On 3rd September Haryana Police informed that Aryan Mishra who was shot dead on 23rd August by five people was the result of mistaken identity. The police stated that no evidence has surfaced to support the notion that the accused persons were members of any cow protection group, but they are still investigating the accused’s background. Siyanand Mishra, the victim’s father stated that he was informed that his son had been shot. However, it was later alleged that gau rakshaks (cow protectors) had killed him.
He added, “I met Anil Kaushik (one of the accused) and enquired as to how he was hit in the chest when he already had a bullet in his neck. I am not getting any answer for this.” He also clarified that Shanky who is the elder son of the landlord and was in the car on the night of the incident is already booked under section 307 for firing a bullet during a fight. “Bullets were unleashed for 30 kilometres and he was struck at Palwal. Is it legal for them to shoot someone if they suspect them of smuggling cattle? Has this right been granted by the government? Was this granted by the Modi government? If so, why,” the aggrieved father questioned.
He also explained that the perpetrators and his son didn’t know each other. “I don’t know who killed my son. Only the landlords who brought him along can answer this. Shanky, his younger brother Harshit, their mother and another woman named Keerti Sharma were in the car at the time.” He pointed out that Anil Kaushik had confessed that he shot at Aryan Mishra by mistake. “I want to know how he was shot twice. I would like to know why my son’s companions in the car were not shot,” he further asked and highlighted that the police had arrested all the culprits. He also mentioned that he was satisfied with the police inquiry.
#WATCH | Faridabad, Haryana: A student of class 12th shot dead on suspicion of cow smuggling.
His father, Siyanand Mishra says, "My son named Aryan Mishra was a student of Class 12. I was not aware of anything…Later, I got to know my son was shot on suspicion of cow… pic.twitter.com/ALFp4m75BR
Siyanand Mishra who is the complainant in the case claimed in the First Information Report that his son was shot and killed by gang members who were rivals of his son’s friends. He reported that Harshit’s father notified him of the occurrence at about three in the morning. He told him that there was an emergency and requested that he come to Palwal.
“On the evening of August 24, a young man named Aryan Mishra was fatally shot by gunfire. Five days after the murder, the Faridabad police made an arrest and filed a formal complaint. Anil, Krishna, Varun, Adesh, and Saurabh are their names. The car that was involved in the instance has been found. All the accused are from Faridabad,” conveyed Aman Yadav, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Crime, Faridabad. He also verified that the two sides didn’t even know each other, according to the probe. There is no conspiracy or personal animosity behind the murder.
#WATCH | Faridabad, Haryana: A student of class 12th shot dead on suspicion of cow smuggling.
ACP Crime, Faridabad, Aman Yadav says," All accused – Anil, Krishna, Varun, Adesh and Saurav- have been sent to judicial custody. Initial probe has revealed that due to a… pic.twitter.com/4CIrzLxZ8n
He added that the matter is under investigation. “Thus far, the inquiry has shown that there was a misunderstanding that led to the occurrence. The assailants believed that these were criminals on their way to carry out a crime. That’s why they started shooting. An investigation is being conducted on the matter. Verification of the accused’s assertions is ongoing.” He assured that anyone who would take the law into his own hands without authority or violate any rights would be penalised.
“Police are investigating their background to establish whether they were cow protectors. We are investigating if the rumours that the five accused were part of any such group are true or not,” the top cop mentioned. He also noted that the authorities have no information on the claims that the accused learned about cow smugglers in Duster and Fortuner cars and hence targeted the former in which Aryan Mishra was seated.
The murder weapon has been found and was discovered to be illegal. Its source has also been identified and he will be apprehended soon. “The weapon was used to fire four shots and two of them were directed towards the deceased. It will be sent to a forensic laboratory for inspection,” the ACP disclosed. All the fires were shot by Anil Kaushik. CCTV cameras were also checked during the probe and the footage has been collected along with conducting interrogation. The vehicle used in the shooting has also been seized.
Police reiterated that there were a total of five people in the car in which Aryan Mishra was shot, one of them was Sagar alias Shanky. The authorities added that a case of attempted murder is already registered against him. He believed that members of their rival organization were after them as the five accused followed the car which explained the reason behind the attempt to escape, per police. This increased the suspicion of those who were pursuing them and they ended up committing the crime.
According to media reports, Siyanand Mishra unveiled that Anil Kaushik had admitted to pursuing and shooting Aryan Mishra and his friends since he believed they were cow smugglers. This admission was given in his presence following the man’s arrest and incarceration by the police on 30th August. Although Anil Kauhsik’s mother Rajesh Devi denied that he had fired at them, she did admit that her son was a gau rakshak who chased the victim and his pals because he suspected they were cattle smugglers.
Aryan Mishra (19), a student in Class 12, had left his house early on 23rd August with his landlords and friends. The accused attempted to stop them but the youth and his companions increased the speed of their Duster. After pursuing them for around 30 kilometres, the former caught up to them close to a Palwal toll plaza and opened fire. Aryan Mishra was hit by a bullet to the head and shoulder. He was pronounced brought dead at the hospital. Anil, Krishan, Varun, Adesh, and Saurabh were arrested and sent to judicial custody after the case was taken over by the Faridabad Crime Branch.
