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UP: Muslim student says he was expelled by school over a hostel visit by a Hindu friend, reprimanded by warden for befriending non-Muslims

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Muslim student says he was expelled by school over a hostel visit by a Hindu friend, reprimanded by warden for befriending non-Muslims

A Muslim student named Manvvar in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar has charged that he was expelled from school because he has a Hindu friend and disclosed that he received a harsh reprimand for the same. Furthermore, the institution also accused him of theft. According to the information, Manvvar a student of Vision International Academy located in Fulat, Muzaffarnagar faced eviction from the school after he met a Hindu boy.

Manvvar lived in the school hostel where his friend Sandeep had come to meet him recently. He was allowed to enter the place after the guard questioned him. He stayed in the dormitory for 10 minutes and left after inquiring about his pal’s well-being. However, a ruckus broke out after he departed from there.

The administration of the school looked into the matter and spoke with Manvvar’s friends after which the young boy was scolded and thrown out of the school when they learned about the identity of the visitor. The victim has unveiled that he was severely criticised by the school warden over his friendship with non-Muslims. The youngster added that he was also accused of taking Rs 10,000 by the school management.

Afterwards, Manvvar released a video and levelled allegations against the school. However, the latter claimed that the youth used to invite unauthorized persons inside the hostel which resulted in disciplinary action against him. The latter alleged that he violated repeated warnings and lied to get another person inside the dorm. The police stated that they haven’t received any complaints regarding the issue and would definitely initiate action if they do.

Arvind Kejriwal lies again, falsely claims Punjab Power Corporation was making losses before AAP govt, hides the truth behind free electricity

Raju Das
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Arvind Kejriwal lies again, falsely claims Punjab Power Corporation was making losses before AAP govt, hides the truth behind free electricity

On 29th May, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal credited the AAP government for making the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited profitable. Sharing a news report stating that PSPCL earned a profit of ₹900 crore in the last financial year (2023-24), the AAP supremo claimed that the company was running in loss during the previous governments, and it has turned profitable even after providing free electricity as per AAP govt’s power subsidy scheme.

Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, “These are the results of the honest hard work of the AAP government. I congratulate the 3 crore people of Punjab and Bhagwant Mann ji for this great achievement.”

However, like everything else that out-on-bail CM Arvind Kejriwal claims, his claim of AAP turning PSPCL profitable is also a lie. While it is true that the company has earned a profit after suffering a loss in the previous year, the fact is that it was earning more profits before AAP came to power in Punjab. More importantly, that loss was also under AAP govt, after profits under the previous Congress govt.

The Tribune report that Kejriwal cited stated that the power corporation has earned profit because of improved coal supply from Pachhwara coal mine, and the company was able to sell power through the exchange.  

A look into the previous financial statements shows that after AAP’s Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government came to power in Punjab in March 2022, the profit and loss statement of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited showed a massive loss of ₹4,775.93 crore in the financial year 2022-23.

However, before AAP formed the government in the state, the company reported profit in the previous two years, under the Congress government. In 2020-21 the company reported a profit of ₹1446.10 crore, while in 2021-22, the profit of PSPCL was ₹1069.21 crore.

This means, that after AAP came to power, PSPCL went from ₹1,069.21 crore profit to ₹4,775.93 crore loss, a huge decline.

However, the company suffered losses in 2018-19 and 2020-21. This shows PSPCL’s profit and loss statement shows lots of variances over the years. But Kejriwal’s claim that it was loss-making earlier and AAP govt has made it profitable is completely false. The company made more profits before AAP came to power.

The other claim that Kejriwal made is that PSPCL made profits even after providing free electricity. This is a completely false and dishonest claim, because PSPCL is not providing free electricity. All subsidised power, including free power, is funded by respected governments, not the power companies. This means the Punjab government is paying the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited for the free electricity provided to consumers as per AAP’s election promise.

Last year, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced that his government cleared the entire electricity subsidy bill of ₹20,200 crore. “In 2022-23, which is the first year when the Punjab government paid the entire subsidy bill of ₹20,200 crore to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. Not even a single penny was pending towards the PSPCL,” the CM had told the media in April 2023.

