A raft of people gathered at Jantar Mantar for a protest march against the gruesome anti-Hindu riots presided over by Islamist forces in the last few days in the National Capital.
The protest march was organised by the Delhi Peace Forum, an NGO, at Jantar Mantar against the ravaging communal violence that claimed 42 lives in northeast Delhi. Chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ filled the air as thousands of people assembled at the place in solidarity with those who suffered from the violence inflicted by the Islamists.
The demonstration was also attended by BJP leader Kapil Mishra who had recently been under attack from Islamist apologists for asking the anti-CAA protesters to vacate squatted roads.
Demonstrators held posters condemning AAP corporator Tahir Hussain for his role in enabling Muslim rioters to unleash carnage against Hindus. A frenzied Muslim mob had dragged IB sleuth Ankit Sharma along with 2 other inside Hussain’s bungalow. Sharma’s battered body was later recovered from a ditch in Chand Bagh.
Posters at Delhi protest march against Islamist violence
A video of Muslim mob throwing petrol bombs and stones from the top of Tahir Hussain’s bungalow had also gone viral. According to the eyewitness accounts, the Islamists inside Tahir Hussain’s house were trying to desecrate the Shiva Temple in the opposite lane.
Placards bearing photos of Ankit Lal, Ratan Kumar and Vinod Kashyap were held by the demonstrators marching in the rally. Chants of “Jihadi terror down down’ and “Vardi me Samman mein, Desh bhakt maidan mein” also reverberated the air as the protesters marched through Delhi’s Connaught Place.
A massive rally just passed through the heart of Delhi in Connaught Place
Chants of ‘Jihadi terror down down’ and ‘vardi me samman mein, desh bhakt maidan mein’
The demonstration was arranged to honour the sacrifice of police head constable Ratan Lal and IB sleuth Ankit Sharma and stand in solidarity with the bereaved Hindu families who lost their near ones in the riots.
A crowd of thousands of nationalists at Jantar Mantar honouring the sacrifice of Ratan Lal & Ankit Sharma,also to stand in solidarity with families of Hindus like Vinod ji.
Look at the kind of slogans you hear when the mob is Hindu.
Delhi witnessed widespread violence as Muslim anti-CAA protesters went on a rampage against Hindus. About 148 FIRs have been filed in the case and as many as 23 people arrested by the police, besides holding several hundred others in preventive custody.
After American daily Wall Street Journal published a slanderous report misquoting murdered IB sleuth Ankit Sharma’s brother to allege that his brother was killed by armed Hindu men, another news daily, Jansatta too carried a similar reportage alleging that Ankit Sharma was murdered by sword-wielding goons chanting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans.
The misleading report was published in Jansatta on February 29. The report claims that the murdered IB officer Ankit Sharma’s brother had made a shocking revelation that his brother was murdered by “Jai Shri Ram” chanting and sword-wielding goons. The report quotes the fallacious Wall Street Journal report to assert that the deplorable murder of Ankit Sharma was committed by Hindus, contrary to the reports which hold incensed Muslim mob responsible for his murder.
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a report titled, “India’s Ruling Party, Government Slammed Over Delhi Violence”. In its report, the WSJ claimed that Ankur Sharma, the brother of the deceased IB officer allegedly said to them that the rioters had come armed with stones, rods, knives, and even swords, and shouted slogans ‘Jai Shri Ram’ before attacking his brother Ankit Sharma.
As per WSJ’s assertions, Ankur Sharma accused Hindu groups of attacking his brother Ankit Sharma, who was later found brutally murdered in Delhi.
However, the claims made by WSJ is far from the truth as Ankit’s family has been consistent in their statements that their boy was dragged by a Muslim mob that had come from Tahir Hussain’s house.
Multiple eyewitnesses had corroborated that Sharma was dragged by an enraged Muslim mob from inside the house of AAP leader Mohammad Tahir Hussain and subsequently killed by them. Sharma, having stabbed hundreds of times with his intestines pulled out, was found dead and abandoned inside a ditch in Chand Bagh neighbourhood.
The report by Jansatta comes after Ankit’s brother Ankur Sharma had already categorically denied the Wall Street Journal’s fabrications and invalidated its report. “I have never given such a statement to the Wall Street Journal. This is a ploy to defame my brother and my family. The Wall Street Journal is lying,” he said to Prasar Bharati News Service.
