and said that this is a policy issue required to be discussed by the government. He said that he will file a response to this issue.

The petitioner has appealed to the court to direct the government that if someone from poor section gets infected by coronavirus and undergoing treatment at a private hospital, the government should bear their expenses. The poor who do not have any insurance cover neither have coverage under Ayushman Bharat should also be treated for free, he said. Also, the poor who have insurance cover but the cost of treatment is more than reimbursement, then the government should also compensate for that.

The petition also said that in the exercise of powers under the Disaster management act the Centre has regulated the costs of COVID-19 tests in the private sector and on the same analogy the government can regulate the cost of treatment in the private hospitals.

Maharashtra forest department mulls sterilizing tigers in Chandrapur district to control population: Report

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Maharashtra forest department mulls sterilizing tigers in Chandrapur district to control population: Report

While governments and conservationists across the globe are trying their best to increase the population of tigers, the Shiv Sena led Maharashtra govt has proposed a shocking plan to decrease the tiger population by sterilising the. The Maharashtra forest department has proposed to sterilize 20 male tigers to control the growing population of the wild animal, according to a report by Times of India. The department plans to sterilise 20 tigers in the Chandrapur district, apart from its plan to translocate 50 tigers from the district.

This will be the first-ever plan to sterilize tigers in a country where a massive effort is going on to increase the tiger population under the Project Tiger. The plan is to sterilise 20 male tigers while sterilizing tigresses is not discussed yet.

The measure in an effort to end the man-animal conflict in the district that was submitted to the state government on March 19. Wildlife officials told TOI, “These are suggestions and not decisions. It is up to the government and state wildlife board to take a final call. It is a long-drawn process for which we have to think now.”

As per the TOI report, since 2014, 116 people have been killed in attacks by the tigers in the Chandrapur district alone. Of these 81 have been killed in the attacks by the tigers. 16 have been dead in other wild animal attacks and 15 of them by the big cats.

Officials said, “There are 200 tigers in the district and these do not include cubs. As per Wildlife Institute of India (WII), there are 63 breeding tigresses and next year number of tigers is expected to increase by 60. In the 5 km radius of Chandrapur city, there are 21 tigers. In such a situation we will have to think about solutions to curb man-animal conflict and hence we have submitted proposal for the same.”

Male tigers are an easier choice for sterilization

Deputy Director of research and veterinary surgeon, Dr. Shirish Upadhye said that the male tigers would be an easier choice for sterilization. Dr. Upadhye said, “The procedure would involve keeping tigers in captivity for about seven days post-surgery. The surgery needs to be done under general anesthesia and care like post-operative dressings, medications would be required.”

He further added, “The Gorewada Rescue Centre has good facilities. Wildlife Research & Training Centre (WRTC) of Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University (MAFSU) has expertise. However, there are no enclosures for any new additions, that may be required during this entire procedure for treatment of injured tigers or surgeries.”

Chandrapur district is spread across 11,443 square kilometres including 1800 villages. It includes the territorial area of about 2,726 square kilometres, under Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra limited-755 square kilometre, Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve has 1,320 square kilometres & non-forest area is 6,642 square kilometre. There are 63 breeding tigresses in the district. 21 tigers can be witnessed in the 5 km radius of Chandrapur.

Tiger is a protected species

It may be noted that the tiger is listed as an endangered species, and it is protected under Indian wildlife laws. In 1973, the govt of India had launched the Project Tiger to protect the largest existing cat species from extinction. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage forever represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the distribution of tigers in the country. There are 50 tiger reserves in the country under the project. There are 6 such tiger reserves in Maharashtra, including the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in the Chandrapur district.

At a time when such massive efforts are ongoing to protect the endangered species, the proposal of the Maharashtra forest department to sterilize tigers has shocked environmentalists. If the state govt led by Shiv Sena, which uses tiger as its unofficial symbol, agrees to sterilise tigers, it will surely lead to a legal and public battle to protect the population of the big cats.

Visakhapatnam doctor who was suspended for demanding PPE kits writes to medical superintendent, claims he is being given antipsychotics at the mental hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Visakhapatnam doctor who was suspended for demanding PPE kits writes to medical superintendent, claims he is being given antipsychotics at the mental hospital

The suspended Visakhapatnam doctor, whom the Andhra Pradesh police had recently assaulted for allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the YSR Congress-led state government, has written a letter to the medical superintendent of the mental hospital he was admitted to. In his letter, he has alleged that he is being given antipsychotics even though he’s perfectly “normal”.