The CM also said that the subsidy amount of ₹20,200 crore comprised ₹9,063 crore for free electricity to the farm sector, ₹8,225 crore for domestic consumers, and ₹2,910 crore for subsidised power to industry.

Similarly, the Punjab government sanctioned ₹20,200 crore for the year 2022-23, out of which ₹18,276.74 crore has been released by the govt to PSPCL. For the year 2024-25, the state government has allocated ₹20,477 crore for power subsidy the budget. This amount includes ₹7,780 crore for domestic consumers, ₹9,330 core for farmers and ₹3,367 crore for industries.

Power companies often face trouble in collecting bills from power consumers. However, that problem is eliminated with the power subsidy, as the state governments pay the bill. Therefore, PSPCL has earned profit not despite of providing subsidies, it has earned profit partly because of free power because the state govt is directly making the payment to it.

‘Is the Lobby running Odisha in Naveen Babu’s name responsible for his sudden deteriorating health?’ PM Modi says BJP will form special committee to probe it

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is the Lobby running Odisha in Naveen Babu’s name responsible for his sudden deteriorating health?’ PM Modi says BJP will form special committee to probe it

On Wednesday (29th May), Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concerns about the deteriorating health of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The development comes a day after a video of CM Patnaik went viral in which his alleged proxy, VK Pandian, was seen grabbing his shaking hands to hide them from the public. PM Modi stressed that people who are close to CM Patnaik have expressed concerns about how his health has deteriorated drastically in the last year. He added that it has led many of them to suspect that there could be a conspiracy behind it. 

Sharing the concern, PM Modi announced that after forming the government in the state, the saffron party will form a special committee to probe whether the lobby that is running state in Patnaik’s name is responsible for his poor health. Meanwhile, CM Patnaik has rejected reports about his poor health stating that he is in “very good health”. 

Notably, the BJP has been launching scathing attacks on the BJD government over the issue of Odia Asmita. It asserts that an Odisha-born person should be the Chief Minister of the state rather than a Tamil-born retired IAS officer running the government without accountability. According to the BJP, BJD is running a proxy government in the name of Naveen Patnaik and Tamil-born bureaucrat turned BJD leader Pandian has become the ‘de-facto’ CM who is controlling and dictating terms to 77-year-old Patnaik whose health is allegedly deteriorating. 

Even in the recent viral video, Pandian, as usual, was seen holding the mike and watching the CM speak with careful observation when he grabbed his trembling hands to conceal them from the public eye. Sharing the video, the BJP stated that the video was symbolic of how Pandian has grabbed control of the state. 

A day after the video went viral, PM Modi raised the issue of CM Patnaik’s alleged poor health while addressing an election rally in Odisha’s Baripada. PM Modi said, “People are concerned about the health of CM Naveen Patnaik and how his health deteriorated so much in the last one year. Those close to CM Naveen say that the CM is not able to do anything on his own. Some even suspect a conspiracy behind the poor health condition of CM Naveen. People of Odisha have the right to know if there is any conspiracy behind CM Naveen’s deteriorating health.”

The Prime Minister further stated that the people have the right to know whether there is any conspiracy behind CM Patnaik’s deteriorating Health. And ‘Is the lobby running Odisha in Naveen Babu’s name responsible for his Poor Health?’’

Earlier, addressing a rally in Odisha’s Jajpur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lambasted Pandian (referring to him as Tamil babu) for stopping Odia people from celebrating ‘Ram Mahotsav’. Slamming the ‘political heir’ of Odisha CM, Shah asserted, “Can a person from Tamil Nadu be the Chief Minister of Odisha? Narendra Modi will give you an Odia-speaking young CM who is a resident of Odisha.”

Leftists and Islamists celebrate Sharjeel Imam’s bail in one case: Here is why he will remain in jail in the larger conspiracy case of Delhi anti-Hindu Riots

Paurush Gupta
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Leftists and Islamists celebrate Sharjeel Imam’s bail in one case: Here is why he will remain in jail in the larger conspiracy case of Delhi anti-Hindu Riots

On Wednesday (29th May), mainstream media widely reported that the Delhi High Court has granted statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam in a UAPA and sedition case. The case relates to his inflammatory speeches delivered against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in AMU and the Jamia area in the National Capital pertaining to FIR 22/2020. He will remain in jail in the larger conspiracy case in Delhi anti-Hindu Riots, which is FIR 59/2020. 