In conversation with PBNS, Ankur Sharma, Brother of killed IB official discredited @WSJ report, “I never gave such a statement to Wall Street Journal. This is a ploy to defame my brother and my family. Wall Street Journal is lying.”#DelhiViolencepic.twitter.com/0peViwzkjE
Complaints have been already filed against WSJ in Delhi and Mumbai for their fake news. The media house has been accused of “defaming a particular religion and propagating communal hatred” in connection with its misreporting on the Ankit Sharma’s murder.
Earlier, Speaking to Times Now, Ankur Sharma had alleged that at least 40-50 people associated with AAP leader Tahir Hussain took his brother and had murdered him. “They killed my brother and some others and threw them in the drain. They have recovered three more bodies from the drain. Tahir Hussain is behind the incident,” said Ankur Sharma. Ankur also reiterated that it was the mob inside the AAP leader Tahir Hussain’s house who mercilessly dragged him inside and inflicted unspeakable atrocities on him.
However, despite Ankur Sharma’s repeated assertions that his brother was killed by a frenzied Muslim mob sheltered inside AAP corporator Tahir Hussain’s house, a concerted attempt seems to be underway to whitewash the Islamists accused of his murder and instead pass the blame on the Hindus for the reprehensible act.
Delhi has been in the throes of unprecedented anti-Hindu riots in the last few days. Enraged Muslim mob ran amok, attacking Hindus, properties owned by them and their religious places of worship. A Shiva Temple was attacked by the Muslim mob inside Tahir Hussain’s bungalow in Moonga Nagar. Shops of Hindus were specifically targeted by Islamists in Shiva Vihar in Karawal Nagar.
While the sheer enormity of savagery and barbarity inflicted on the IB sleuth Ankit Sharma by the Muslim mob in Delhi’s Chand Bagh area allegedly headed by Tahir Hussain left the nation appalled, the leftist propaganda website, The Wire tried to dilute the depravity heaped upon him by saying that he was ‘believed to be beaten to death’.
In an article dated February 28th, 2020, titled: ’42 Dead, Names of 28 People Killed in Delhi Riots Confirmed’, the Wire staff pens down the name and details of 28 people out of the 42 killed in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots.
The report published by The Wire on February 28th.
Though the IB officer, Ankit Sharma, finds a mention in the report at number nine, the reason for his death has been mentioned as “believed to have been beaten to death”.
Screenshot of the report by The Wire
The Wire, by saying that Ankit Sharma was ‘beaten to death’, not only attempt to water down the brutality meted at him but also tries to scale down the magnitude of bestiality inflicted on the Hindus by the Islamists in Delhi as a whole. It is, in fact, a shoddy attempt to shield the Islamist aggressors and cover-up their spiteful mindset.
Ankit Sharma’s autopsy report had revealed the horrific brutality that was inflicted on him before his body was dumped in a ditch behind the house of AAP leader Tahir Hussain.
The autopsy report said that Ankit Sharma was stabbed over 400 times, and his body had been mutilated beyond belief. He had stab wounds all over his body and not even a single portion of it was spared. He was stabbed for hours, four to six hours, by possibly as many as six individuals together, according to the report. Moreover, his intestines were ripped apart, said the autopsy report. Forensic doctors have reportedly said that they haven’t seen such nightmarish mutilation in their lives. The report said that the body had “multiple abrasion.. deep cut.. by sharp edge objects”.
The panel of doctors, who carried out post mortem, had clearly stated that Ankit Sharma was brutally and repeatedly stabbed, which had caused his death.
According to the multiple eyewitnesses accounts, along with Ankit Sharma, there were three other people too who were dragged away by the frenzied Muslim mob inside Hussain’s building. However, one of them managed to make a miraculous escape and perhaps dodged an excruciating death. OpIndia got in contact with this escapee to seek more details about the gory incident.
The minor boy, who was successful in rescuing himself, laid bare his experience in chilling details about the carnage unleashed by the Muslim mob sheltered inside now expelled AAP leader Tahir Hussain’s building. “They were dragging us inside the building. I somehow evaded their grip and extricated myself. But when I looked back, all three were missing,” the boy said in a trembling voice while referring to the three people including Ankit Sharma who were dragged inside Hussain’s building by the murderous mob.
