The Islamist attacks on Hindu temples have been rampant in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with two major incidents of vandalism and theft being reported in less than a month from the country’s Sindh province. While, Pakistani mainstream media has often blackened out reports of persecution of minorities, according to Rights watchers and minority groups, Islamists didn’t even spare a dilapidated Ram temple in the Kacchi Colony of the Tando Adam area in Sindh.
According to the information received, on 7th June, Islamist miscreants caused vandalism at the dilapidated temple in the Kacchi Colony in an overnight attack. They desecrated the Hindu temple and stole idols of Hindu deities and several copies of Geeta, the Holy Book despite the temple doors being locked. They also covered revered Hindu religious symbols including Om with spray paint.
Last month, Islamists looted and desecrated an ancient Hindu temple in Sochi Pada, Tando Adam which falls in Sindh’s Nawabshah district.
According to reports, the robbers stormed the temple by breaking the main gate and indulged in vandalism. The incident occurred at the revered temple dedicated to Hindu Lord Ramapir. The theft included a silver idol and crown of Lord Ramapir. They also stole jewelry worth lakhs, cash worth around Rs 70,000 from a donation box, and other valuable items. The attack sparked outrage among the local Hindu community and raised concerns about the safety and preservation of religious sites in the region.
A Hindu temple was desecrated by Islamista in Sochi Pada, Tando Adam, District Nawabshah, #Sindh#Pakistan.
Thousands of Rupees, along with jewellery worth rupees lakhs also stolen.
Such attacks adds more to the climate of discrimination and fear for religious minorities in Pak pic.twitter.com/WPviX4u6T4
“Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday took notice of the theft of idols and other valuables from the “Rama Pir” temple in Tando Adam and has sought a report from concerned authorities,” Pakistani outlet ARY News reported on 17th May, this year.
According to the ARY News report, Sindh CM Shah directed the IG Police to recover all stolen goods including idols, and sought a report. Murad Ali Shah said that no high-handedness toward minorities would not be tolerated (sic).
The report added that CM Murad Ali Shah also directed the IG Sindh to submit a progress report regarding the recovery of the child abducted three days ago from Pano Aqil. He also sought a report regarding the recovery of the abductees in the last three days.
It is pertinent to note that the Rama Pir temple is one of the third largest pilgrimage sites for the Hindus in Sindh. It is situated in the heart of Tando Allayar in Sindh. Thousands of local Hindus visit the temple to seek blessings.
In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Hindu temples have been prone to incidences of looting and desecration, with the Pakistani establishment accused of being in cohorts with the Islamists in these attacks.
It has been reported that Hindu temples have been converted into Mosques, Madrasas, chicken shops, cattle farms, and sometimes even toilets, underscoring the atrocities against minority Hindus and their places of worship.
Amidst a string of attacks on Hindu temples in Pakistan, two major incidents were reported last year. In November 2023, Hinglaj Mata Mandir in Sindh and the UNESCO-recognised site Sharda Peeth Temple were demolished.
Earlier, in July 2023, over 150-year-old Hindu temple was bulldozed to the ground in Karachi, and another Mandir was attacked by ‘rocket launchers’ in Sindh. Both incidents took place within less than 24 hours.
On 11th June, the Mumbai anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested four illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in Mumbai, Maharashtra, who were using fake Indian documents. The accused have been identified as 33-year-old Riyaz Hussain Shaikh, 54-year-old Sultan Siddique Shaikh, 46-year-old Ibrahim Shafiullah Sheikh and 39-year-old Farooq Usmangani Shaikh. All of them hail from Kabit Haat of Moninangar in district Novakhali of Bangladesh.
#UPDATE | ATS presented all four accused before Mazgaon Court. The Court sent three of the accused to judicial custody. Fourth accused sent to ATS custody till 14th June. #Mumbai
The ATS identified five more Bangladeshis living in the city using fake Indian documents. A search operation has been initiated to apprehend them. Reports suggest that the arrested illegal immigrants also obtained voter cards and cast votes in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The voter cards were obtained using fake Indian documents.