A division bench comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain allowed his bail plea. He had sought relief under Section 436A of the CrPC on the ground that the accused had undergone half of the maximum seven years of punishment. He had approached the High Court to challenge the trial court’s order which denied him statutory bail in the case. 

Representing Sharjeel Imam, Advocate Talib Mustafa submitted that Imam has already undergone four years and seven months of incarceration out of the seven years of maximum imprisonment.

However, Special Public Prosecutor Rajat Nair, representing the Delhi Police, opposed the plea on the ground that Imam had not undergone half sentence. He said that Imam’s case was squarely covered by the Explanation to Section 436A of CrPC and therefore, he was not entitled to any statutory bail. He pointed out that the delay in pre-trial detention was solely because Imam requested the trial stay in 2022. The court, however, allowed his plea after taking note of various lists of dates, including the date of framing of charges and examination of witnesses.

Following the media reports about Sharjeel Imam getting bail, several leftists and Islamists started prematurely celebrating the development. They projected it as a major relief to the sedition accused with some media outlets and X users referring to him as a “Student” and “Activist” among others. Some users alleged that it would cause “heartburn” among the non-leftist and non-Islamists.

One user wrote, “Now RW and IT Cell trolls will have heartburn in the middle of heatwave.”

Some users tried projecting the sedition accused as a ‘hero’.

However, it is pertinent to note that most of the outlets and X users have done selective reporting on the issue as they have failed to highlight the fact that Sharjeel will have to remain in jail as he got relief only in one case FIR 20/22.

Flagging MSM’s selective reporting, OpIndia Editor-in-Chief Nupur J Sharma highlighted that the court granted him relief only on the ground that as an undertrial he had served one-half of the maximum punishment for that crime, however, the statutory bail is not on merits. Additionally, he will continue to remain in jail as he is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case in relation to the Delhi riots of 2020.”

Notably, except for the Bar and Bench report which notes that Imam will continue to remain in jail as he is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots 2020, other media houses have not reported it. Bar and Bench too, before they published the report, had not included this information in their tweet update. Additionally, several X users have lambasted NDTV and others for referring to the sedition accused as ‘Activist’.

The trial court made scathing observations in this case (FIR 20/22) regarding his inflammatory speeches 

While the High Court has granted him bail under Section 436A of the CrPC, the trial court on 17th February, this year, had dismissed his plea observing that his speeches and activities “mobilised the public” which disrupted the national capital and might be the main reason for the outbreak of the 2020 riots. 

Regarding Imam’s counsel’s argument that he should be granted bail under Section 436A, the trial court had ruled that the accused’s custody could be extended for a further period in “exceptional circumstances” after hearing the prosecution’s case before dismissing his bail plea on this ground. 

The Delhi Police Special Branch had booked him under FIR 22 of 2020. The case was initially registered for the offence of sedition and Section 13 of UAPA was invoked later. 

He has been in custody in this case since 28th January 2020. 

The trial court had said, “Although the applicant did not ask anybody to pick the weapons and kill the people, his speeches and activities mobilised the public which disrupted the city and might be the main reason in the outbreak of the riots. Further, through inflammatory speeches and social media, the applicant skillfully manipulated the real facts and incited the public in order to create havoc in the city.” 

In his order, Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of Karkardooma court said, “Imam’s speeches were so powerful that it captured the imagination of the people belonging to a particular community and incited them to take part in disruptive activities which finally resulted in the riots.”

The judge further stated, “Finally, just after the speeches and the alleged activities of the applicant, on different dates and places, the riots occurred causing violence, huge damage to the public property, and death of a large number of people.” 

In this FIR, the court had framed charges against Imam in January last year. He has been charged for the offences under Section 124A (sedition), 153A(Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.), 153B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC along with Section 13 (Punishment for unlawful activities) of the UAPA.

Conspiracy case in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots

Imam was arrested in 2020 from Jehanabad, Bihar. He is a former Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and one of the key members of the group that organized Shaheen Bagh protests against CAA. Multiple FIRs were filed against Imam for a speech in which he allegedly asked the protestors to cut off Assam from India. FIRs were filed at Police stations in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. He also got bail in the cases filed at Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Subsequently, Imam was charge-sheeted as one of the main masterminds of the Delhi anti-Hindu riots and charged under the stringent UAPA. In an over 15,000-page chargesheet filed, the Delhi Police traced in painstaking detail how Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and several others masterminded the Delhi violence since the 5th of December 2019.