IB sleuth Ankit Sharma’s mutilated body was found abandoned in a drain at Chand Bagh.
Ravinder Sharma, the father of IB official Ankit Sharma had divulged that his son had gone missing along with his two friends on Tuesday, soon after he returned from work around 4.30 pm. Pinning the blame on AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and his men for the death of his son, Kumar alleged that his son’s body was thrown from a mosque into the drain.
Speaking to OpIndia editor Nupur J Sharma, Ankit’s brother Ankur also divulged the chilling sequence of events that led to the brutal murder of his brother. He said that the Muslim mob had dragged Ankit to Tahir Hussain’s house, the AAP corporator. While Ankit was being dragged inside by the Muslim mob, from the 4 storey building belonging to Tahir Hussain, stones started raining down on everyone below.
In fact, it was not just stones that rained down. Ankur says that along with stones, petrol bombs and even gunshots were being rained own by the Islamists from inside Tahir Hussain’s building.
According to Ankur, this was being done so nobody would attempt to rescue Ankit. As soon as Ankit started being dragged inside the house, Hindus ran to rescue Ankit, however, they were fended off by the rain of stones, petrol bombs and bullets.
“Unhone Ratan Lal ko bhi maara, DCP ko zakhmi kiya, ye log police ke logon ko maar rahe hai. Ankit ne apne aap ko IB officiial bataya, isiliye maar giraya”, Ankur said.
As it has emerged, AAP Corporator Tahir Hussain is smack in the middle of this brutal saga where Ankit, a young, dedicated IB officer was brutally murdered. Eyewitnesses have said that Ankit Sharma was dragged in the house that belongs to Tahir Hussain, AAP corporator, by a Muslim mob along with two others. Images and footage of Tahir Hussain himself wielding a laathi have emerged along with the rooftop of his house, littered with stones and petrol bombs. The roof of his house was used by hundreds of Islamists to throw stones and petrol bombs on people in the area.
An FIR has been registered against Tahir Hussain under section 302(a) of the IPC for the murder of Ankit Sharma, on a complaint filed by Ankit’s family. The AAP ex-councillor reportedly went missing immediately after the complaint was filed against him and is still absconding.
While the country reeled under the shock of a government official being so brutally tortured during the Delhi riots, the Left media, treated Ankit Sharma as just another name.
The Left media followed the decided narrative of the rest of the Islamist apologists to the very last word. Till the FIR was filed, several Left media outlets did not even bother covering the brutal murder of Ankit Sharma.
The first article that The Wire wrote on the murder of Ankit Sharma, was on the shoddy defence that was presented by the AAP corporator Tahir Hussain.
The second article that The Wire wrote on Ankit Sharma’s brutal death only mentioned the FIR being filed and repeated some of the lies by Hussain.
The leftist media has been shamelessly trying to shield the Islamists and paint Hindus as the aggressors even before the Delhi anti-Hindu riots broke out. With the Delhi riots, that cacophony has reached its zenith.
Singer and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporter Vishal Dadlani took to Twitter on Saturday to slam AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal for sanctioning the prosecution of Kanhaiya Kumar and other members of the “Tukde Tukde gang” in the 2016 infamous sedition case.
#AAP started out as people criticising a government that was wrong.
Most #AAP supporters are still those people, & still do exactly the same. Some of us, at great risk.
We also despise the political tradition of trading right & wrong for votes/image/gain.
His tweet read, “AAP started out as people criticising a government that was wrong. Most AAP supporters are still those people and still do exactly the same. Some of us, at great risk. We also despise the political tradition of trading right & wrong for votes/image/gain. This is plain wrong.”
On January 14 last year, the Delhi police special Cell had submitted 1200-page charge-sheet against Kanhaiya Kumar and his comrades Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Mujeeb Gattoo, Umair Gul, Khalid Bhat and scholar Basharat Ali. The application had been pending since then with the Delhi government.
Finally, permission was given after Delhi Police wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s government last week requesting it to expedite the process. That letter was sent hours after a court directed cops to send a reminder to the ruling AAP.
