Home Blog Page 6163

After an unbelievable Cricket World Cup final match, NDTV manages to misreport the result

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After an unbelievable Cricket World Cup final match, NDTV manages to misreport the result

The Cricket World Cup final on 14th July between England and New Zealand was one of the most dramatic cricket matches ever played, and finally, England was declared as the winner of the World Cup. But controversial media house NDTV managed to goof up while reporting this simple fact. They reported that England had beaten New Zealand in the Super Over to win the World Cup, which is a totally incorrect interpretation of the results of the match.


The final match of the World Cup played at the Lords Cricket Ground had ended in a tie after England finished their innings at 241 all out, matching the New Zealand score of 241/8. Hence the match went to a tie-breaker over, called Super Over. In Super Over, each team nominate three batsmen and one baller each, and whoever scores more runs in this over is declared the winner of the match. But amazingly, both the scores tied at the end of that over too, with both teams scoring 15 runs.

Therefore, the World Cup winner was decided on the basis of a little-known rule to settle such matches with tied scores, the number of boundaries. As England had hit more boundaries in the match, they won the Cricket World Cup 2019. It is important to note that the result of the match remains tie, as both teams scored equal runs both in the regular match and the Super Over. But NDTV wrongly reported that England had beaten New Zealand in the Super Over.

England did not beat New Zealand in the Super Over, as NDTV is reporting, because both teams scored 15 runs in that over. England became one day cricket world champions because they had hit more boundaries in the finale match. NDTV completely misread the rules of cricket and results of the final match to publish a misleading and incorrect story.

Despite UP Police’s clarification, IndiaSpend’s faulty ‘factchecker’ continues to peddle lies about Unnao madarsa incident

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Despite UP Police’s clarification, IndiaSpend’s faulty ‘factchecker’ continues to peddle lies about Unnao madarsa incident

A couple of days back a scuffle broke out between two groups over the game of cricket in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao. However, twisting the context of the fight, the Imam of the Jama Masjid in Unnao claimed that the fight erupted after Muslim students of a madarsa were coerced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans. The Uttar Pradesh Police, on the other hand, refuted the allegations claiming that the fight broke out on the playground and it had nothing to do with the communal undertones the incident is being attached to.

The FactChecker.in, which is notoriously infamous for running a prejudicial viewpoint, disregarded Uttar Pradesh Police’s investigation which conclusively established that the Muslim youths weren’t dragooned to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans and instead chose to believe the complainant Nisar Ahmed’s version that the victims were beaten for protesting against chanting of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans.


Even after the Uttar Pradesh police issued a clarification that the reports of Muslim youths being pummeled for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans were baseless, factchecker.in continued to believe the victim’s version of the event, showing utter contempt and disregard for the law enforcement agency charged with administering law and order in the state.

According to the CCTV footage accessed by the police, the alleged perpetrators, against whom an FIR was lodged and who were accused of allegedly thrashing Muslim youths for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans were not even present at the spot. The mobile phone records also show that the accused were not present at the spot. The police have also said the complaint of raising slogans hasn’t been verified yet.

However, in a subversive attempt to discredit the police findings and run them down, FactChecker.in blatantly defended its stated version of the event without providing any credible evidence to back their claim.


This is in line with their archetypal modus operandi where they twist facts to portray Muslims as victims and Hindus as brutal aggressors. Recently, in the temple desecration incident in Delhi’s Hauz Qazi, factchecker.in distorted the facts to depict Muslims as victims and Hindus, whose temple was desecrated by a Muslim mob and idols vandalised, were painted as instigators. According to them, tensions were flared up by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal members and Muslims were depicted as victims, even though a Hindu temple was vandalised and idols were broken.