Sharjeel Imam’s involvement in the planning of the riots

The Delhi Riots chargesheet number 59, which spans over 16,000 pages, tracks in excruciating detail the conspiracy to foment riots and unrest that started shaping on the 5th of December, a day after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was tabled in parliament. 

On 5th December, Sharjeel Imam made WhatsApp groups of Muslim students and on the 6th of December, he started distributing pamphlets in mosques. Pamphlets which were written by Sharjeel Imam himself were distributed in the Jama Masjid area by the MSJ group. This fact was revealed by the chats recovered between Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi. The pamphlets were communal and essentially aimed to incite hate in the Muslim community by invoking the Supreme Court decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. Some of the pamphlets read “Law of Allah above all else” and “The command of Allah is above every law”. The pamphlets had misinformation about CAB and also, spoke about the destruction of the illegal structure previously on Ram Janmabhoomi, called Babri.

Several meetings were held between these “intellectuals” who were spreading fake news against CAB. On the 8th of December, this meeting was held, a picture of which is added to the chargesheet. The “minutes of the meeting” was shared in WhatsApp groups made by Sharjeel Imam (who was present at these meetings). Click here, to read in details about the involvement of other actors in this conspiracy and the details about the individuals who were part of that CAB team meeting. 

Sharjeel Imam’s involvement in the planning of the riot is, therefore, not a mystery. He was involved right from the start in the planning of the violence and also incitement through his seditious speeches. 

Uttar Pradesh: Vehicle in Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy kills two persons, injures one in Gonda

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Vehicle in Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy kills two persons, injures one in Gonda

On 29th May, a Toyota Fortuner SUV collided with a bike in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh resulting in the deaths of two persons and critically wounded at least one more (two per some reports). The SUV was part of Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Kaiserganj constituency. He is the son of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a six-time parliamentarian and former president of the Wrestling Federation of India.

Chanda Begum, the complainant, filed a First Information Report alleging that at approximately nine in the morning, her 17-year-old son Shaad Rehan and her 24-year-old nephew Shahzad were riding their bikes to purchase medication when the two-wheeler was struck by a speeding SUV approaching from the other side. The injured was taken to the Common Service Center. A huge crowd gathered at the scene afterwards.

The deceased were also rushed to the hospital where they were declared brought dead. The authorities confiscated the SUV which was a police escort vehicle and arrested the driver. Karan Bhushan Singh’s presence in the cavalcade at the time of the accident has not yet been confirmed. The accident took place near Baikunth Degree College on Colonelganj-Huzoorpur Road.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Gonda West also informed that received information of the incident and stated, “Police immediately arrived at the spot and brought Shaad Rehan and Shahzad to Community Health Center in Colonelganj where they later passed away. Their panchnama has been completed and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Their family has submitted a complaint. The accused has been booked under relevant sections based on the complaint. The situation is under control and there are no law and order issues. The matter is now under investigation.”

A considerable number of people, including the victims’ relatives, flocked to the CHC after learning of the tragic event and encircled the scene. Everybody in the convoy escaped from the area. There is a significant police presence at the scene because of the incident.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the sitting MP, was replaced by Karan Bhushan Singh as the BJP candidate after the former faced sexual harassment charges from female wrestlers. The case is in progress in a Delhi court. Karan is running for the Lok Sabha for the first time and serves as head of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. Prateek Bhushan, his older brother, is a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Gonda Sadar.

Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha, who was stranded in Israel during Oct 7 terror attacks by Hamas, posts ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Instagram story

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha, who was stranded in Israel during Oct 7 terror attacks by Hamas, posts ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Instagram story

Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha, best known for her roles in Pyar Ka Punchnama and Sonu Ki Titoo Ki Sweety, became the latest entrant to the club of Bollywood actors to partake in what appears as a paid campaign to oppose Israeli action against Hamas terrorists in Rafah, a Palestinian town situated in southeastern Gaza bordering Egypt. Like several other actors, Bharuccha posted an AI-depicted story ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ to stand up against the Israeli offensive in Rafah.