Interestingly, Kanhaiya Kumar “thanked” Kejriwal for speeding up the process of his trial on Friday. But, Anurag Kashyap, the new poster boy of the left-liberal jamaat, was clearly miffed over the fact that the Delhi CM has backstabbed one of their own. The film director called Arvind Kejriwal spineless and asked for how much he was sold.
Mahashay @ArvindKejriwal ji.. aap ko kya kahein .. spineless toh compliment hai .. aap to ho hi nahin .. AAP to hai hi nahin .. कितने में बिके ? https://t.co/nSTfmm0H8r
The Delhi Chief Minister also drew the ire of scam-tainted former Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram. The Congress leader claimed that AAP is “no less ill-informed” than the Union government in its understanding of sedition law. Standing with the ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’ has long been the official stand of the Congress party.
Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law.
I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC.
Vishal Dadlani had been a long-time supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party. He had composed songs, besides campaigning for the party in Madipur, Moti Nagar and Tilak Nagar during the recent Assembly elections. The singer claimed to have quit the party after making disparaging comments against Digambar Jain community monk Tarun Sagar in 2016.
While addressing the Ideas India Conclave 2020, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at opposition and the left challenging them to defeat the Modi government and form their own government and not to teach the government secularism, inclusion and human rights.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: I would like to tell my liberal leftist friends – defeat us & form your own govt. You don’t teach us secularism, inclusion & human rights. Have you ever talked about human rights of victims of terrorism & extremist violence? Never. pic.twitter.com/HmCQvsRx7V
The opposition and the left are steadily preaching against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which is a Law enacted to propose citizenship to the religious minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at them saying those who were asking for the evidence of presence of Ram Lalla are now saying they’ll not show the documents. This is duplicity, hypocrisy, and intellectual dishonesty, he added.
Union Min Ravi Shankar Prasad: Some people say they’ll not show any document. It’s fine. But they ask for evidence that Ram Lalla was born in Ayodhya, in spite of the fact that world has been believing it for thousands of years. This is duplicity,hypocrisy&intellectual dishonesty pic.twitter.com/6KKROMOlQT
Ravi Shankar Prasad was speaking at India Ideas Conclave 2020 at the Tech City Narmada in Gujarat. Yesterday, Union Law minister had lashed out at Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and her party leaders on their urge to the President Kovind to use his powers to save “Rajdharma”. Prasad said, “Manmohan Singh had demanded citizenship rights for the people displaced due to religion. Ashok Gehlot had written letters to Shivraj Patil and Advaniji both of then Home ministers, that citizenship should be given to minorities from other countries, then what kind of ‘Rajdharma’ is this that you changed your instance. CAA was formed using constitutional ways and following the rules laid down by it.”
Earlier in an International Judicial Conference Law Minister said, “governance must be left to the Legislature while delivering judgments must be left to the Judiciary. He added that terrorists and corrupt people do not have the “right to privacy.”
Large swathes of northeast Delhi were in throes of unprecedented violence as Muslim anti-CAA rioters went on a rampage. The situation in Karawal Nagar, one of the highly sensitive neighbourhood in northeast Delhi was the area which arguably borne the maximum devastation. OpIndia team decided to visit the strife-torn region to comprehend the ravages of the violence inflicted by the Muslim mob.
On visiting the “Bhagwan Shiva Chowk” in Karawal Nagar’s Shiv Vihar, we saw bricks and stones irregularly strewn across the road, giving an impression that the place might have been a witness to a gory pitched battle. In the adjoining areas, houses owned by Hindu appeared badly damaged and in a deplorable situation. A Hindu DRP school was burnt down while shops owned by Hindus were razed down. A potter was inconsolably weeping as his months of hard work laid in ruins. On the other hand, a food stall was severely burnt, including the stove and benches.
We then proceeded towards Shiv Vihar Chowk, where attacks were carried out from the Muslim school Rajdhani. The DRP school of Hindus were reduced to ashes. There were about 300 riotous goons in the Rajdhani school. A person who had come to see his burnt shop claimed that the Muslim houses, on the other side of the road were all safe and intact.
When he examined the claim made by the person, we found that the Muslim locality, on the other side of the road was unharmed and secure, while the Hindu shops were blown into smithereens. When we asked about the glaring incongruency to a person who was serving tea and snacks to the security forces deployed in the region, he said that the attack had emanated from the same Muslim houses. Muslim women were also standing on their roofs and attacking the police forces with acid, he added.