On 2nd September, Nilgiris Police issued a statement clarifying that Ashika Parveen, a 22-year-old woman who was found dead on 23rd June 2024, was Muslim by birth. The clarification followed reports in local media suggesting it was a case of Love Jihad.
Reportedly, when Parveen, who was married to 30-year-old J Imran Khan died, her in-laws informed her family that she had suffered a seizure and later died in the hospital. However, a chemical analysis report revealed that she died of cyanide poisoning, turning the case into a murder investigation. When police questioned Parveen’s husband and mother-in-law, they confessed to poisoning her.
In a statement, police said, “On August 20, the chemical analysis report was received and it stated that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning. Based on the report, the deceased’s husband and mother-in-law were questioned, and they confessed that they poisoned her with cyanide.”
Initially, police suspected that the murder was due to dowry demands that Parveen was unable to fulfil. However, later in the investigation, police discovered that her mother-in-law, 47-year-old J Yasmin, was having an affair with a 56-year-old named N Khaleef. Imran’s family and Khaleef conspired to kill Parveen to prevent her from revealing Yasmin’s affair to others.
Following the revelation, some reports and social media posts claimed that Parveen was a Hindu who had converted to Islam to marry Imran, suggesting it was a case of Love Jihad. Police issued a warning against spreading rumours, stating, “It is learnt that some miscreants are spreading false news that the deceased Ashika Parveen is a Hindu by religion and by ‘love jihad,’ she was converted… It is clarified that the deceased Ashika Parveen is a Muslim by birth and the murder was due to a family issue. Severe legal action would be taken against those who spread false news.”
The Hindu called Love Jihad a ‘right-wing conspiracy’ basing on one case
Leftist media portal The Hindu used this case as an opportunity to whitewash the crimes of Islamists who lure Hindu women by hiding their identity and later harm, rape, assault, and even kill them. In its report, The Hindu defined Love Jihad as “a conspiracy theory spread by right-wing elements to target members of the minority Muslim community”.
Report by The Hindu
It is a habit of left-liberal media like The Hindu to whitewash crimes committed by the Muslim community. The Hindu conveniently ignored the fact that cases of Love Jihad are regularly reported and well-documented.
OpIndia has reported and documented hundreds of cases of Love Jihad over the years. In the most recent case, a Hindu girl filed a complaint in the Bisauli Police Station area of Badaun against one Sohail who was pressuring her to convert to Islam and do Nikah. The accused forced-fed her meat and was pressuring her to offer namaz. When she refused to comply, Sohail and his family members brutally assaulted her.
Another case was reported in Baghpat where a man identified as Adil was accused of trapping a Hindu woman in a romantic relationship under all pretences, coercing her into religious conversion, and subjecting her to prolonged sexual abuse. The victim woman, a resident of a village in the Gandhinagar police station area of Baghpat, said that she came into contact with an individual using the name Aman on Instagram. However, the man later turned out to be Adil from Alipur in Amroha, who had created a fake Instagram ID under the name Aman. This deceit was the starting point for a series of exploitative actions by Adil.
In Kerala, the systematic targeting of non-Muslim women, their brainwashing and eventual conversion to Islam after wedding to a Muslim man, and recruitment for terrorist activities have been under investigation by NIA. Many Christian organisations too have been speaking up about the issue.
Though the cases of conversion and terror recruitment have been going on for years, it made headlines in 2016, when it was discovered that 4 ISIS brides locked in an Afghanistan prison were all from Kerala and 3 of them were non-Muslim girls targeted, converted and brainwashed to become wives of ISIS terrorists in an organized manner.
On Tuesday, 3rd September, the Karnataka government declared dengue fever an epidemic disease in light of a surge in cases across the state. According to a gazette notification, the government has decided to take severe measures to combat the spread of dengue fever, which has been classified as a major public health risk emergency.
There have been as many as 25,408 dengue cases registered in Karnataka, with 12 deaths. Hassan, Dharwad, and Shivamogga have all reported two deaths, while Mysuru, Haveri, and Davangere have each reported one case.
As of September 2nd, Bengaluru’s Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), topped the dengue fever chart with 11,590 positive cases and three deaths, followed by Mandya (872), Hassan (835), Mysuru (820), and Kalaburgi (793).
Due to the surge in dengue cases, the Government of Karnataka has declared dengue an epidemic disease in the state. To enhance prevention efforts, the following regulations are being enforced: •All landowners, occupiers and builders must take necessary measures to prevent… pic.twitter.com/cr58bbroZb
Monetary fines imposed by the state to curb increasing cases
As part of tough steps to curb the outbreak, the announcement empowers authorities to issue house owners who allow mosquito breeding on their property with a fine of Rs 400 in urban areas and Rs 200 in rural regions. Commercial businesses, restaurants, small shops, and sellers that violate the health norms would face a punishment of Rs 1,000 in urban regions and Rs 500 in rural areas.
If health specifications are violated, owners of active, abandoned, and vacant building sites will be fined Rs 2000 (urban areas) and Rs 1000 (rural areas). Furthermore, if violators do not comply, they will be fined 50% more for each week.
The government has asked officials to undertake routine inspections, adopt cleanliness measures, and give medical assistance to impacted areas. To minimize mosquito breeding, health professionals should cover or secure water storage containers, sumps, or overhead tanks with a lid. Additionally, solid waste should be disposed of to prevent water accumulation.