There is a distinct pattern in how factchecker.in perceives an event in which Hindus are invariably portrayed as perpetrators against the minorities. They peddle fictitious narratives to allege that Muslims and other minorities are wantonly targeted by Hindus. They unscrupulously categorise such incidents under their dubious ‘Hate Tracker’ to document crimes committed in the name of religion. Their vile propaganda was ably exposed with painstaking details by Swati Goel, a journalist associated with Swarajya Magazine. She had called out the website for being selectively cherrypicking certain incidents while ignoring others to suit a particular narrative. OpIndia also has shown several times how information is distorted by factchecker.in in their so hate tracker to show Hindus as aggressors.

Exclusive: Another ‘hate crime’ turns out to be fake, Bhaghpat SP says Imam was not made to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’

Nupur J Sharma
-
0
Exclusive: Another ‘hate crime’ turns out to be fake, Bhaghpat SP says Imam was not made to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’

Repeating a PTI syndicate feed, several media houses reported today that one Imam (Muslim cleric) called Imlaq-Ur-Rehman was assaulted by men and was made to chant Jai Shree Ram. The report also mentions that his beard was pulled by the assailants and that the police has booked 12 people in connection with this case. This has turned out to be another case of fake ‘hate crime’ that is being propagated by the media.

OpIndia reached out to Superintendent of Police of Baghpat police station who has categorically rubbished the claims and asserted that Imam Imlaq-Ur-Rehman was not made to chant Jai Shree Ram, his beard was not pulled and there was no religious undertone to this assault. He asserted that this was a case of a petty brawl between some men and the Imam.

SP Shalesh Kumar Pandey said that the Imam and the assailants are from Muzaffarnagar. After the fight, the Imam, along with several of his supporters reached the Muzaffarnagar police station to file a complaint. While in the police station, the Imam narrated the incident of the assault and at that time, there was no mention of the allegation that he was made to chant Jai Shree Ram or that his beard was pulled by the assailants.

The Imam was later informed that while he and the alleged assailants were from Muzaffarnagar, the incident that occurred falls in the purview of Baghpat police station.

It was when the Imam reached Baghpat police station, was the fact about being forced to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’ added in his complaint.

SP Kumar added that he had confirmed with the Muzaffarnagar police station that when the initial FIR was filed, no such mention of any religious slogan was mentioned.

While speaking to OpIndia, SP Kumar also said that when the Imam had narrated the incident at the Muzaffarnagar police station, the entire episode was recorded and he had confirmed from the video footage that no religious chant was mentioned initially.

On being asked why he thought the claims of being forced to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’ was added as an afterthought, he said that perhaps the Imam came under the influence of his supporters and added it thinking that his case would be taken seriously if it becomes religious in nature and such sentiments are only fanned by the media.

The Superintendent of Police also confirmed that the town is absolutely peaceful and the police is yet to determine what started the brawl in the first place.

Interestingly, the media has reported that 12 people have already been booked in this case. This claim was also contested by the SP. He said that they have their suspicion on 2-3 individuals but the process of investigation is still on-going and nobody has been booked yet.

Recently in various cities, there have been incidents of violence after Friday prayers by Muslim mobs protesting against “mob lynchings” and alleged incidents of Muslims being forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram”, though many of such claims have been found to be either false or unverified.

‘Mazrool said he would make me Musalmani’, said the wife molested by Muslim men who thrashed her husband and hurled casteist abuses

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Mazrool said he would make me Musalmani’, said the wife molested by Muslim men who thrashed her husband and hurled casteist abuses

The wife of the Dalit man who was beaten up by some Muslim men in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh on June 21 has alleged that one of the accused Mazarool Hasan had touched her inappropriately and torn her kurta. She said that Hassan threatened her that he would make her Muslim. “Mazrool told me that he would make me a Musalmani (Muslim woman)”, she alleged.

Recently a video of Dalit man being beaten by a mob had gone viral on social media. Later on, it was found out that the video of a June 21 incident where a Dalit man named Shashank Padam Bhusan Sonkar was brutally beaten up by some Muslim men after he stopped them from molesting his wife.

According to a report by journalist Swati Goel Sharma of Swarajya, Sonkar ran a coaching centre in Mohalla Kharkha of Amethi’s Jais area. This is a Muslim majority area as told by Sonkar. His coaching centre provides free of cost one month course in computers under the Prime Minister’s Digital India programme.