ATS has booked the illegal immigrants under Sections 465, 468, 471, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 12(1A) of the Indian Passport Act. Reportedly, the case against them has been registered for illegally staying in India. ATS also found out that the illegal Bangladeshis obtained proof that they went to live in Surat, Gujarat. They had obtained passports from Surat. According to ABP News report, they prepared fake documents in Gujarat and shifted to Mumbai. Riyaz and Sultan reportedly voted in Mumbai using the voter cards obtained from fake documents.
One of the five other Bangladeshis for whom ATS is looking for reportedly went to Saudi Arabia using Indian passports obtained using false documents. Rest of them are absconding and the investigating agencies are looking for them.
All of the arrested accused were produced in court by ATS. Three were sent to judicial custody while one of the them was sent to ATS custody till 14th June.
#WATCH | Mumbai ATS arrested 4 Bangladeshi nationals living in Mumbai with fake documents. All four were presented before Mazgaon Court today. The Court sent three of them to judicial custody while the fourth was sent to ATS custody till 14th June.
Nine illegal Bangladeshi women arrested earlier in Mumbai
Earlier, 9 female illegal Bangladeshis were arrested from areas around Mira Road, Mumbai. On 7th June, MBVV (Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar) police authorities announced that nine Bangladeshi women have been arrested in a major crackdown on illegal immigration for overstaying in India without the necessary documents. Another woman has also been apprehended for providing them with refuge. On 5th June, the Naya Nagar police carried out a raid in the Shanti Nagar and Gita Nagar areas of Mira Road based on confidential information, which led to the action.
On Monday (10th June), a video of a YouTube creator named Shikha Metray, teaching her followers to sexually abuse infants, went viral on social media.
The accused had posted the disturbing video on her YouTube channel ‘Kuwari Begum.’ In the video, she could be heard saying, “If I had a d*ck, I would have made a tutorial on masturbation. I could have then shared tips on how masturbation can be made to feel better.”
“I would have also explained why you should masturbate. Find an infant who doesn’t even have teeth. Seek permission from the child’s mother to take the child somewhere and do something,” Shikha Metray laid out her ground plan to sexually abuse children.
While scrolling on YT, I came across this channel named – Kuwari Begum and this is what I found where this girl is openly and without any hesitation talking on her stream about CP and how to r*pe an infant. Is this our Indian Gaming Community all about? @TeamYouTube@YouTubeIndiapic.twitter.com/P3xxqO3ueV
“I am not so sorry. If I would have a d*ck, then, I would have tried it. Imagine children without teeth. Wow. It would be one heck of an experience,” she continued.
The revelations were made after a X (formerly Twitter) user named Gagan Chaudhary (@Gagan_772). A screenshot shared by the user showed that Shikha Metray had 2000 followers on YouTube and that she had uploaded about 115 videos (mostly comprising of sexual content).
Gagan also identified a Vogue profile and her account on X (formerly Twitter). OpIndia could find cached versions of her YouTube and Instagram channels, which have been deactivated since the expose by the X user.
I checked her entire channel its all about P*rn and sexual stuff but no gaming. When it is a gaming channel playing Valorant. How it is fine and a girl talks about all these stuffs but if a guy talks about all these he goes into in the jail. pic.twitter.com/IMno2F7aEj
Popular Men’s rights activist, Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, informed that the accused hails from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and has graduated from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).
Okay so got to know that this woman's real name is Shikha Metray. She's from Ghaziabad, NIFT passout. She has deleted all her social media profiles, her YouTube is also not available now.
A Google search on her reveals some disturbing images posted by her earlier too. pic.twitter.com/oeiyoiUOIy
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) June 11, 2024
Bhardwaj has tagged the Ghaziabad police and also demanded action from National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo.
Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister of India for the third time. The BJP-led NDA has formed the government in Centre with a clear majority. The 2024 Lok Sabha election, however, resulted in a significant drop in the BJP-NDA’s seats with BJP missing the majority 272 mark. On the other hand, the Congress party, though failed to get three-digit seats on its own, has increased its seats from 52 to 99. The opposition’s I.N.D.I. bloc defied all exit poll predictions to bag 233 seats. In his first remark on the election outcomes, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat shared his words of wisdom for the new government and the opposition. He addressed a wide range of issues from Manipur to what makes a “true Sevak” alongside deeming the 2024 electoral campaign as “devoid of standards”.