Health officials have been asked to conduct frequent inspections of all vacant places, building premises, water tanks, parks, and playgrounds, as well as to enforce the Health & Family Welfare Department’s standards.
In July, Bangalore Rural MP Dr C N Manjunath, a cardiologist, urged the Karnataka government to designate dengue as a state medical emergency due to growing instances. He had warned that if mosquito breeding was not controlled, it might lead to chikungunya, the Zika virus, and other serious diseases.
Dengue and its growing burden across the globe
Dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral ailment spread by mosquitos to humans. It is more prevalent in tropical and subtropical environments.
Most persons who contract dengue are unlikely to have symptoms. However, for those who do, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and rash. The majority recover within 1-2 weeks. However, some people suffering from severe dengue might require hospitalization. In severe circumstances, dengue may prove fatal.
Dengue fly (Sky News)
As per the World Health Organization, dengue is treated with pain medicine as there is no specific treatment currently. Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is commonly used for alleviating pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen and aspirin ought to be avoided given that they can raise the risk of bleeding.
Dengue fever has increased rapidly worldwide in recent decades, with cases reported to WHO rising from 5,05,430 in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. The vast majority of cases are asymptomatic or mild and self-managed, hence the actual number of dengue cases remains underreported.
The WHO in its media advisory stated that dengue cases peaked in 2023, affecting over 80 countries across the globe. Since the beginning of 2023, continued transmission, along with an unexpected surge in dengue infections, has resulted in a record high of over 6.5 million illnesses and more than 7300 dengue-related deaths.
Why are dengue cases on the rise in Karnataka?
In the current scenario, it is worth noting that the cases of dengue have rapidly increased in the state of Karnataka. However, the data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), which is part of the Union Government’s Directorate General of Health Services, reveal that this is not the greatest surge in the state has seen to date.
Karnataka had the greatest number of dengue cases in the recent decade in 2023, with 19,300 confirmed cases. The highest number of deaths was reported in 2019, with 17 people succumbing to the vector-borne disease, followed by 11 in 2023. Apart from that, the number of dengue deaths has been below 10 since 2014. This year, 25,408 dengue cases have been registered in Karnataka and 12 deaths have been reported so far.
Dengue transmission is influenced by a variety of ecological factors, especially when it comes to Karnataka. Unplanned growth activities, improper water storage, migration, and poor solid waste management all have played an important role in escalating the spread of Dengue. Dengue-causing mosquitos, Aedes aegypti also breeds in fresh water and bite during the day.
This is Electronic City, India's first Special Economic Zone for Information Technology, the heart of Silicon Valley! In the absence of a local body, the onus lies on the local MLA, but he is in a forever honeymoon period!#BrandBengaluru@osd_cmkarnataka
— Citizens Movement, East Bengaluru (@east_bengaluru) May 12, 2024
Dengue is more widespread in Karnataka’s urban and semi-urban areas, where human populations are denser and breeding habitats are more widespread. The transmission cycle begins when a mosquito bites someone infected with the dengue virus. The mosquito then becomes a carrier of the virus, which it can transfer to other humans through successive bites. Karnataka’s warm and humid climate, particularly during and after the monsoon season, creates ideal circumstances for mosquito breeding and raises the risk of Dengue transmission.
In July, Mohammed Sharief, State Programme Officer, NVBDCP stated that there was no need to declare an emergency in the state due to dengue. He had also said that the number of cases would decrease by mid-August. But, the cases spiked with such force that the state was forced to declare the disease as an epidemic on Tuesday, 3rd September.
it is crucial to note that the spread of dengue is very common in the state of Karnataka during this season of the year. Every year thousands of pupils are infected with the virus which approximately lasts for 2 months.
The first case of Dengue this year is believed to have occurred in Karnataka somewhere around June. The virus spread massively in the month leading to 4,800 infections already recording a 60% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The number has now surpassed the mark of 25,000 till September 2024.
What measures are being taken by Karnataka govt to curb dengue?
In the circular published earlier, the state had said that it would establish a central war room at Arogya Soudha in Bengaluru, with parallel control rooms in all districts. These war rooms could serve as critical hubs for data collection and situation evaluation, ensuring coordinated and rapid responses to the dengue outbreak.
The state had also stated that each district would form a task force, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner. The task group would comprise key authorities from the health, urban development, education, and non-governmental organization sectors to ensure a comprehensive approach to dengue control.
Health officials, assisted by volunteers, have further planned to undertake biweekly inspections to locate and eradicate mosquito breeding places. Urban Local Bodies will seek participants for this duty, paying them Rs 200 each day.
Image- The Hindu
Weekly public programs encouraging cleanliness and dengue prevention were planned with the participation of local representatives and community members. These efforts aimed to encourage the public to maintain sanitary conditions and appropriately manage water storage. The state had also asked the district authorities to identify dengue hotspots and ramp up source reduction operations, such as mass larvicide spraying and fogging.
Hospitals have been directed to reserve beds for dengue patients and ensure the availability of testing kits, critical medications, and blood components. Free testing and treatment will be available at all healthcare facilities, as per the circular.
Notably, despite all this, the number of dengue cases in the state kept on rising crossing the mark of 25,000 cases today. The state government has also received criticism for its poor handling of the dengue outbreak. The opposition earlier accused the government of incompetence and poor management, citing a lack of proper preventive measures and inadequate healthcare facilities. The state then slammed the BJP for pointing out the lacunas and instead indicated alleged poor management in the state by the BJP during the COVID-19 spread.