Nushrratt Bharuccha’s Instagram story

The post comes hours after several celebrities in India, including cricketer Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika Sajdeh, and others posted ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Instagram story, the genesis of which appears inorganic and aimed at demonising Israel and building international pressure over the Jewish nation to stop military action against what it terms as among the last remaining battalions of Hamas taking refuge in Rafah.

While it is usual for actors and celebrities in India to monetise their social media activities, what is truly remarkable is the fact that actor Nushrratt Bharuccha threw her weight behind a trend even though she had been a first-hand witness of the atrocities Israelis faced at the hands of their tormentors, Hamas terrorists, on October 7 last year, when the actor was stranded in the Jewish nation.

Bharuccha was stranded in Israel during the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas. She had flown there to attend the Haifa International Film Festival when the attack took place, plunging the country into a state of war as Hamas terrorists from Gaza crossed the border and ran riot in the border villages, killing and maiming people, children, and women in their wake. Over 200 people were taken captive during the attack, with the images of an Israeli woman Shani Louk being paraded by Hamas terrorists becoming the symbol of the tragedy that befell Israel on that fateful day.

During that time, a member of Bharuccha’s team had said, “The last time that I managed to get in touch with Nushrratt Bharuccha was around 12.30 pm earlier today when she was safe in a basement. For safety measures, further details cannot be disclosed. However, since then, we were not able to connect. We are trying to get Nushrratt back safely to India and hope she returns in the best of health and unharmed.”

The actor returned home to Mumbai on October 8, with nervousness and stress writ large on her face as she exited the airport. The actor issued a lengthy statement detailing the hardships she faced during the harrowing 36 hours she spent trapped in a war-torn foreign country and thanked the Israeli embassy and the Government of India for bringing her back home safely.

On Instagram, she issued a statement explaining in detail the ordeal faced by her and many Israelis as Hamas terrorists went on a rampage in an unprecedented attack. “My producer, stylist, and I arrived in Haifa, Israel, on October 3 for the Haifa International Film Festival, where our film ‘Akelli’ was being screened alongside my Israeli co-stars, Tsahi Halevi and Amir Boutrous. After spending two days visiting Israel’s historic sites—Jerusalem, Jaffa, Bahá’­, and the Dead Sea—we nearly concluded our trip with a celebratory dinner for the film’s cast on Friday night, October 6. That evening, Tsahi, Amir, and I toasted our film’s selection at the festival, and promised to stay in touch and possibly work together again. We said our goodbyes and were prepared to fly back the next day,” she said.

“But Saturday morning was nothing like the celebration the night before. We were jolted awake by the deafening sounds of bombs exploding, a blaring siren, and utter chaos as we were rushed down to a ‘shelter’ in the hotel basement. After what felt like an endless wait, we emerged to learn that Israel was under attack. Nothing could have prepared us for this news,” she said.

She then added how the entire situation had left them terrified, as they had never experienced anything like it before. “In a state of complete terror, our first impulse was to reach the Indian Embassy, just 2 km from our hotel, but it seemed impossible to cover the distance without transportation, surrounded by the dreadful sounds of explosions. We were informed that Hamas militants had infiltrated several cities in Israel and were now on the roads, pulling civilians from their homes and shooting people at random.”

Bharuccha also thanked the Indian government and the Israeli embassy for facilitating her return to home.

In a lengthy statement, the actor said, “As someone who has barely escaped a war zone, I cannot be more grateful today…I’m back home and safe with my family and my loved ones. But with an experience that has made me immensely grateful for the safety and security that we almost take for granted. I am ever so grateful to the Government of India, the Indian Embassy and the Israeli Embassy, for their help and guidance in bringing my team and me back safe. I would also like to thank each and every one of my well-wishers from the bottom of my heart for their wishes and prayers for my safety.”

North Korea launches ‘garbage war’ against South Korea, sends balloons carrying filth over the border in retaliation to balloons carrying leaflets

OpIndia Staff
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North Korea launches ‘garbage war’ against South Korea, sends balloons carrying filth over the border in retaliation to balloons carrying leaflets

Kim Jong Un ruled North Korea has added a new weapon to its arsenal to target South Korea, garbage and manure, carried by massive gas balloons. On Tuesday night, the South Korean military observed a large number of balloons arriving from the country’s northern neighbour, with an estimated 150 balloons arriving by Wednesday morning.