“The outside atmosphere is different after the Lok Sabha elections are over; the new government has also taken shape. Why it has happened, does not concern the Sangh. The Sangh works for refining public opinion in every election, did it this time also but does not get entangled in the analysis of the outcome,” Bhagwat said during his speech at the Karyakarta Vikas Varg programme in Nagpur on 10th June.
Mohan Bhagwat emphasises the importance of building consensus
Addressing an audience of RSS leaders and workers in Nagpur on the day the new BJP-led coalition convened its first Cabinet meeting, Bhagwat emphasised the necessity of creating consensus. “Election is a process of building consensus. Parliament has two sides so that both aspects of any question can be considered…every issue has two sides. If one side is addressed by one party, the Opposition party should address the other dimension, so that we reach the right decision,” Bhagwat said.
RSS chief highlights the qualities of a “true sevak”
Delving into what makes a true “sevak”, the RSS chief quoted a Doha composed by poet Kabir and said, “Nirbandha Bandha Rahe, Bandha nirbandha hoye..Karm kare karta nahi..das kahaye soye…A true sevak maintains decorum while working… The one who maintains decorum does his work, but remains unattached. There is no arrogance that I did this. Only such a person has the right to be called a sevak.”
Emphasising the significance of upholding the “maryada” [decorum], Bhagwat said that elections are a democratic process where the opponents do everything possible to keep themselves ahead of each other, however, even in doing so, decorum should be maintained. He said elections should be seen as a competition and not war.
Speaking about the opposition, Bhagwat said, “I do not call it Virodhi Paksh, I call it Pratipaksh. The Opposition is not an opponent. It is revealing a side of the issues and that must be deliberated upon. If we understand that this is how we must operate, then we must be cognizant of the decorum required in contesting elections. That decorum was not maintained (in the elections).”
The RSS chief further asserted although there can never be 100% alignment of thoughts and ideas, the political leaders across party lines should walk together to build consensus. “Rigveda rishis understood the human mind and accepted that complete unanimity is unattainable. However, when society decides to work with consensus, it achieves Sah-Chitta,” he said.
“Our parliament has two sides so that both sides can be heard. Every coin has two sides. If one side brings an idea, then the other side has to reveal the other perspective. We need to free ourselves of the rhetorical excesses of the elections and think about the future,” Bhagwat added.
Mohan Bhagwat slams political parties for divisive poll campaigns
“The way in which events have unfolded, with each side engaging in below-the-belt attacks, ignoring the divisive impact of campaign strategies, and increasing social and mental fault lines, is concerning. The way no one cared about social divisions being created because of what was being done…RSS was unnecessarily dragged into this. Using technology, absolute falsehoods were spread. Does technology equate to knowledge?” We must move beyond the excitement of elections and focus on the country’s challenge,” the RSS chief said.
It is pertinent to mention here that artificial intelligence was misused by various political parties to peddle fake narratives. Deep fake videos were created to spread fake news and hateful propaganda. A deep fake video of Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah was also circulated on social media by Congress workers. As a case was registered by Delhi Police, several members of Congress’s social media team were arrested for creating and circulating the fake video. The deep fake video falsely depicting Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying they would end reservations for SC-ST and OBCs was shared by the Telangana Congress’ social media handles.
“Manipur is burning”: RSS chief raises concern over tense situation in Manipur
In response to the ethnic violence in Manipur, Mohan Bhagwat stated that the state has long been waiting for peace, even though it has been peaceful for the past decade.
“Everywhere there is social disharmony. This is not good. For the past year, Manipur has been awaiting peace. It was peaceful for the past one decade. It appeared that the gun culture of yore was gone. But the gun culture that took shape suddenly, or was created, Manipur is still burning. Who is going to pay attention to it? It is a duty to deal with it on priority,” he said.
Notably, the BJP lost the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections in Manipur and the Congress won both seats in the BJP-ruled state.
Mohan Bhagwat lauds the Modi government for its work in the last ten years, and adds NDA is not free from challenges
The RSS chief praised the Modi government for its efforts in leading the country on the path of development and progress especially in the arena of economic growth and defence etc. “The same government, the National Democratic Alliance [NDA], has returned to power. Numerous positive developments have occurred over the past ten years. We have made progress in in last 10 years in various fields such as the economy, defence strategy, sports, culture, and technology. However, this does not imply that we are now free of challenges,” Bhagwat said.