The mismanaged hospitals, overcharging of the basic medical tests, and lack of coordination from the increased population further highlight the potential risk of dengue spike in the state. The government instead of playing politics over the issue and blaming the opposition political parties is expected to look into the seriousness of the situation and manage the spread wisely resulting in the elimination of the epidemic.
On the 3rd of September, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence. The two discussed the ‘deepening’ of the ties between India and the US.
Taking X, Kharge shared some pictures with Garcetti and said: “India and the United States enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership covering almost all areas of human endeavour, driven by shared democratic values. Delighted to meet Ambassador of the US to India, HE Mr. Eric Garcetti, Minister-Counselor of Political Affairs, Mr. Graham Mayer and Chief of Staff, Ms. Lisa Brown and discussed deepening of ties between the two countries.”
India and the United States enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership covering almost all areas of human endeavour, driven by shared democratic values.
Delighted to meet Ambassador of the US to India, HE Mr. Eric Garcetti, Minister-Counselor of Political Affairs, Mr.… pic.twitter.com/QRnW5gdXWs
This meeting between Eric Garcetti and Mallikarjun Kharge comes just days after US diplomats met National Conference leaders in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the scheduled Assembly Elections. The frequent meetings between Indian opposition leaders and the US diplomats raise concerns over possible US interference in Indian democracy.
Ahead of the Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir, United States diplomats, including Minister-Counsellor for Political Affairs Graham Mayer and First Secretary Gary Applegarth, met National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah. The meeting took place at Abdullah’s Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar. Reportedly, during the meeting, the leaders and diplomats discussed a wide range of issues related to Jammu and Kashmir and the region in general.
Earlier last month, Jennifer Larson, the US Consul General in charge of the American mission in Hyderabad met AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Additionally, she met Revanth Reddy, the Chief Minister of Telangana.
On 26th August, it was revealed that the marketing firm Cox Media Group admitted to listening to users’ smartphone microphones. The firm boasts some notable clients, including Facebook and Google. CMG stated that the information collected through this microphone listening is used to place ads based on the conversations.
The company’s admission came during a pitch deck to investors, where it disclosed that its “Active Listening” software uses Artificial Intelligence to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.” The company explained that voice data can then be paired with behavioural data to target in-market customers for ads.
CMG noted that customers “leave a data trail based on their conversations and online behaviour,” which is collected and analysed by the AI-powered software. This data is sourced from over 470 different channels.
Following the revelation, Google reportedly removed CMG from its “partner program” website. A Google spokesperson said in a statement, “All advertisers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations as well as our Google Ads policies, and when we identify ads or advertisers that violate these policies, we will take appropriate action.”
Furthermore, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has also said that it is reviewing CMG to determine if the marketing company has violated any terms. A Meta spokesperson stated, “Meta does not use your phone’s microphone for ads and we’ve been public about this for years. We are reaching out to Cox Media Group to get them to clarify that their programme is not based on Metadata.”
Interestingly, in a now-deleted blog post, Cox Media Group noted that there have been questions about the legality of active listening. The post stated, “It is legal for phones and devices to listen to you. When a new app download or update prompts consumers with multi-page terms of use agreement, somewhere in the fine print, Active Listening is often included.”
There have been several reports where users have alleged that they see ads about products, including travel and appliances, shortly after having conversations about them. These ads appear even though they did not search for the products, raising questions about whether devices equipped with microphones are actively listening to users.
In a disturbing incident, a 70-year-old French woman has alleged that her husband recruited over 72 strangers online to rape her after giving her sedatives. The man, a 71-year-old former employee of France’s electric utility company EDF, is on trial in the case, along with 50 other men suspected of raping an elderly woman. The accused has been identified as Dominique Pélicot.
According to the victim’s lawyer Antoine Camus, the victim was raped for over a decade and was unaware of the abuse because she was sedated.
?? A #French pensioner went on trial Monday accused of recruiting dozens of strangers online to #rape his wife after he #drugged her into unconsciouness.
“She is completely determined to face them and her husband, with whom she lived for 50 years but whom she knew nothing about, as she discovered at 68,” Camus said.
On Monday, the 72-year-old victim, Gisèle, appeared in court in Avignon, France for the start of the trial. For the next four months during the trial, she will confront her accused rapists.
According to reports, the accused Dominique used to recruit men online to rape his wife after drugging her with sleeping medicines and anti-anxiety medications. Dominique is facing nine accusations, including several counts of rape with aggravating circumstances, drugging a victim in order to commit rape, and disseminating pictures related to the abuse.
The abuse started in 2011, when the couple was living near Paris, and continued until they moved to Mazan two years later. The man hired strangers to sexually assault his wife through a now-defunct website called coco.fr, according to chat records found by police.
According to court documents, police have identified at least 92 sexual assaults by 72 individuals ranging in age from 26 to 74. 50 people were identified, and the majority have been charged with aggravated or attempted rape and are on trial other than Gisèle’s husband Dominique.
Notably, in September 2020, police began investigating the woman’s husband, the primary suspect, when he was discovered discreetly recording under the skirts of three ladies in a shopping mall.