Visuals show that plastic bags were tied to the balloons that were flown by the wind from the north to the south. When the balloons fell to the ground, the plastic bags opened up, littering the streets and grounds with garbage and excrement. South Korean authorities called it a dangerous act. Reportedly, while most balloons landed, some were still floating in the air.

Photos show that while some garbage bags were tethered to two balloons, others were carried by a single balloon.

Following the ‘garbage attack’ by North Korea, the South Korean military’s explosives ordnance unit and chemical and biological warfare response team were deployed to inspect and collect the objects, and an alert was issued warning residents to keep away and report any sightings to authorities. The balloons examined so far contained “filth and garbage”, said the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

“North Korea’s actions clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our citizens. All responsibility arising from the North Korean balloons lies entirely with North Korea, and we sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and low-level actions,” JCS said in a statement.

Responding to the development, North Korea’s vice defence minister issued a statement vowing to exercise “strong power for self-defence” and warned that “mounds of waste-paper and filth” would be sent to the South in response to its flying “dirty things” to the North.

According to North Korean state media KCNA, balloons carrying garbage were sent to South Korea in retaliation against South Korean activists sending balloons carrying leaflets and various other items to North Korea. Apart from leaflets with messages against the North Korean regime, the activists, many of originally from North Korea, also send food, medicine, radios and USB sticks containing South Korean news, television dramas and K-pop videos to the North.

Apart from balloons, the activists also use drones and bottles floating down the cross-border river to send such messages and items from South to North Korea.

Earlier South Korean govt had tried to stop activists to conduct such campaigns, and a ban on balloons was imposed in 2021. But a top court ruled it unconstitutional, saying the ban violated freedom of speech. Kim Kang Il, North Korea’s Vice Minister of National Defense, said recently that “scattering leaflets by use of balloons is a dangerous provocation that can be utilized for a specific military purpose.” He accused South Korea of using “psychological warfare” by scattering “various dirty things” near border areas, declaring that the North would take “tit for tat action.”

“Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of (South Korea) and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,” Kim said, according to state media KCNA. “When our national sovereignty, security and interests are violated, we will take action immediately.”

And carrying out the threats, North Korean govt send balloons carrying garbage and filth to South Korea. Now that South Korea has strongly reacted to it, the ‘garbage war’ may escalate further.

Mani Shankar Aiyar strikes again, claims China “allegedly” invaded India in 1962, Congress says he is senile and should be ignored

OpIndia Staff
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Mani Shankar Aiyar strikes again, claims China “allegedly” invaded India in 1962, Congress says he is senile and should be ignored

Congress foul-mouth Mani Shankar has an unparalleled reputation for making controversial statements that inadvertently harm his party. On the 28th of May, the senior Congress leader stoked a fresh controversy after he termed the 1962 Indo-China war as an “alleged Chinese invasion”, hinting that he does not believe that China attacked India.

Speaking at an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday, Mani Shankar Aiyar said, “In October 1962, China allegedly invaded India. On the day that Tawang fell, the foreign service exams began in London. When they were over, the newspapers used to make references to me as being very left wing and a communist…”

Mani Shankar Aiyar also attacked the Intelligence Bureau under PM Jawaharlal Nehru after he was not selected for the foreign services. He claimed that he was rejected because the IB read in the newspapers that he was a communist and raised money for China. The veteran Congress leader claimed the Intelligence Bureau lacked intelligence.

Aiyar’s comments calling China’s invasion of India in 1962 triggered an outrage on social media and Bhartiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya slammed the Congress leader for giving clean chit to China. He also highlighted former PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s blunders like giving up India’s claim on the UNSC permanent seat, Rahul Gandhi’s MoU with China, etc as he questioned Congress’s “love” for China.

Taking to X, Malviya wrote, “Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during launch of a book called Nehru’s First Recruits, refers to Chinese invasion in 1962 as ‘alleged’. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism. Nehru gave up India’s claim on the permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhi’s UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory. What explains Congress’s love for the Chinese?”