एक ग़रीब कुम्हार, जिसके दीये फोड़ डाले गए। वही दीये,जो दीपावली में आपकी घरों की शोभा बढ़ाते हैं।
मुस्लिम दंगाई भीड़ ने उस ग़रीब की महीनों की मेहनत बर्बाद कर दी। एक पुलिसकर्मी ने बताया वो रोते-बिलखते घूम रहा था।
According to one eyewitness who saw the pogrom against Hindus claimed that in response to Muslim mob’s attack, Hindus too tried to mount an assault in self-defence but they were mostly at the receiving end as the Muslim rioters were perched at a higher elevation in Rajdhani school and had a clear aim to target the Hindus. Dinesh Munshi was shot in the head, after which he died. He added that despite this, Hindus assisted many Muslim women to their homes who were stuck in the struggle between the two sides. Hindus continued helping the needy ones while Muslims kept raining petrol bombs and hurling stones, he said.
There’s still an air of fear and apprehension in the region, as people are reluctant to come in front of the camera and name the culprits. They claim that they have to stay in this area, If they come out and speak the truth, tomorrow nobody will come forth to help them if anything untoward happens to them.
When asked where was the police when Hindus in the region came under attack, the residents said that police was present at the spot but they were not authorised to shoot the rioters.
The abusive, anti-Hindu filmmaker Anubhav Singh directorial, ‘Thappad’, starring Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu has not managed to impress its audiences. The movie saw a very slow start at the box office on Friday. Despite having no competition from past or present either, with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Bhoot Part One – The Haunted Ship slowing down as such, Thappad barely made Rs 3.07 crore on Day first.
Comparing its Day 1 office collection box to other recent releases, it is clear that the audience is not in awe of the film. The start of the film in the morning shows was unexpectedly slow but then there was a slight improvement in the evening and night shows, which helped it reach the Rs 3 crore mark.
The story of Thappad revolves around Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) who’s a homemaker by choice. Amrita is married to Vikram (Pavail Gulati) and she is happy in her space with him until one day when Vikram slaps Amrita.
After the slap, the whole life starts making meaning for Amrita. She understands her importance and knows that even being her husband, Vikram can’t slap her. Nobody can slap their wife. Thus the story goes forward.
Even as Anubhav Sinha’s directorial, Thappad, released in theatres on February 28, #BoycottThappad has been trending on Twitter. The trend came in as an outcome of Taapsee and director Anubhav Sinha’s opposing the newly implemented CAA and standing in solidarity with the JNUSU leftists accused of violence.
Bollywood entertainer Taapsee Pannu had even become a part of a protest in Mumbai showing solidarity with JNU ‘students’. She had then said: “I haven’t expressed my views on CAA because I haven’t studied about it. But the visuals which I saw in Jamia, I didn’t feel those were pleasant. I felt really sad when I saw the videos where students were talking about their plight. I feel something big has happened or something big is going to happen.
As for Anubhav Sinha, he is that abusive, anti-Hindu and anti-Modi filmmaker who cannot handle criticisms. After the release of his ‘propaganda film Article 15, which shamelessly attempted to further enforce the old shackles of caste identities, Sinha, who had recently tried to water down the brutal history behind Azadi slogans by calling them a part of feminist movement, went on an abusive spree on Twitter, trashing everyone who held negative opinions about his movie.
Prior to the release of his another propaganda film ‘Mulk’, Sinha who had earlier made the embarrassment called Ra.One had claimed that terrorism was not started by Muslims. He was also caught requesting Pakistanis to watch his ‘Mulk’ movie illegally. Sinha, whose own shady money laundering attempts were recently highlighted seems to be on a mission to improve his public image by toeing ‘liberal’ propaganda.
Delhi has been on the edge after so-called anti-CAA protests took the shape of full-blown anti-Hindu riots. On February 24, violence broke out in certain areas of North-East Delhi such as Chandpur, Maujpur and Brahmapuri.
Muslim mobs went on a rampage, amidst chants of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ and ‘Nara e Taqbeer’ and engaged in arson, stone-pelting and vandalism. The visit of American President Donald Trump was overshadowed by a horrifying episode of unprecedented violence and rioting.