Upon searching his computer the police found thousands of videos and pictures of his wife. In the videos and images found on the accused’s computer, the victim was unconscious. The videoes recorded several instances of rape. The torture happened at their home in Mazan, a village near Avignon.
A case of abuse and forced conversion has come to light from the Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh. A Hindu girl has accused Sohail of pressuring her to convert to Islam and do Nikah. The accused forced-fed her meat and was pressuring her to offer namaz. When she refused to comply, Sohail and his family members brutally assaulted her. The Police have initiated an investigation into her complaint which was submitted on Tuesday (3rd September 2024).
The incident pertains to the Bisauli Police Station area of Badaun. On Tuesday, a Hindu girl lodged a complaint with the police.
In her complaint, the victim stated that she is originally from Badaun. In 2023, she worked in a call center in Chandigarh where she got acquainted with the accused, Sohail, but he introduced himself as a Hindu man. He then coaxed the victim and started living with her. During this time, the accused had also sexually exploited the victim multiple times.
The victim further stated that after a few days, she gave birth to a daughter. After she gave birth to a daughter, she along with Sohail came to Badaun. In her hometown, she came to learn that Sohail was a Muslim and that she had been cheated.
After bringing her to Badaun, Sohail and his family started torturing the victim and her ordeal had been ongoing for the last 3 months. According to the complaint, Sohail’s father Niyamu, mother Rukhsana, and sisters Rubina and Zeba were also torturing her. She has accused all of them of holding her as a hostage. OpIndia has accessed the complaint copy.
प्रकरण के सम्बन्ध में थाना प्रभारी बिसौली को जाँच कर आवश्यक कार्यवाही हेतु निर्देशित किया गया है ।
According to the complainant, her daughter is kept away from her. She is assaulted over minor issues. During this time, the victim was asked to renounce Hinduism and accept Islam. When the victim refused to comply, all the accused mercilessly assaulted her on, took her daughter, and forced her out of the house.
The victim has demanded strict action against all the accused. Badaun police has taken cognizance of the matter and initiated an investigation.
What completes Bollywood? Catchy music, dance, love stories. No. It is the leftist-Islamist propaganda wrapped in the veil of humane characterisation and scripts that makes most of the Bollywood movies complete. In continuance of the ever-ongoing efforts to humanise the Islamic terrorists and whitewash their crimes, the Bollywood and by extension, the left-liberal ‘creative’ mafia has exploited creative liberty to peddle propaganda whitewashing the crimes of Pakistani Islamic terrorists. Anubhav Sinha, who is infamous for peddling political lies in his propaganda movies has come up with his own dishonest and lie-loaded version of the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane by Pakistani terrorists— IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.
This six-episode Netflix series stars actors Vijay Verma, Naseeruddin Shah, and Dia Mirza among others. IC814 has been at the epicentre of online backlash for multiple reasons. Firstly, the names of the terrorists are Bhola, Shankar, Burger, Chief and Doctor. While it is true that the Pakistani Islamic terrorists used these names as their codenames to hide their Muslim identities, the series deliberately does not reveal the real names of these terrorists. With the deliberate emphasis on the non-Muslim aliases like Shankar and Bhola taken up by the terrorists, the audience unaware or with limited knowledge of the real 1999 hijack would believe that the IC 814 plane was hijacked by Hindus. Thus, conveniently shifting the blame from Islamic terrorists to Hindus by vilifying them while also handing a clean chit to Pakistan’s ISI. The series provides no proper context or background of the nefarious intention of the Pakistani terrorists behind using Hindu names like Shankar and Bhola as their codenames.
Taliban terrorists near the hijacked IC 814 aeroplane at Kandahar Airport in December 1999 (Image: IndianExpress)
Notably, the names of the actual hijackers were Ibrahim Athar (from Bahawalpur), Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim (all three from Karachi) and Shakir (from Sukkur). All of them were Pakistani nationals. The Indian authorities had identified Sunny Ahmed Qazi as “Chief”, Shakir as “Doctor”, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim as “Burger”, Shahid Akhtar Sayed as “Bhola” and Ibrahim Athar as “Shankar”
Secondly, the Anubhav Sinha directorial hands a clean chit to Pakistani intelligence agency ISI by insinuating that somehow ISI or Pakistani authorities were not involved in the hijacking of the plane and seeking the release of three jailed terrorists— Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. However, in his book A Call to Honour: In Service Of Emergent India, the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had written that ISI was directly involved in the move.
“The friends/relatives of the detenues to be exchanged were brought to Kandahar by them [ISI] from Pakistan and they confirmed the ‘correctness’ of the released person. Only then were the hijackers assured that the TADA detenues brought were genuine and that a ‘trick’ was not being played upon then by the wily Indians,” Singh wrote.
Excerpt from former EAM Jaswant Singh’s book
Interestingly, Anubhav Sinha attempted to cover up the Muslim identity of the Pakistani terrorists by not revealing their real names till the end and humanising them by showing Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim [codename: Burger] asking the air hostess to take care of herself, alongside showing terrorists play Antakshari with hostages. While Anubhav Sinha desperately tried to humanise the Jihadis and emphasise their codenames instead of the real ones to dilute to religious identity and Jihadist motivations behind their move, former foreign minister Jaswant Singh wrote in his book about how it was all essentially about Islam.