As per the report, an FIR was registered on June 21 which stated that on the day of the incident, Sonkar and his wife Gayatri were at the coaching centre. Around 3:50 PM, Mazrool Hasan entered into the coaching centre and started molesting Gayatri. She raised an alarm hearing which Sonkar came running.

Hasan dragged Sonkar out of the coaching centre and hurled casteist remarks at him calling him ‘Sale Khatik’ (Khatik is a Scheduled Caste). Soon three men named Shabbu, Faiziyab and Rehaan joined Hasan and started thrashing Sonkar with iron rods with an intention of killing him. When Sonkar’s younger brother Mayank and sister Sarika tried to stop them, they were also attacked.

The victims have alleged that the police did not add several of their allegations in the FIR and that the motive of the attackers is also not mentioned therein. Sonkar has alleged that Mazrool and some other men have been pressurising him to shut down the coaching centre. “They are jealous that a Dalit like me is able to successfully run a coaching centre while several men from their community failed to do so in the past”, said Sonkar. The victim couple told that there have routine attempts to intimidate them but this was the first time that an assault happened.

The report mentions the statements of two eyewitnesses of the incident Azad Mehboob and Khatija Bano. Mehboob is the owner of the space rented to Sonkar for running his coaching centre and Khatija Bano is a student at his coaching centre. Mehboob told that he was sitting at his shop which is on the ground floor when the incident took place. He said that he saw Sonkar being dragged out of the coaching centre and brutally beaten. “I snatched a wooden rod from an attacker twice and tried to intervene. But I do not know till date what really ensued between the two sides”, he said. Mehboob told that Mazrool’s daughter also studies at the centre. Khatija told that Mazrool’s daughter had been absent for a week before the incident.

Mehboob told that Mazrool had tried to defend his actions before the onlookers by alleging that his daughter was assaulted by Sonkar but his daughter herself refuted the allegation before the police.

An organisation named Agniveer has reported the matter to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). The organisation wrote a letter to the NCSC chairman Ram Shankar Katheria accusing the police of going soft on the culprits. It alleged that the victims’ statements were not recorded as per section 164 of the CrPC due to which the accused got the time to get a stay against their arrest from the court.

Mobile billboard with “Help end enforced disappearances in Balochistan” message seen outside Lord’s cricket ground before World Cup Final

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mobile billboard with “Help end enforced disappearances in Balochistan” message seen outside Lord’s cricket ground before World Cup Final

Yet another political slogan related to South Asia was seen during the Cricket World Cup when a truck carrying mobile billboards was spotted today outside the Lord’s cricket stadium. The billboards read “Help end enforced disappearances in Balochistan”. The truck was spotted before the start of the World Cup final match between New Zealand and England.


The posters were displayed during a campaign conducted by Baloch Republican Party and World Baloch Organization who were protesting against human rights abuses in Balochistan.

This is the fourth time that political messages have been displayed during the World Cup. Just two days ago, an aeroplane with a political message in support of Balochistan was spotted over Edgbaston during the Australia-England semifinal match. The banner had read, “World must speak up for Balochistan”.

Reportedly, after this incident, the airspace above the grounds have been ordered to be closed due to security concerns.

Earlier a plane was seen flying over Headingley stadium in Leeds where India is battling Sri Lanka in a World Cup cricket match. The plane carried the message “India stop genocide and free Kashmir”.

Last month, while Pakistan and Afghanistan were playing the ICC World Cup 2019 at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds, fans of both teams broke into a fight outside the stadium. The fight broke out after fans spotted a plane carrying a slogan ‘Justice for Balochistan’ flying over them.

Baloch activists have been campaigning during the Cricket World Cup using posters and banners to attract the attention of the world towards atrocities of Pakistan government in Balochistan province. Earlier, Pakistani fans were seen tearing such posters put up by Baloch organisations in London.