Anti-Modi ecosystem uses Mohan Bhagwat’s speech to attack PM Modi and BJP
The RSS chief’s comments on the Manipur issue have given the opposition and its ‘ecosystem’ ammunition to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On 11th June, Rajya Sabha MP and former Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that it is not in the DNA of PM Modi to listen to the opposition’s advice but he should at least listen to the RSS chief. He further claimed that the BJP created an “us vs them” environment during the election campaign.
“We raised concern about Manipur, Bhagwat ji has also said it now. You don’t listen to us because you are not used to listening to us but listen to him. It is not in your DNA to listen to us. Manipur should be given priority. I had asked for removal of CM N Biren Singh, but you could not remove the former wrestling body chief, what will you do about the CM,” Sibal said.
Modi ji : Attend to :
Rising militancy in Kashmir(Reasi) Manipur Social unrest Unemployment Inflation
You won’t listen to us That’s not in your DNA
At least listen to Bhagwat ji !
And then go to Vivekananda Rock Memorial and do ‘dhyaan’ without a camera !
“I have been saying this for months, with statements, an environment of ‘us versus them’ is being created. We need to take the country forward. I welcome the statement of Mohan Bhagwat…” Sibal added.
Meanwhile, journalist Tavleen Singh claimed that the RSS chief in his speech analysed the reasons behind the BJP’s failure to win a full majority. She insinuated that somehow Bhagwat warned the BJP against arrogance and treating the opposition as enemies.
“The RSS chief has analysed perfectly why Modi failed to win the BJP a full majority. He has warned against arrogance and against treating elections like war and opponents like enemies. Well said Mohan Bhagwat,” Singh posted.
The RSS chief has analysed perfectly why Modi failed to win the BJP a full majority. He has warned against arrogance and against treating elections like war and opponents like enemies. Well said Mohan Bhagwat.??
RSS is the ideological foundation of BJP, no matter what politicians claim
The opposition, its media allies and the extended ecosystem are using Mohan Bhagwat’s speech to fuel a dispute between the BJP and RSS in addition to establishing a narrative that the RSS is upset with the BJP leadership, especially PM Modi. However, the BJP needs serious introspection into what all went wrong in the general elections. While the RSS chief talked about the arrogance displayed by politicians during these elections, he did not name any political leader either from the BJP-NDA or from the I.N.D.I. bloc. Despite this, political leaders, especially those belonging to the BJP can learn a lot from the RSS chief’s speech.
As Bhagwat talked about how a true “sevak” is free from arrogance and upholds the “Maryada”, the BJP candidates who displayed arrogance and did not even try to connect with the people in their constituency and solely relied on PM Modi’s charisma need to stop taking the voters for granted, and instead of being lazy and complacent should become approachable and work for their people.
It is pertinent to recall the BJP president, JP Nadda’s statement last month that the party has become strong enough and does not need the support of RSS in election campaigns. “Initially, we would have been less capable, smaller and needed the RSS. Today, we have grown and we are capable. The BJP runs itself,” Nadda said adding that RSS is the “ideological front”. Although it is a fact that the BJP alone won more seats than the entire opposition alliance could, the party suffered a significant reduction in seats. This, was shocking and embarrassing for the BJP since it fought the election with the “Abki baar 400 paar” ambition.
As the RSS chief stressed, the Modi government in its third term should deal with the Manipur issue more effectively and restore peace in the state. Moreover, the BJP leaders should refrain from making controversial and self-harming statements especially when speaking about the constitution and reservations. It was seen how the opposition used the comments of BJP’s Anant Hegde and Lallu Singh about ‘changing’ the constitution for fear-mongering that the BJP with end reservations.
It is worth noting that many RSS members who had previously participated in ground-level awareness campaigns and even actively tried to encourage citizens to vote remained inactive this time. There were also reports of RSS cadres being neglected by some senior party leaders. RSS is the foundation of the BJP; while they have taken on ideological and political roles, the two are inextricably linked. The BJP’s high command should avoid ignoring RSS, and the Sangh should not abandon the BJP, particularly during elections.