Singh being an average Hindu unaware of the hatred Islamic texts contain towards Kafirs, especially polytheists like Hindus, was wondering why such an evil incident was happening in the ‘holy’ month of Ramadan [Ramzan]. Jaswant Singh asked the terrorists about the same and their response was that in Islam, Ramadan is the period of ‘struggle’ and ‘sacrifice’.
“When I inquired why such evil was occurring at such a holy time, those who were knowledgeable scoffed at my ignorance, and responded that in Islam, the period of Ramadan fasting is the true period of struggle and sacrifice,” Singh wrote.
Excerpt from former EAM Jaswant Singh’s book A Call to Honour: In Service Of Emergent India
This, very Islamic motivation, the Jihadist dream of establishing Islamic supremacy over non-Muslims was downplayed by Anubhav Sinha in his sinister propaganda series. The farcical and far-from-reality scenes of terrorists playing Antakshari with passengers, a terrorist showing concern towards an air hostess etc intended to downplay the brutality inflicted by the terrorists of Pakistan-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
The ISI handlers of the terrorists used Hindu identities to build a misleading narrative of ‘Hindu terror’; a similar attempt was made by Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks when he was photographed wearing a “Kalava” [sacred thread] around his wrist and carrying ID card with Hindu name. Director Anubhav Sinha should either have picked an alternate set of names for the hijackers or, if he used the original codenames, he should have disclosed their real names as well, rather than advancing the ISI’s narrative by using Hindu names. Perhaps that is what he intended to do.
Be it IC 814, or Kabir Khan’s Tiger franchise, nobody does the PR job for ISI better than Bollywood. While Kabir Khan’s Tiger franchise whitewashed Pakistan’s ISI responsible for countless anti-India operations, Anubhav Sinha’s IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack serves the same purpose for Pakistani terrorists.
Sadly, the whitewashing has been rampant, habitual and done with impunity. Often to even reverse fact and portray outright lies to peddle political narrative. It is pertinent to recall the 2018 Meghna Gulzar directorial “Raazi” starring Alia Bhatt. The movie was based on author Harinder Sikka’s bestseller “Calling Sehmat”. While the book was a story of a Kashmiri girl who was trained as a spy and was married in a prominent Pakistani military family to gather information for the Indian Army, facts presented in the book were heavily distorted in the movie making the audience feel sympathetic towards Pakistan and its army.
In the movie, the protagonist Sehmat, after accomplishing her goals as a spy, is shown returning to India as a broken, depressed woman. Portraying the image that the Indian Army had used, and exploited a young Kashmiri girl. However, in Sikka’s book, Sehmat had returned to India as a strong woman, proud of her achievements and with love and longing for her homeland.
Coming back to the outrageous series “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack”, Sinha was so occupied with humanising Pakistani terrorists that he failed to even discuss the long-term consequences of the terrorists released during the hijacking, undermining the gravity of the real-life situations. It must be mentioned here that the three terrorists— Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh, and Mushtaq Zargar—freed in an exchange for passengers held hostage, went on to form the Islamic terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad which masterminded the 2001 Parliament attack, its Jihadis were behind the 2016 Pathankot attack that resulted in the killing of seven, the 2019 Pulwama attack which resulted in the martyrdom of 40 Indian Army troops.
Whitewashing the deeds of those who shed the blood of Indian people is not ‘creative liberty’ but ‘criminal liberty’ and is intolerable.
Pertinently, this is not the first time that Anubhav Sinha has exploited creative freedom to peddle certain narratives by distorting facts and passing off figments of his imagination as facts. Rather, Sinha thrives using his work to further his opprobrious political propaganda.
Back in 2018, Anubhav Sinha wrote a letter to Pakistani people urging them to watch his propaganda movie “Mulk” even illegally since the Pakistani censor board banned the film. To please the Pakistani people, Sinha decided to defame Indians and call them “losers”. Once Sinha had claimed that Muslims are becoming terrorists because Hindu miscreants are being facilitated.
A year later, Sinha came up with another political and anti-Brahmin propaganda film “Article 15”. The film claimed to be based on the true events of the infamous Badaun hanging case where two young girls were murdered in a village in Uttar Pradesh. However, the film claimed that the crime was committed by ‘Mahant ji ke ladke’. Mahant ji is mentioned as a Brahmin of the highest order. It was obvious that the “Mahant Ji” was an invisible sly on UP CM Yogi Adityanath who is the Mahant of the Gorakhnath Math. Even though the real accused were Pappu Yadav, Avadhesh Yadav, Urvesh Yadav, Chhatrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav, the film shows Brahmins as accused persons. Chhatrapal and Sarvesh were policemen. The police department was accused of showing leniency to the accused in the case due to political pressure from the Samajwadi Party which was favouring the Yadavs. Even the police investigation was severely criticised and the people demanded a CBI inquiry.
While the film vilified Brahmins, the CBI investigation revealed that the two girls, aged 14 and 15, had committed suicide and they were neither raped nor murdered. The five accused were all given a clean chit.
Back in 2020, Amazon Prime released a series named “Paatal Lok”. This series was out an out leftist propaganda with numerous anti-Hindu elements. The series produced by actress Anushka Sharma showed idol-worshipping Hindu police officers as narrow-minded and bigoted people who doubt their fellow cops’ professionalism merely because he is a Muslim. Alongside the vilification of Hindus, this series stirred controversy over the portrayal of Sikhs as rapists, a complaint was filed in this regard. Similarly, Gorkha communities were also disparaged in Paatal Lok, stirring outrage. The series also featured BJP MLA Nandkishore Gurjar’s morphed image without the MLA’s permission only to change it after he filed a complaint against the show’s makers.