Chandrayaan 2: India’s mission Moon cheaper than Hollywood blockbusters like Avengers Infinity Wars and Bandra Worli Sea link

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Chandrayaan 2: India’s mission Moon cheaper than Hollywood blockbusters like Avengers Infinity Wars and Bandra Worli Sea link

One of the most startling facts about India’s ambitious second mission to the moon- Chandrayaan 2 besides being the world’s first expedition to the south pole region of the moon is its economical budget. The mission is touted to be accomplished within a budget of Rs 960 crores, which is approximately $143 million, significantly cheaper than the budget of several Hollywood movies.

Recent superhit movies like Marvel’s Dark Pheonix, Avengers’ Infinity Wars and Avengers’ Endgame etc. all had their budgets on the higher side of Rs 1200 crores. However, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has managed to encapsulate the Chandrayaan-2 mission at just about Rs 960 crores.

The United States has so far invested about $100 billion (in current prices) in 15 Apollo missions to the Moon. China’s first expedition to Moon in 2007 cost about $180 million. In fact, the Chandrayaan-2 mission is cheaper than even the construction of Bandra Worli Sea link which took about $340 million.

The Chandrayaan -2 comprises two main elements: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) ‘Bahubali’ rocket and the Lunar module (orbiter, Lander ‘Vikram’ and rover ‘Pragyan’). The GSLV Mk III rocket (Rs 370 crores) plays a vital role in overcoming Earth’s gravitational field and thrusting the satellite out of the Earth’s atmosphere. The second stage comprises of a core booster that provides thrust to the rocket after the first stage is detached. The cryogenic engine in the third stage provides the rocket with the last-mile thrust.

The Lunar module of the Chandrayaan-2(Rs 603 crore) would comprise of three integrated parts namely: the Orbiter, the Lander (Vikram) and the Rover (Pragyan). The Rover would be used to conduct experiments on the Moon’s surface. The mission is to land at the south pole of the moon. This would be the world’s first expedition to the south pole region of the Moon.

With the Chandrayaan-2 mission, ISRO will use the moon as a laboratory to better understand Earth’s history. The moon was believed to have been a part of the Earth at one point in time. The water held at the south pole of the moon might be 3-4 billion years old, containing clues of the atmosphere during the earlier days of the solar system.

Besides this, the water may also serve a utilitarian purpose as well in the distant future. Reports also suggest that ISRO would be hunting for Helium-3 as well. In future, Helium-3 could be possibly used for waste-free nuclear energy. This particular isotope is rare on Earth but is found in abundance on the moon.

Porn is bigger than Amazon or Netflix and that’s a cause for worry

Ashish Shukla
-
0
Porn is bigger than Amazon or Netflix and that’s a cause for worry

I recently did a piece in praise of India’s new Child Pornography Bill but the issue didn’t leave me and several related issues teased as a stripper does in a bar full of men. Porn is one of those words which have a totally different meaning to me now than when I was in my 20s and I guess it’s true to most of the 1970s generation.

But I wasn’t prepared to how pervasive it is to humanity once I got inside the sheets of reality and fumbled with its contours.

Do you know the porn industry is bigger than Hollywood? Meatier than major baseball leagues, NFL and NBA, combined? That porn sites get more visitors than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined do in a month? That just one site, XVideos, is larger than New York Times, CNN and Dropbox combined?

And this is still just foreplay and not the real deal. That is now laid bare by SimilarWeb.com, a data-mining gold standard, which tells us that two porn websites –XVideos and Pornhub—engage more visitors and their time than—hold your breath—even Google! Indeed, in terms of worldwide website rankings, these two are in the Top 8, bigger than Amazon, Wikipedia, MSN, Yahoo, Netflix, eBay, LinkedIn, PayPal or WhatsApp. Phew!

The net worth of the Porn industry was $97 billion dollars two years ago which could feed up to 5 billion people a day. The profits are upwards of $15 billion which is one-and-a-half times more than Hollywood. So if you know Google and Netflix as behemoth bandwith-consuming companies, include Mind Geek as the third biggest for it owns PornHub, Brazzers, YouPorn and Reality Kings.