For the past few days, social media has been abuzz with heart-wrenching tales of Hindus who have been victimised by the mob, masquerading as Anti-CAA protestors. The proofs which have emerged over the days are not only a testimony to the brutality unleashed by the Islamists on Hindu’s in the national capital but also confirm that these attacks were not spontaneous but were pre-planned, well-crafted and discreetly organised onslaughts.
Divya Kumar Soti, columnist and analyst, shared a video thread yesterday which shows how the pre-riot preparations were in full swing in an Islamist neighbourhood in the national capital.
Thread: Video emerges capturing pre-riot preparations in an Islamist neighborhood. All age groups involved. Watch carefully.
Part 1 pic.twitter.com/8zRZoYEqYU
In the video thread shared on Twitter, Muslim youths belonging to all age groups are seen moving around in their locality as if they are getting themselves ready for a mission. Most of these Muslim youths have masked their faces. They have lathis and sticks in their hands.
A youth who seems to be one of the chief executors’ instructs others to apply a mixture of oil and salt on their faces. This was probably being done to cover up their identity.
Islamists apply oil and salt mixture on their faces to mask their identity
Another youth empties a sack full of bricks and stones on the corner of the street to distribute amongst others. He instructs others to pick up the bricks one at a time, which would be then used for pelting.
Muslim youth emptying a sack full of bricks and stones to distribute amongst others
The youth furthers that only after applying the mixture they are supposed to pick up the stones and bricks. “Teil laga ke lo, teil laga ke… namak, teil laga ke lo… ankh band karke lagao, ankh mein lag jayega” (apply oil and salt before picking up the bricks. Apply carefully avoiding the eyes) the youth instructs, while another applies the mixture on the faces of the other Islamists, as they prepare themselves for the attack.
The Delhi Anti-Hindu riots orchestrated by radical Muslim mobs have resulted in 42 deaths, besides damage to livelihood and properties. Mostly all the eyewitnesses OpIndia got in touch with have revealed that the Islamists had been preparing for these anti-Hindu riots since a long time under the pretext of anti-CAA protest.
After it had emerged that AAP leader Tahir Hussain was one of the main organisers behind the riots in North East Delhi last week, Islamists and left-liberal ecosystem have gone overboard in defending him. Even after stones, petrol bombs, acid packs, improvised slingshots to hurl petrol bombs etc were recovered from Tahir’s building after the riots, and videos had emerged showing hundreds of people throwing stones and petrol bombs from the roof of the building with Tahir supervising the attacks, Islamists want people to believe that he is innocent. Leftist propaganda site AltNews, which calls itself a fact-checker, has jumped into the bandwagon to give a clean chit to Tahir Hussain.
They have published an article to refute allegations that the AAP leader had posted an edited video, but now several people have questioned the arguments they have used to defend Tahir Hussain.
The matter relates to a video posted by AAP spokesperson Prince Soni on 27 February where Tahir Hussain was making an appeal to the police to control the riots, amid violence going on in the background. He had alleged that rioters had forcefully entered and vandalised his house. Although the video was posted a day after the riots were brought under control, Prince had claimed that it was recorded during the riots.
दंगे के समय AAP पार्षद #ताहिर_हुसैन का यह विडियों देखिए। दंगो में पीड़ित व्यक्ति बार-बार फ़ोन कर स्वयं पुलिस बुला रहा था, उसपर आरोप लगा रहे? pic.twitter.com/ILBQzGUWyh
After the video was posted, several persons on Twitter had claimed that it was doctored. It was alleged that Tahir Hussain had recorded his statement after the riots were over in an indoor setting with a green screen as a background, and footage from riots was added in the background using video editing tools. Several persons had overserved that while Tahir’s statement was seemed to have recorded using a tripod as his footage was stable, the background was shaking and moving, typical of recording using a handheld device.
In this FAKE video uploaded by Tahir Hussain- OBSERVE the Blue Dish on left in background & house on right. The camera doesnt move (seems its on a tripod) nor does #TahirHussain But see how the Dish moves ? & house goes out totally !! BRАINLESS Nincompoop stunt Backfirеd badly? pic.twitter.com/W7qkjevFZL
I have been a forensic student.
This video has only 0.002 to 0.007 VSI. Send it to any lab and this will be identified in half a second.