Aamir Khan notorious for furthering anti-Hindu propaganda in films like “PK” gave one of his biggest flops “Laal Singh Chadda” in 2022. This film was a cheap copy of the iconic Tom Hanks starrer Forest Gump. In the Indian adaptation of Forest Gump, Laal Singh is shown rescuing a Pakistani terrorist named Mohammad contrary to the original version wherein Gump rescued his unit chief Lt Dan in Vietnam. Film Forest Gump’s iconic character Gary Sinise became an Islamist terrorist and a ‘good’ person since Aamir Khan movies are incomplete without anti-Hindu propaganda. No wonder he played a terrorist Rehan who was the protagonist in the film “Fanaa”. There are many more examples of how Bollywood movies and web series are peddling lies and propaganda against Hindus, and yet receiving appreciation from a largely Hindu audience, since what’s propaganda if the target audience recognises that it is actually propaganda?
Other than movies and OTT, Television shows are also turning into a medium for whitewashing crimes of Muslims. Back in December 2022, OpIndia reported how Sony Entertainment Television (SET) televised a Crime Patrol episode that had a striking resemblance to the Shraddha Walker murder case. The episode telecasted on December 27, 2022, under the title “Ahmedabad-Pune Murder” with the names of the victim and perpetrator changed to Anna Fernandes and Mihir Kanchwala respectively. In the now-deleted episode, it was shown that a boy named ‘Mihir’ kills his partner in a fit of rage and then cuts her body into several pieces and wraps it in multiple plastic bags before storing it in the fridge, exactly what happened in Shraddha Walkar’s case. As an outrage erupted, the channel deleted the episode.
While Netlfix may have announced that the disclaimer of the IC 814 series will contain the real names of the hijackers, the story doesn’t end here.
Netflix succumbs! Annoces to add Disclaimer with real names of all 5 Pakistani Islamist terrorists in the series #IC814TheKandaharHijack.
•Sunny Ahmed Qazi •Shakir •Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim •Shahid Akhtar Sayed •Ibrahim Athar pic.twitter.com/oOHVEHrPpn
The Pakistani terrorists who hijacked the India Airlines flight carrying 191 passengers and 15 crew members were members of Islamic extremist organisations, and their actions were motivated by Islamic extremist motives in the ‘holy’ month of Ramzan. By employing humanising strategies to gloss over these aspects and show them playing Antakshari with passengers, the series obfuscates historical facts and downplays the gravity of the event while mocking the suffering of the two persons ruthlessly murdered by the hijackers. Anubhav Sinha’s narrative that is sympathetic towards the hijackers also mocks the families of the passengers and crew who were kept hostage for seven days. This not only reopens old wounds but also trivialises the fear and suffering experienced by the victims.
Rupin Katyal, who was brutally murdered by one of the hijackers and terrorist Zahoor Mistry (Image via News18)
The hijacking was widely known to have been backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The series attempts to legitimise Pakistan’s apocryphal narrative by softening the portrayal of the hijackers and leaving out their Islamic religious identities and motivations. Being a hypocrite of the top order, Pakistan has often dismissed its role in sponsoring terrorism against India even as it remains the safe haven of Islamic terrorists like Hafiz Saeed.
Anubhav Sinha, a notorious leftist propagandist, has already been creating content with significant political undertones as discussed above. His approach in this series sets a disturbing precedent in which Islamic terrorism is downplayed or rationalised. A country that romanticises its enemies is bound to be doomed. Only if you know who exactly your enemy is and what he wants that you can fight and defeat them. It is thus, paramount for the government to make sure that such anti-India and anti-Hindu propaganda content is de-platformed.
Keeping the disdain leftists in any field harbour for Hindus, particularly, the so-called upper caste Hindus, leftist and Islamist cheerleaders have long been trying to establish their farcical narrative that “terrorism has no religion”. So much so that even as a terrorist does a fidayeen attack on non-Muslims after screaming Allahu Akbar, the leftist will come up with some or the other tactic to downplay the religiosity by either calling the terrorist “gareeb headmaster ka beta” or by making the terrorists play Antakshari, as seen in Anubhav Sinha’s propaganda series.
There is a culture narrative war ongoing in India, with leftist media, online content creators and Bollywood playing a major role alongside the left-liberal politicians. Every tactic and every medium is being used to whitewash the crimes of anti-Hindu and anti-India forces, attempts are being to distort history to glorify the oppressors and gaslight the oppressed. The Indian audiences deserve to see historical events in movies and web shows as they happened and not the cheap product of leftist historical revisionism [read distortion].
On Tuesday (3rd September), the Union government filed a contempt case against the West Bengal government for hindering CISF security deployed at Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Hospital in line with the Supreme Court’s order. Notably, Union government has moved the Supreme Court against the Mamata Banerjee government accusing them of not cooperating, and not providing logistical support to the CISF security team.
In its plea, the Centre has pointed out that the on-duty CISF personnel are facing a lot of difficulties in performing duties due to the non-availability of accommodation, security gadgets, and paucity of transportation, particularly for the female contingent. According to the Union government, there are 92 CISF personnel stationed at RG Kar Hospital, including 54 female personnel.