A case of heinous crime against a minor has come to light from Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh. An FIR has been registered against a man named Armaan, son of Shahid. He is accused of sexually assaulting a watchman’s six-year-old boy. Police are carrying out a search operation to apprehend Armaan who has been absconding since an FIR was registered against him. Meanwhile, the minor victim is undergoing medical examination and counseling. The incident occurred on Saturday (8th June 2024).
According to reports, the incident took place in the Swar police station area of Rampur district. On Saturday (8th June), the father of a 6-year-old child lodged a complaint at the police station stating that on the day of the incident, his child was playing outside the house with his friends. At that time, Armaan, who is also from the same village, approached them. He coaxed the victim and took him to the riverbank. At a deserted place, Armaan sexually assaulted the minor victim.
During this time, the child started crying, but it had no effect on Armaan. After committing the heinous act, Armaan let the child go. When the minor victim reached home, he kept crying. Later he narrated his ordeal to his family. When the boy’s father went to Armaan’s house to complain, the accused abused him and threatened to kill him. Subsequently, the boy’s father went directly to the police station and filed a report.
Police have registered an FIR against Armaan under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 5(m)/6 of the POCSO Act. After learning about the FIR, the accused Armaan absconded. OpIndia has a copy of the complaint filed by the father of the minor victim.
SHO of Swar Police Station Inspector Sandeep Tyagi told the media that a search operation is underway to apprehend the absconding accused, Armaan. He assured that the accused will be arrested soon. The minor victim has undergone a medical examination and is receiving treatment. Counseling is also being provided. Investigation and other necessary legal actions are being carried out in the case.
Construction in a city like Mumbai is a never-ending exercise, and so is the road works. Dug up roads are a common sight in India’s financial capital and nobody bats an eye when they see a road or footpath being dug up, now robbers seem to be taking advantage of that attitude. A bizarre case of theft has come to light from Dadar area of Mumbai where robbers dug up a footpath and stole Copper wire worth Rs 6 to 7 lakhs from cables buried underneath.
A regular follow-up over uprooted paver blocks on a footpath on the Dadar-Matunga stretch of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road led to the discovery of theft of copper wire from utility cables laid under the footpath. People assumed it was regular work being carried out by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), but it turned out to be a case of theft.
The thieves dug up the footpath alongside the road and stole Copper worth several lakhs from MTNL’s cables buried underneath. The brazen theft came to light after a local noticed something amiss.
Interestingly, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai’s civic body, had carried out work on the same footpath for almost a fortnight and had levelled it up before it was dug up again. After the residents brought this to the BMC’s notice, the civic body sent its staff to check what was happening. That is when it discovered that thieves were stealing copper wires from the utility cables under the footpath. Later, MTNL also complained that over 400 phone lines tripped in Dadar-Matunga area, apparently due to the stealing of Wires.
The Matunga police have already arrested five men for this theft of Copper that costs ₹845 per kg in market. Now there is suspicion that similar thefts could be occurring in other areas of Mumbai where roads have been dug up.
On Tuesday, 11th June, the Supreme Court of India refused to stay the counselling for admission of students to the medical colleges after allegations of paper leak and irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate (UG) examination 2024 surfaced. The vacation Bench comprising of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah issued a notice to the National Testing Agency (NTA) on one of the petitions seeking cancellation of the exams. Furthermore, the petitioner sought an investigation into the alleged paper leak.
SC: Issue notice. Let the matter be heard on July 8. Tag this with the plea coming up. Let reply be filed by NTA
The court said, “We will not stop the counselling. If you argue further, we will dismiss this.” The remarks came during the hearing of a batch of petitions seeking cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam that was held in May 2024, over an alleged paper leak and other regularities. Similar petitions are pending in different High Courts including Delhi High Court and Calcutta High Court.
One of the petitions filed at the apex court specifically mentioned the allegations that the paper was leaked in Patna. Furthermore, it was alleged that the wrong question papers were given to the students in Rajasthan. The results of the NEET exam were announced in June 2024. Media reports alleged that an extraordinarily large number of candidates who appeared for NEET got a perfect score raising questions over the authenticity of the examination.
The candidates alleged irregularities in the award of compensatory or grace marks to students for the loss of time as well. Earlier, a three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra had declined to stay the publication of the results of NEET-UG 2024.