Dr Sudhakar Rao, the government doctor in question, who was suspended by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government last month on disciplinary grounds after the doctor had demanded protective gears to treat coronavirus patients, has written a letter to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care (GHMC), requesting that he be referred to another hospital. Dr Sudhakar has claimed that antipsychotics being given to him is making him suffer side-effects and has demanded he be moved to a better hospital.

In his letter, the doctor has alleged that he is being given medicines which are generally prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia. He alleged that he was being treated in an unpleasant manner. The hospital atmosphere was disturbing and the drugs which were being administered on him would turn him into a psycho, alleged the doctor.

Letter written by Dr Sudhakar to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care
Letter written by Dr Sudhakar to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care
Letter written by Dr Sudhakar to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care

Andhra Pradesh HC directed CBI to probe the arrest

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 22 (Friday) ordered CBI to probe the controversial arrest of the suspended government doctor.

With multiple PILs filed in the High Court seeking a probe into the doctor’s manhandling, detainment, and subsequent admission to a mental institute, the court had directed the Visakhapatnam sessions judge to record Dr Sudhakar’s statement after visiting him in person at the Government Hospital for Mental Care. 

The High Court also took cognizance of a report filed by the Visakhapatnam District Magistrate that stated there were six injury marks on Dr Sudhakar, which was missing in the government report.

Visakhapatnam doctor thrashed by cops for ‘creating nuisance’ on road

On May 16, 2020, the Visakhapatnam police brutally assaulted Dr Sudhankar, tied his hands and dragged him on the road for allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the YSR Congress-led state government in an intoxicated condition.

According to the reports, the videos of a police constable kicking and flooring a bare-chested Dr K Sudhakar had gone viral on social media, drawing ire, not just from the opposition parties but also civil society.

A series of videos showed that the suspended doctor was walking in the middle of the road shirtless. The cops tied his hands up, even as another constable hit him with a stick. The doctor was seen lying down on the road, with his hands tied. Later, the police put him in an auto and took him to the police station.

The doctor was later taken to the police station and from there to KGH for alcohol test. A case under section 353 of IPC was filed against the doctor.

There were reports which alleged that Dr Sudhakar was under the influence of alcohol and then caused public nuisance near the Paalem Port Hospital Junction. The police claimed that Dr Sudhakar tore off his shirt, attacked and damaged a constable’s phone. However, Dr Sudhakar has denied that he was drunk.

Cop suspended

Visakhapatnam police commissioner RK Meena said that the constable who behaved rudely with the doctor was placed under suspension, pending an inquiry.  

The doctor was earlier suspended for requesting PPE kits

Reportedly, Sudhakar, an anesthesiologist at Narsipatnam government hospital was suspended by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government last month on disciplinary grounds after the doctor had demanded protective gears to treat coronavirus patients. The doctor had alleged that the government was not providing an adequate number of PPE kits and N-95 masks to the doctors.

“We are asked to use the same mask for 15 days before asking for a fresh mask. How can we treat patients risking our lives?” he asked.

A month after his suspension, the police brutality against the doctor has been reported after a police constable was seen attacking Dr Sudhakar in a public road. The doctor’s hand were tied behind his back by the policeman and beat him up before bundling him into an auto-rickshaw.

The opposition parties, especially Telugu Desam Party condemned the attack against the doctor incident, alleging that the incident reflecting the poor state of law and order situation in the state.

US President Donald Trump threatens “big action” against Twitter after his tweets were labelled as ‘misleading’

OpIndia Staff
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US President Donald Trump threatens “big action” against Twitter after his tweets were labelled as ‘misleading’

An irate Donald Trump has warned that a “big action” can soon follow against the popular microblogging website Twitter after it labelled the American President’s tweets with a fact-checking label.

Ironically, Trump took to Twitter to threaten retribution against the social media behemoth. “Twitter has now shown that everything we have been saying about them (and their other compatriots) is correct. Big action to follow!” Trump tweeted.