Amidst the outrage, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who besides his usual job in the party has also been distancing the party from the controversial remarks of its leaders like Aiyar and Sam Pitroda these days, blamed Aiyar’s age and distanced the party from his comments.

“Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar has subsequently apologised unreservedly for using the term “alleged invasion” mistakenly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20 1962 was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed…” Ramesh posted on X.

While Jairam Ramesh is now claiming that the Modi government gave clean chit to China’s illegal incursions into Indian territory in 2020, citing an incomplete video of PM Modi’s remarks made during a June 2020 all-party meeting, PM Modi did not deny the occurrence of Galwan clashes.

The Prime Minister said, “Neither have they intruded into our border, nor has any post been taken over by them (China). Twenty of our jawans were martyred, but those who dared Bharat Mata, they were taught a lesson [Na wahan koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai, na hi hamari koi post kisi doosre ke kabze main hai. Ladakh mein hamaare 20 jaanbaaz shaheed hue, lekin jinhone Bharat mata ki taraf aankh uthakar dekha tha unhe wo sabak sikhakar gaye].”

Indo-China war 1962

The Indo-China War of 1962, also known as the Sino-Indian War, was a brief but intense conflict that erupted between India and China over territorial disputes in the Himalayan border regions. The war began on the 20th of October, 1962, and lasted until the 21st of November, 1962, resulting in a decisive Chinese victory and a significant impact on India’s defence policy and regional geopolitics. Although there were multiple causes behind China’s invasion, the primary cause of the war was a long-standing border dispute over the Aksai Chin region and Arunachal Pradesh. China claimed Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin to be a part of its Xinjiang province. OpIndia has reported earlier how PM Nehru had ignored the military’s warning of a possible Chinese attack two years before the Chinese invasion.

Mani Shankar Aiyar and Pakistan: The eternal love story

This is not the first time that Mani Shankar Aiyar pushed the Congress party in a tough spot with his outrageous remarks. While Sam Pitroda hogged all the ‘limelight’ for his inheritance tax and a racist remark, Mani Shankar Aiyar expressed his admiration for Pakistan. Aiyar said that India should respect Pakistan. Aiyar said that India must respect Pakistan because ‘unki bhi izzat hai’ adding that they have “atom bombs”. The Congress leader made these remarks while advocating for a resumption of talks with Pakistan. Probably, Aiyar wanted the Modi government to give Pakistan the izzat the UPA government gave to the hostile neighbour after 26/11 and at Sharm al Sheikh.

In February this year, in line with the Pakistani narrative, Aiyar blamed ‘Hindutva’ for the Modi government not resuming bilateral talks with Pakistan. He also claimed that India currently does not have the “courage” to sit across the table and talk with Pakistan.

“Under Hindutva, they are trying to imitate Pakistan, which became an Islamic republic. The Gandhi-Nehru answer to the Islamic republic was that they would not become a republic based on religion but a republic based on all religions. But their philosophy that lasted for 65 years was overthrown in 2014 and for the next five years we are going to have the same mindset in Delhi,” Aiyar said.

Back in 2019, Mani Shankar Aiyar sought help from Pakistan to remove PM Modi so that India-Pakistan talks could progress.

In 2018, Aiyar said that he gets more “love in Pakistan” and a “lot more hatred in India”. Aiyar was speaking on the sidelines of an event in Pakistan. Getting love in Pakistan is obvious since Aiyar peddles Pakistan’s anti-India narrative.

Interestingly, overlooking Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s role in Direct Action Day, Aiyar once hailed Jinnah for his role in the freedom movement and even referred to him as Quaid-e-Azam. Aiyar said this in defence of Jinnah’s role in the partition.

Mani Shankar Aiyar’s vile attacks against PM Modi

In the run-up to the 2014 elections, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had taken a dig at Prime Minister Modi’s humble beginning as a tea seller and said that Modi can distribute tea but can never be the Prime Minister. It, however, is widely known how PM Modi turned Aiyar’s attack into a badge of honour and held ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ and eventually won a historic victory in the general elections.