NEET results marred with controversies
the NEET UG 2024 results have sparked widespread controversy and debate, with suspicions of inflated marks and other anomalies. Following the release of the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) results on 4th June, it was revealed that as many as 67 students received a perfect score of 720/720 marks to share the All-India Rank (AIR) 1. A large number of medical aspirants and their parents raised numerous concerns about glitches, alleged malpractices, ambiguous implementation of grace marks, above all an alleged paper leak. It is notable that 23,33,297 candidates from all over India appeared for the prestigious exam this year. OpIndia’s detailed report on what has happened with NEET exam can be checked here.
On Tuesday (11th June), several women in Delhi held protests outside the residence of Delhi Minister Atishi Marlena to get Rs 1000 per month which was promised by Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The women held placards and raised slogans against Arvind Kejriwal and AAP alleging that the AAP had cheated them by making fake promises.
The video of the protests went viral over the internet in which the protesters could be seen criticizing Kejriwal and his party for making fake promises. “Arvind Kejriwal had promised before the election that every sister would be given one thousand rupees, which has not been fulfilled. This protest is being held on this issue by the Women’s Forum,” a woman protesting outside Atishi Marlena’s residence was quoted as saying.
While talking to the media, the other woman protester said that AAP had promised the women that Rs 1000 would be given to every woman above 18 each month. “He promised us and expected us to vote for him. But now we want our money. Where is our money? People are getting free liquor bottles and here we are struggling to get the money promised. This is injustice. We want justice,” the protester said.
Delhi: "A demonstration is being held by the Women's Forum. Arvind Kejriwal had promised before the election that every sister would be given one thousand rupees, which has not been fulfilled. This protest is being held on this issue," says a woman protesting outside Atishi… pic.twitter.com/QBbl12SaQU
Another enraged woman said, “The AAP activists had forced us to sign the forms saying that we would get Rs 1000 per month if we vote for AAP in the 2024 elections. We honestly voted for AAP. Now we want our money. Kejriwal is a cheater. He is not trustworthy”
Presenting the Delhi Budget in March 2024 under the theme of establishing ‘Ram Rajya’, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Minister Atishi Marlena announced that every woman above the age of 18 years would receive Rs 1,000 per month under the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana’.
The state announced an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana’ for the welfare and empowerment of women from 2024-25. “A budget of Rs 2,714 crore has been proposed for these beneficiaries in the budget of 2024-25. Under the Rs 2000 crore for ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana’ for the welfare and empowerment of women, every woman above 18 years of age will get an amount of Rs 1000 per month,” Atishi was quoted as saying.
However, the condition for women to avail of this benefit was that she should be a Delhi voter, should not be availing benefits under any other government scheme, and should not be an income-tax payer. Notably, there are around 67,30,371 female voters in the national capital.
Even during the campaign event on 10th March, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had promised to provide women over 18 years with Rs 1,000 per month. “Empowerment cannot happen with an empty pocket”, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said.
A day after the BJP-led-NDA won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News ‘journalist’ Avani Dias on Wednesday (5th June) spread canards about the Indian constitution.
Dias, who had previously lied about her visa being cancelled by the Modi government over ‘critical reporting’, claimed that ‘secularism’ was part of the Indian constitution since the country got independence from the British rule in 1947.
She made the false claims in a video titled ‘The story behind India’s Narendra Modi’ with the objective to portray that India’s secularism was somehow in danger under the leadership of PM Modi.
At about 9:19 minutes into the video, Avani Dias alleged, “Just so you’re across it, when India was founded in 1947 after it got independence from the British, its constitution was written to say India is a secular country, which means it has to be neutral and open to all religions.”
“The word secular is right there on page 33 in capital letters,” she further claimed. In her desperate attempt at furthering her agenda, the ABC News ‘journalist’ forgot one key piece of information – The word secular was not part of the Indian Constitution when it came into force in 1950.
India’s Constitution was not written in 1947 either but three years later in 1950. The word ‘secular’ only became part of the Preamble of the Constitution in 1976 (during the dark days of the Emergency).
Preamble of the Indian Constitution (1950 vs today), image via Constitution Net
The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had bypassed the Parliament and enacted the 42nd Constitutional Amendment to insert the word ‘secular’ in the Constitution. Contrary to the claims by Avani Dias, the constitution was not written to state that India was a ‘secular country.’