And how much do you think the pornstars are worth? Jenna Jameson was once rated to be worth more ($30m) than some of Hollywood’s top stars. Their one shot is worth bucketful of sweat to producers, and not just to viewers.

Lest you think this is a piece for titillation, this in reality is to stoke your conscience. With such figures involved, millions of girls—and boys—are lured into a cycle of exploitation where their personal and emotional orchard is laid waste for filthy bucks. Most find themselves unable to break free of this matrix, transported from city to city, country to country, continent to continent. Those who watch inflict no less damage on themselves for sociologist confirm they are prone to unstable and aggressive behaviour. Lot of fantasies stoked by porn-clips actually are the seeds on which heinous crime such as rape grow.

A few other facts perhaps could let the terrible truth sink in our minds. A recent report has found out that (a) 35 percent of all internet downloads are porn; (b) 64% of youth in 13-24 age bracket are its biggest consumers; (c) teen videos are most watched and teen viewership is the biggest too; and (d) lesbian was the most searched porn term on the world’s largest porn site last year.

All these issues need to be discussed in public for porn is not a personal choice alone. When you watch such a video, you actually play your role in someone’s exploitation; and often eventual destruction. The society needs a robust debate on porn. It needs mass awareness. It’s the underbelly of humanity. So many lives are destroyed, crimes propped and it could all be happening with our active, sick contribution.

Take a call. Now.

Chandrayaan-2: Here’s what ISRO plans to achieve in its second mission to the moon

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Chandrayaan-2: Here’s what ISRO plans to achieve in its second mission to the moon

ISRO has today announced the commencement of the 20 hours launch countdown for its second mission to the moon, the Chandrayaan-2. The GSLV-MkIII, carrying the Chandrayaan-2, would be launched at 2:51 am from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota.


If the mission turns out to be successful India would be the fourth country to land on the moon. Previously the US, the former Soviet Union and China were the ones to have successfully accomplished the moon landing. Here is what the Chandrayaan-2 seeks to achieve.

The Chandrayaan-2 would comprise of three integrated parts namely: the Orbiter, the Lander (Vikram) and the Rover (Pragyan). The Rover would be used to conduct experiments on the Moon’s surface. The mission is to land at the south pole of the moon. This would be the world’s first expedition to the south pole region of the Moon.


So what’s there in the south pole? 10 years ago the Chandrayaan-1 mission had found evidence of water on the Moon’s sub-surface. Subsequent findings have also indicated the presence of water at the poles, in the darker side.

Till now only traces of sub-surface water has been found on the Moon. However, there is a greater possibility to find water in the south pole as it has a larger surface area under a permanent shadow. The south pole also contains craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early solar system.


As explained by ISRO, the mission is to use the moon as a laboratory to better understand Earth’s history. The moon was believed to have been a part of the Earth at one point in time. The water held at the south pole of the moon might be 3-4 billion years old, containing clues of the atmosphere during the earlier days of the solar system.

Besides this, the water may also serve a utilitarian purpose as well in the distant future. Reports also suggest that ISRO would be hunting for Helium-3 as well. In future, Helium-3 could be possibly used for waste-free nuclear energy. This particular isotope is rare on Earth but is found in abundance on the moon.

“The countries which have the capacity to bring that source from the moon to Earth will dictate the process. We don’t want to be just a part of them, we want to lead them”, said ISRO chairman K Sivan.

Reportedly, Wester media and scientific journals have said that the Chandrayaan-2 would only be costing half of the budget of the Hollywood movie “Avengers Endgame”.

According to ISRO the most critical part of the mission would be the landing on the Moon’s surface. In April this year, an Israeli private mission crash-landed on the Moon’s surface.

ISRO had announced the launch date of the mission a month ago. Once launched by the GSLV rocket, the composite structure—Orbiter, Lander and Rover together—will use five orbit raising manoeuvres over 16 days before it lands on the moon. The Chandrayaan-2 mission would cost Rs 603 crore while the GSLV MK III would cost Rs 375 crore.