A few hours before that, Trump had gone after the social media giant, accusing it of exhibiting “clear political bias”. Trump said that the Republicans believe that the social media platforms are stifling the conservative voices. He issued a stern warning claiming that all the social media organisations who engage in muzzling their voices will be “strongly regulated” or perhaps “closed down”.

“We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that….…happen again. Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!” Trump tweeted alleging that the social media platforms in 2016 had resorted to cheating and forgery against him and that they are now employing even more sophisticated tools to defeat him in the forthcoming elections after having failed in 2016.

Twitter labels US President Donald Trump’s tweets as misleading

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump’s tweets on mail-in ballots were flagged as ‘misleading’ by Twitter. Trump had said that mail-in ballot box could lead to voter fraud and rigged elections. He had raised concerns that the mailboxes could be robbed and ballots may even be rigged.

Twitter highlighted the two tweets by Trumps and put out an alert below them which read “Get the facts about mail-in ballots”.

However, Twitter’s action triggered a strong reaction from the US President Donald Trump who slammed the San Francisco based social media company for stifling free speech and interfering in the upcoming presidential elections. Trump accused that Twitter has taken CNN, which he has labelled as ‘Fake News’, and Washington Post articles to claim that Trump’s statement is incorrect. “Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!” he tweeted.

Twitter, on the other hand, defended itself, claiming that the move was aimed at providing ‘context’ around Trump’s claims.

Old photos of wildfires all over the world used to falsely claim severe wildfire in Uttarakhand, police to file FIR against fake news peddlers

OpIndia Staff
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Old photos of wildfires all over the world used to falsely claim severe wildfire in Uttarakhand, police to file FIR against fake news peddlers

Some horrific photos and videos of wildfires claiming to be that of Uttarakhand flooded Twitter on Wednesday. Netizens took to Twitter to share some gut-wrenching photos of the devastating effects of the wildfires that are taking over the region.

These pictures were also shared by many tourism adventure groups on social media.

These images shared on social media sites soon drew traction and many media houses reported that Uttarakhand has been burning in a forest fire for the last four days. According to these reports, as many as 46 such forest fires which have affected over 51.34 hectares of forest land have been raging in the hill state of Uttarakhand over the last four days.

A few left-liberal websites like Scoopwhoop and The Logical Indian, quickly used it and attributed misleading, ‘clickbait’ headline to these old pictures to sensationalize the news.

Uttarakhand CM and police rebut these claims

But how far are these claims true? Are the forests in Uttarakhand really burning? Uttarakhand police today took to Twitter to rebut these claims. Calling it completely false and mischievous, Uttarakhand police urged the public not to fall prey to such rumours. They said that the police will look into the matter and an FIR against concerned persons involved in spreading the false news will be lodged soon.

Parag Madhukar Dhakate, Chief Conservator of Forests of Western Circle (Uttarakhand) also said that there is a lot of misinformation, old photos and fake news being circulated on social media. He said that in fact, there has been a reduction in the fire as compared to the past years as it has been raining every few days so there is moisture and lesser incidents of wildfire.

The IFS Association Uttarakhand has also given a comparison of the actual facts of the fire in the forests of Uttarakhand in the year 2020 through a graph. It is clear from the comparison of forest fires in 2019 and 2020 that the fire of 2020 is less as comapred to the previous year.

Moreover, sharing the above information, the CM of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat also called out the propaganda machinery, who tried to pass off old 2016 and 2019 images, that too of forest fires in Chilean and Chinese forests as recent ones in Uttarakhand, to instil fear amongst people.

The fact is that the forest fires in Uttarakhand aren’t remotely as severe as these social media posts claim. Uttarakhand had lost more than 1,200 hectares in the massive forest fires in May last year. Compared to that, it has not even crossed the 100-hectare mark this year.  Jai Raj, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said in a statement that this May the weather was considerably favourable, which kept the fires under control. However, the rapidly rising temperatures over the last few days triggered the forest fire incidents.

Almost all of the photos being shared on social media does not belong to the current fires in Uttarakhand. Most of them are from various places in the world outside India, and although some are from Uttarakhand, they are from previous years. For example, a photograph of fire in 2016 in the state, as seen in this report, has been widely circulated as a current photo.

“We are doing our best to control them. Our teams are there, it will take some time to douse these fires,” he said. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted that the region will receive rainfall Wednesday, which will help further control the fires, Raj added.

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