Throughout the video, the ABC News ‘journalist’ relied on conjectures, surmises and suppositions to tarnish the image of the country on a global scale.
Controversy surrounding Avani Dias
In April this year, Avani Dias took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that she had to leave India abruptly due to the non-extension of her visa by the Modi government.
The controversial ‘journalist’ also alleged that the Indian government had plans to not allow her accreditation to cover the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Dias claimed that her visa was extended for a period of 2 months at the last minute, following which she went back to Australia.
She lamented returning to her home country just a day before the first phase of the elections. Thereafter, her employer ABC News published a controversial article (archive) claiming that Dias received a phone call from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and was notified about the denial of her visa extension.
The publication said that MEA informed the ‘journalist’ that she crossed a line with her propaganda-laden YouTube video, which suggested that India was somehow involved in the assassination of Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The 29-minute-long video was deliberately titled ‘Sikhs, Spies and Murder: Investigating India’s alleged hit on foreign soil’ to tarnish the image of India on a global scale and present the nation as a facilitator of extra-territorial killings in foreign countries.
Nonetheless, the Modi government directed YouTube to withhold the anti-India propaganda video by ABC News and its South Asia Bureau Chief Avani Dias. “This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order,” reads a message on the YouTube link of the video
Avani Dias was under the false impression that a red carpet would be laid out for her by the Indian government for attempting to sour the diplomatic relations of the nation with its allies and partner countries.
The controversial ‘journalist’ was also seen playing the victim card on X (formerly Twitter) and casting aspersions on the state of Indian democracy under the Narendra Modi regime.
Interestingly, she was able to rope in support from 30-odd foreign correspondents. Later, it surfaced in the media that she lied about her visa extension denial and returned to Australia for her wedding and a new job. Nonetheless, Avani Dias continues to work ABC News’ Four Corners.
She had previously courted controversy for insinuating the role of Hindus in the vandalism of the Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane, attempting to portray the Pran Prathistha ceremony of Ram Mandir as a ‘Hindu supremacist’ event, supporting the wearing of religious attire in government schools, spreading lies about CAA and denouncing the implementation of Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 in Uttar Pradesh.
Amidst allegations of irregularities in the NEET examination results, the Congress party has been accused of spreading, endorsing fake news and amplifying the falsehoods of a NEET student who is allegedly exploiting the genuine concerns of the student community to gain popularity. Notably, several Congress leaders and state social media units have peddled claims of tampering with the OMR sheet of one NEET aspirant Ayushi Patel, a resident of Lucknow.
Patel has been in the news for her bizarre claims earlier too. In 2020, she made headlines for claiming that she had discovered a vaccine (for COVID) formula “in her mind.”
Days after NEET aspirants flagged irregularities in marking and alleged paper leak, on 10th June, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared a video of Ayushi Patel without checking the veracity of her claims. Likewise, the Kerala Congress also shared her video and repeated her allegations to attack the newly elected NDA government.
NEET जैसी परीक्षाओं में लाखों बच्चे मेहनत से तैयारी करते हैं और अपनी जिंदगी के सबसे कीमती पल इस तैयारी में लगाते हैं। पूरा परिवार इस प्रयास में अपनी श्रद्धा और शक्ति डालता है। लेकिन साल दर साल इन परीक्षाओं में पेपर लीक, रिजल्ट से जुड़ी गड़बड़ियाँ सामने आई हैं।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 10, 2024
This is Ayushi Patel from Lucknow. This was her third attempt of NEET. After the exam she checked the answer key published and calculated that she got a score of 715/720. This means she must have a rank below 100. This means that she was one of best in the country.
Pertinently, in her video statement, Patel claimed that the National Testing Agency, the nodal agency responsible for conducting examinations in India, sent her an email informing her that her OMR sheet was damaged. According to her, the email conveyed that her result could not be generated because the NTA found her OMR sheet torn and damaged. She brazened her allegation stating that her OMR sheet appeared to be ‘deliberately torn.’ However, she stated that the answers she submitted during the examination were visible on the damaged OMR sheet and they totaled 715 out of 720 marks.