ISRO recently signed an MoU with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to select and train astronauts for India’s first manned mission, the Gaganyaan project. An all-weather earth observation spy satellite RISAT-2B was launched greatly boosting the country’s space capability.

Update: The Chandrayaan2 launch on 14th July was called off hours before the takeoff. The moon mission was successfully launched today from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. 

SP leader Azam Khan to be listed as land mafia on the Anti-Bhoo Mafia portal of Uttar Pradesh government

OpIndia Staff
-
0
SP leader Azam Khan to be listed as land mafia on the Anti-Bhoo Mafia portal of Uttar Pradesh government

Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan might soon be listed as a land mafia on the Anti-Bhoo Mafia (anti-land mafia) portal of the Uttar Pradesh government. Khan, who is infamous for making controversial statements, has more than 30 cases in his name. Majority of these cases relate to grabbing of land belonging either to the government or to poor farmers.

The Anti-Bhoo Mafia portal was set up by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the year 2017 to identify land mafia and register complaints relating to land grabbing. According to Ajay Pal Sharma, the Superintendent of Police, Rampur, said that Khan’s name would be recommended to be listed on the portal considering his long history of involvement in land grabbing cases.

“The District Magistrate and I would be reviewing reports (FIR/cases) of various police stations in the district which relate to land grabbed by Azam Khan or his aides. Subsequently, his name would be recommended to be listed on the land mafia portal of the government”, said Sharma.

An FIR was registered against Khan, who is a member of Parliament from Rampur, by the Revenue Department at Azim Nagar Police Station. Based on the FIR a case was also registered against him on Friday. According to the FIR, Azam Khan and Aaalehasan Khan, a former police officer and Khan’s close aid, grabbed land from 26 farmers and utilised it in the construction of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The University project was allegedly worth crores. The victim farmers whose lands were allegedly grabbed by Khan and were tortured to sign a forged sale deed will now file separate FIRs.

The State Revenue Department’s complaint alleges that Khan had misused his position as Cabinet Minister between 2012-17 for grabbing the land of the farmers. He is alleged to have illegally occupied 5,000 hectares of land. “This land comes under the riverside (of Kosi river) and cannot be acquired. However, revenue records were forged and subsequently, this land, worth over several hundred crores, was illegally occupied by Jauhar Ali University”, a Revenue officer said.

The SP supporters are opposing the action of the State government.

Hyderabad based TV anchor accuses ‘Bigg Boss Telugu’ organisers of demanding sexual favours, case registered

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Hyderabad based TV anchor accuses ‘Bigg Boss Telugu’ organisers of demanding sexual favours, case registered

Swetha Reddy, a Hyderabad-based actress and television anchor, who was nominated for the third season of the reality show ‘Bigg Boss Telugu’, has lodged a complaint with the Banjara police in Hyderabad alleging that the organisers of the reality show asked her for sexual favours in exchange for being selected for the final round.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZphGXrI1r-k]

While speaking to news agency ANI, the Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Banjara Hills division, KS Rao said that the police have lodged a complaint against four members of the reality show at the police station, and further probe is underway based on the complaint lodged by the journalist. The accused persons have been identified as Abhishek, Ravikanth, Raghu and Shyam.

“We received a complaint on July 13 afternoon from a senior journalist and anchor stating that in March, she received a call from ‘Bigg Boss Telugu’ stating that she has been selected for its third season which will begin on July 21,” ACP Rao said.

“She accepted the offer and met four members of the reality show. As per the statement, during the meeting, those four members misbehaved with her and asked her to satisfy their boss for the final selection for the show,” he added.

The TV presenter also alleged of being body shamed by all accused during their meeting. Recalling the ordeal, Swetha said, “They (organisers) didn’t give me any agreement and asked me how I am going to satisfy the boss. They also body shamed me.”

A complaint under IPC section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) has been registered.

The third season of Bigg Boss Telugu will be aired from July 21 on Star Maa channel. It will be hosted by superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna.

1...6,1626,1636,164...7,572Page 6,163 of 7,572