2 videos plus an animated purifier used. https://t.co/IpJKau4BXb
It was pointed out by social media users that Tahir Hussain runs an advertisement company named Show Effect Advt. Pvt. Ltd, where they do all kind of video editing, therefore they have the resources and expertise to this kind of manipulation.
Tahir Hussain runs an adevrtisment company named Show Effect Advt. Pvt. Ltd. Where they do all kind of video editing. He is a professional video editor. He is running this company for last 12 years. pic.twitter.com/3SuKnMQOnL
In the AltNews article defending the AAP leader, they have written that they spoke with AAP spokesperson Deepak Bajpai who informed that the video was sent him by Hussain on 24 February. As a proof, Bajpai recorded a video showing the Tahir’s video sent to him on WhatsApp on 24 February. Showing the phone screen, Bajpai had said he was sent the video at 6.44 PM on 24th February.
Bajpai said that the video was made for Aaj Tak channel after the channel’s reporter Sushant Mehra had contacted him to talk about the riots.
Taking the claims of AAP spokesperson Deepak Bajpai as absolute truth, AltNews says his claims are proven true as both India Today and Aaj Tak had reported the claims of Tahir Hussain in their news reports. Although AltNews links to a live update page by India Today saying that the page says, “5:57 pm: Protesters enter the residence of AAP’s Nehru Vihar corporator Mohd. Tahir Hussain and damaged the property,” it seems India Today has removed that update now as it no longer available in the page. But a Tweet saying the same is still there on India Today’s Twitter handle.
Although Aaj Tak and India Today did reported the claims of Tahir Hussain, they didn’t air the video which supposed to have been sent to them on 24th February. They didn’t even mention any video sent to them, the correspondent only says that he had talked to Tahir Hussain.
In this age of TRP war, it is a big surprise that India Today and Aaj Tak chose not to air a video message of an AAP leader, appealing police to maintain order. But AltNews didn’t find it suspicious that both the channels didn’t show the video before 27 even after they were allegedly sent the video by Tahir Hussain.
Coming to the date on WhatsApp message, as many Twitter users have pointed out, that is not a definite proof as the date on the device can be changed easily. To illustrate this, Twitter user @pokershash posted an edited video where the video of Tahir can be seen sent on WhatsApp on 6th February, three weeks before the riots in Delhi.
And going few steps forward, @zoo_bear, I had received video of Tahir Hussain on 6th FEB. Like 22 days before recorded. Recorded in same manner as you have shown in your article.@factchecknet can we consider this as a proof? pic.twitter.com/TwY5QbkXZJ
AltNews also posted a higher resolution version of the video they have received from AAP, and they say that they could not spot any sign of video being edited. But there are several things in the video that raises doubt. Tahir Hussain was speaking outside, of the terrace of his building, with apparently riots going on in the area. He was neither holding a microphone nor wearing a lapel mic, still, his voice was crystal clear. The audio quality even in low-resolution videos on social media is very good, suggesting recording inside a studio using professional equipment. When recording outdoors, the voice quality is usually not that clear, as lots of background noises are captured by the microphone. In a riot situation with guns firing in background, the noise will be much more, but still, Tahir Hussain’s video had no such problem.
The video also remains doubtful, as while Tahir Hussain remains in the same position, the background behind him moves, suggesting that both videos were shot separately which were combined later. It is alleged that a technique called Chroma Key was used while making the video. In this technique, the subject is shot in front of a green screen, or any other solid colour screen. From this video, the background, which is the green or any other solid colour, is removed using video editing software, and it is then superimposed on the background video, making the impression that the subject was present in the location of the background video.
Therefore, while AltNews concludes that the video was indeed shot on February 24, there is no solid proof to back that claim. The so-called fact-checker gave a clean chit to the AAP leader based on non-reliable and dubious sources. They chose to believe the version of an AAP spokesperson who will obviously defend their party leader, and relied on video of a smartphone which can be easily manipulated. They also didn’t question why two major news channels didn’t air the video when the video was allegedly shot for the channels and was sent to them on 24th February. The news reports quoted by AltNews also mention only ‘talk’ with Tahir Hussain, and don’t mention any video message.