She said, “After hearing this, me and my family were shocked. My family saved me from depression. It looks as if the OMR has been deliberately torn. The bubbles (student’s responses to examination questions) are clearly visible and on matching them with the official answer key, my NEET score comes out to be 715 out of 720. We have filed a petition in High Court which is slated to be heard on Tuesday. This was my third attempt. I scored 535 marks on my first attempt and 570 marks on the second attempt.”
She further stated that with the help of her uncle who is a lawyer, they responded to the NTA mail and got to see her OMR.
Speaking with India Today, Ayushi Patel further alleged that her OMR sheet was tampered (with). She said, “Even if this is a scanned image, the thumbprint here is blue which is not possible it should have been black so it’s clear my OMR has been manually tampered (with).” Her claims have been widely covered by mainstream media.
However, NTA has categorically refuted her claims and allegations of OMR tampering and her OMR being torn. They also denied sending any torn OMR answer sheet as claimed by Ayushi Patel.
— National Testing Agency (@NTA_Exams) June 10, 2024
Taking to its official X handle, NTA stated, “Regarding the viral video featuring Ms. Ayushi Patel, claiming discrepancies in NEET (UG) 2024 scoring and receiving of the torn OMR Answer Sheet, NTA clarifies that no torn OMR Answer Sheet was sent via an official NTA ID. OMR Answer Sheet is intact and Scores are accurate as per official records.”
Trying to gain cheap and instant popularity over a serious student issue?
Meanwhile, several X users shared her NEET examination results and accused Patel of exploiting the genuine concerns of NEET aspirants to gain cheap popularity and media limelight by claiming fake victimhood. Several users also slammed Congress for promoting fake news and imposters who exploit the genuine concerns of people for their selfish agendas.
Popular X user, Eminent Intellectual wrote, “Her OMR is intact and she scored only 365, not 715. There are genuine issues with NEET but Congress ONLY promotes fake news and fraudsters. Amazing.”
Her OMR is intact and she scored only 365, not 715. There are genuine issues with NEET but Congress ONLY promotes fake news and fraudsters. Amazing ? pic.twitter.com/zz4by0VwWs
Some users slammed Ayushi Patel for exploiting the NEET irregularities row and urged everyone to spare the hardworking students from politics or exploitative tactics.
Liar Ayushi Patel Sab bahti ganga me haath dho rahe. Please spare genuine and hardworking students please pic.twitter.com/cAe4xf9CkG
Incidentally, NEET aspirant Ayushi Patel was earlier accused of making bizarre claims to garner media limelight. Four years ago, during the COVID pandemic, she made headlines for claiming that she had found the “formula for vaccine” in her mind.
"One day my father asked a something related to Corona and I couldn't answer. I was disheartened. So I studied deep. One day suddenly the formula of vaccine strike in my mind" ~ Ayushi Patel in Oct'20.
The same girl today is going viral for faking NEET score. And Priyanka Gandhi… pic.twitter.com/IhGjbuX31a
A video of from October 2020 has surfaced online after she made allegations of tampering with her OMR sheet which the NTA has refuted. In the October 2020 video, she says, “One day my father asked something related to Corona and I couldn’t answer. I was disheartened. So I studied deeply. One day suddenly the formula of vaccine strikes in my mind.”
It is notable here that no vaccine has just a “chemical formula” per se. Vaccines are developed by a complex biopharmaceutical process that involves isolating an inactive immunogenic component from the pathogen and developing it in laboratories in injectable or oral form. It takes rigorous research and development to develop a vaccine that is stabilised through large-scale production, transport, and administration. It takes months, even years to develop a vaccine that can be safely injected to a large population.
For those unversed, the NEET UG 2024 results have sparked widespread controversy and debate, with suspicions of inflated marks and other anomalies. Following the release of the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) results on 4th June, which announced that as many as 67 students received a perfect score of 720/720 marks to share the All-India Rank (AIR) 1, a large number of medical aspirants and their parents raised numerous concerns about glitches, alleged malpractices, ambiguous implementation of grace marks, above all an alleged paper leak. It is notable that 23,33,297 candidates from all over India appeared for the prestigious exam this year.
Meanwhile, genuine concerns about irregularities in the NEET examination results have also reached the Supreme Court. Hearing the matter, the apex court has sought answers from the testing agency stating that the sanctity of NEET-UG 2024 has been affected.