The Centre government further submitted that “the inaction of the West Bengal government”, despite repeated requests, reflects a systemic problem where non-cooperation with central agencies operating under court orders has become the norm. It added that this non-compliance amounts to willful disregard of the Supreme Court’s orders.
In their submission, the Centre government also accused Mamata Banerjee’s government of intentionally “creating obstacles and jeopardising the solution-oriented approach initiated by the Supreme Court”. According to the plea, the Bengal government’s non-cooperation is “unpardonable” and “symptomatic of a systemic malaise“.
The Centre submitted that the state government is willingly not making efforts towards finding a solution to the problem and rather, is causing injustice to the residents of its own.
Consequently, the Centre has urged the top court to issue directions to the West Bengal government to extend full cooperation to the CISF and ensure full compliance, in letter and spirit, with their order dated 20th August or face contempt proceedings for willful non-compliance.
It is pertinent to note that the Supreme Court, on 20th August, directed that CISF personnel be deployed at the RG Kar Hospital to provide security in the wake of the vandalism incident that broke out on the night of 14th August.
The top court had taken suo moto cognisance of the Kolkata trainee doctor’s rape and murder case and during the proceedings, it came down heavily on the state administration over the vandalism incident.
On the night of 14th of August, when females in large numbers took to the streets during ‘Reclaim the Night’ protest, a large mob stormed the RG Kar Hospital and vandalised various areas of the RG Kar Hospital building.
The top court had lambasted the Mamata Banerjee government over the vandalism incident. During the hearing, the top court said, “In the aftermath of the brutal incident and the demonstrations which followed, the State Government was expected to ensure the deployment of the state machinery to prevent a breach of law and order.”
It added, “It was all the more necessary to do so since investigation of the crime which took place in the precincts of the hospital was underway. We are unable to comprehend how the State was not prepared to deal with the incident of vandalisation of the premises of the hospital.”
On Tuesday, September 3, Netflix India finally agreed to add the real names of the hijackers of IC814 flight from Kathmandu to Nepal to their web series directed by Anubhav Sinha. The series has used code names of the hijackers during the terrorist attack- Bhola, Shankar, Chief, Burger, and Doctor, and hid the real names of the hijackers – Ibrahim Akhtar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir.
After much outrage from the viewers and after being summoned by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Netflix has agreed to add a small disclaimer at the start of the series about the real names of the Islamist terrorists, however, that solves nothing. When was the last time anyone read a disclaimer before a web series?
Interestingly, this tactic of pushing only Hindu code names of Islamist terrorists remind you of the days when “Hindutva terrorism” concept was being pushed. When even terrorists like Kasab came wearing a kalawa to show themselves as Hindu. However, thanks to the bravery of Tukaram Omble, that fizzled out soon after.
Anyway, this attempt by Anubhav Sinha and Netflix to hide the real names of the terrorists that hijacked isn’t even the worst of the things about this propaganda show.
First of all, this series by Anubhav Sinha shows that everyone in Indian government apparatus is totally incompetent. It shows an Indian RAW operative in Kathmandu knew Pakistan is planning something, then finds out it has to do something with flight IC814, but nobody from his station chief to Indian Airlines listened to him. Well, surprise, surprise, that never happened, like most things in this Netflix series. A passenger shouts “Bomb” and flights don’t take off, but an Indian official telling Indian Airlines that terrorists are going to target their flight doesn’t merit any response.
Worst thing about the Netflix series is how they tried to humanise the terrorists involved in the hijack. Hijackers repeatedly say in the series that they don’t want to harm any passenger, yes, they killed innocent Rupin Katyal and slashed another passenger’s neck just because they didn’t want to harm any passengers. Moreover, terrorists are shown to be so considerate that they allow an Air Hostess to call home to check on her father, and terrorists are shown to be so fun that they play Antakshari with the passengers.
Indian NSA Ajit Doval led the negotiations with the Pakistani terrorists at the time. However, he is shown as a totally reckless individual (portrayed by Manoj Pahwa), who talks angrily to the hijackers and makes them switch off communications for a while. Maybe it wasn’t deliberate, maybe it was deliberate to show Doval as inept?
Meanwhile, throughout the series, the Taliban Minister is shown as the most level headed guy in Netflix Universe. He was apparently the only one trying to bring a peaceful settlement to the entire saga.Every two minutes, Taliban guy came on screen that Taliban hates bloodshed because it is unIslamic. Yeah, Taliban hates bloodshed like Mike Ross hated Harvey Specter in the show Suits, not at all.
However, the worst thing about the show comes right at the end, where they show the released terrorists were celebrating with Osama Bin Laden. It is highlighted during that scene that Osama kept ISI away from the celebrations, thus implying that ISI was not involved at all in this hijacking by terrorists and it was all Osama’s brainchild alone. Yeah, sure Anubhav Sinha, we will buy that.
Adding a simple disclaimer at the start to mention real names of terrorists can’t salvage anything. This is a blatant propaganda series designed to humanise terrorists who hijacked a plane and kept all those passengers hostage, this is blatant propaganda to give a clean chit to ISI, this is blatant propaganda to show Taliban as good guys, and this is blatant propaganda to show everyone in Indian government was useless.