A Twitter user (@saket71) has shared a screenshot wherein NDTV journalist Vishnu Som could be seen sporting a mysterious doll, resembling slain global terrorist Osama Bin Laden, on his desk.
A close look at the “brownish-yellow doll” at 5:42 time stamp does highlight the similarity between the two. Vishnu Som had earlier courted controversy by going against Rahul Gandhi on the alleged “Rafale Scam”, even though has been seen batting relentlessly for the Dynasty,
Screengrab of the video (The doll marked in red)A clearer picture of the statue circled in white
Several Netizens took to Twitter to speculate whether the statue was that of Osama Bin Laden and if so, why would a journalist want to keep memorabilia of a dreaded terrorist.
Don bhai @realDonaldTrump, this is office of @ndtv an Islamist news channel representing Pakistan in India. They have a memento with Osama’s image on their work desk. Many journos & staff of the group are frequent travelers to US. Please do the needful ?https://t.co/GWdwSQc9Zl
What is this art piece with pic of Global Terrorist Osama Bib Laden doing on table of NDTV Vishnu Som ????
watch video – https://t.co/q1IJaP3f6k frm NDTV official YouTube channel itself btwn 5:40 to 6.00 pic.twitter.com/8WCoPTPnq1
Since fake news peddlers disguised as fact-checkers such as Alt News may claim that the doll does not resemble Osama but Saudi King and Prime Minister, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, here is a visual differentiation between the two.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (left), Osama Bin Laden (right)
Alt News that holds similar ideological leanings to the left-leaning NDTV may need to come up with even bizarre theories to lend credibility to their misleading claims.
Earlier, AltNews attempted to shield the rioters at the Jamia Milia Islamia University by claiming that they were carrying “wallets” instead of “stones”, despite a plethora of evidence against the contrary.
When a poster featuring Hindu women with Bindis in Burkha, and a shattered Swastika, the sacred Hindu symbol, came to light amidst Anti-CAA protests, Alt News falsely claimed that it was the contentious Nazi Symbol. Not only that, in an effort to discredit Prasar Bharti, Alt News put out a misleading narrative against the public broadcaster.
The love for radical Islamists is not a new phenomenon for the left-liberal jamaat. Last year the propagandist website, The Quint, glorified Osama Bin Laden by observing his “death anniversary” and letting their readers know about ‘human aspects’ of Osama such as how good or bad a father and a husband he was.
Update: Vishnu Som responded to this story saying that doll, in fact, features the image of Osama Bin Laden, which is a Russian Matryoshka doll. He said that he had bought the doll in Moscow, and he had found it utterly bizarre that the world’s no 1 enemy would feature on a doll being sold right outside the Kremlin. But he denied any affinity to Osama, saying that “to suggest that this doll reflects some sort of affinity to Osama is part of a typically desperate attempt to cherry-pick information to cast bizarre aspersions on NDTV journalists.”
1.This is a Russian Matryoshka doll, widely available online, that I picked up on Red Square, Moscow several years back. I found it utterly bizarre that the world’s No 1 enemy would feature on a doll being sold right outside the Kremlin. https://t.co/4390wLgQyLhttps://t.co/8KWNxvnLX9
Vishnu Som also posted a link to a webpage showing Russian Matryoshka dolls featuring Osama Bin Laden and several other notorious dictators.
Here is the full text of Vishnu Som’s explanation posted in several tweets: This is a Russian Matryoshka doll, widely available online, that I picked up on Red Square, Moscow several years back. I found it utterly bizarre that the world’s No 1 enemy would feature on a doll being sold right outside the Kremlin. To suggest that this doll reflects some sort of affinity to Osama is part of a typically desperate attempt to cherry-pick information to cast bizarre aspersions on NDTV journalists. ‘Political’ Matryoshka dolls aren’t an oddity – they come in several shapes and sizes. This one also features Saddam, a tyrant to the US who was once the recipient of extensive Russian military aid. Similarly, it features a doll of Yasser Arafat, a tyrant to Israel once revered by successive governments in India. It also has a doll of Stalin whose image has been nurtured by the Putin regime though he has been loathed in the past by many in Russia. To be sure, I possess classic Matryoshka dolls as well as also other curios. This one was particularly curious. Our favourite online hate specialists clearly had a lean day this weekend. Abuse in response and get blocked. P.S – I use it as a paperweight.