In December 2017, called PM Modi a “neech kisam ka aadmi” ahead of the Gujarat Assembly election. “Ye bahut hi neech kisam ka aadmi hai, is mein koi sabhyata nahi hai…” Aiyar said. PM Modi had again turned Aiyar’s ‘neech’ jibe in his favour and BJP ended up winning the majority in Gujarat elections. Back then, not Jairam Ramesh but the Congress Prince Rahul Gandhi himself tried to distance his party from Aiyar’s casteist remark against PM Modi and “expected” an apology from him. However, Aiyar never properly apologised.

While Jairam Ramesh is now suggesting that Aiyar is senile and should be ignored, the Congress party never took any strict action against Aiyar for his outrageous remarks over the years even though they and continue to harm the party. Interestingly, in 2019 Prime Minister Modi said that Congress has fielded “two batsmen” to defend the “naamdar” Rahul Gandhi. Here the two batsmen were none other than Sam Pitroda and Mani Shankar Aiyar. PM Modi said that Congress would blame these two for its defeat. It seems like the Congress party may have unleashed its two “batsmen” at this time when its defeat is nearly inevitable, to take the blame for the Gandhi prince’s yet another failed relaunch.

UP: Police officer Simranjit Kaur caught red-handed taking Rs 50,000 bribe from a rape victim, was earlier sacked for bribery in Nithari cannibalism case

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Police officer Simranjit Kaur caught red-handed taking Rs 50,000 bribe from a rape victim, was earlier sacked for bribery in Nithari cannibalism case

On 28th May, crime branch inspector Simranjeet Kaur was arrested by the Bareilly Anti-Corruption team while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000. Reportedly, a rape victim filed a complaint against Kaur alleging that the inspector already extorted Rs 100,000 from her and was demanding Rs 50,000 more.

Notably, Kaur has a history of being suspended for inadequate investigation. She was leading the infamous Nithari cannibalism case in Noida where she was found guilty of inadequate investigation. At that time, she was a sub-inspector and was dismissed from her position. Kaur remained out of service for eight years. She contested her suspension in court and was reinstated following a court order. After rejoining the service, she was promoted to the rank of inspector.

In the recent complaint, the rape victim was allegedly pressured by Crime Branch Inspector Simranjeet Kaur into giving her money as she registered false charges under extortion and IT Act provisions against her. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bareilly Anti-Corruption Department, Yashpal Singh, said in a statement that Kaur demanded money from the victim to file a final report (FR) in the case indicating that there was no evidence against the victim. After Kaur allegedly pressured the victim into giving her an additional Rs 50,000, the victim filed a complaint to the Anti-Corruption Department. A sting operation was conducted leading to Kaur’s arrest.

A case against Kaur has been registered at Binawar police station. She was taken to the Civil Lines police station for further proceedings in the matter. Notably, she was posted at Islamnagar police station in Badaun shortly before Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Selective outrage of low IQ Bollywood exposed with ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ campaign: What happened in Rafah and why learning all sides of a story is important

Anurag
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Selective outrage of low IQ Bollywood exposed with ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ campaign: What happened in Rafah and why learning all sides of a story is important

On 28th May, several celebrities from India shared stories on Rafah. An AI-generated image with the text “All Eyes On Rafah” was shared on the social media platform Instagram over 33 million times. Here are some of the celebrities who shared the image or a similar story.

Actors and actresses including Malaika Arora Khan, Zareen Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Kriti Kharbanda, Nora Fatehi, DQ Salmaan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, tripti Dimri, Rakul Preet, Rahul Dua, Varun Dhawan, Nitanshi Goel, Urfi Javed, Swara Bhaskar and Ahsaas Channa were among those who shared the same story on social media. On the other hand, Huma Qureshi and Kareena Kapoor shared a post published by UNICEF calling for a ceasefire in the region. Here are screenshots of the stories published by these celebrities.

Screenshots of stories by Urfi Javed, Swara Bhaskar and Ahsaas Channa. Source: Instagram
Screenshots of stories by Malaika Arora, Zareen Khan and Sonam Kapoor. Source: Instagram
Screenshots of stories by Kriti Kharbanda, Nora Fatehi and DQ Salmaan. Source: Instagram
Screenshots of stories by Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Tripti Dimri and Rakul Preet. Source: Instagram
Screenshots of stories by Rahul Dua, Varun Dhavan and Nitanshi Goel. Source: Instagram
Screenshots of stories by Huma Qureshi and Kareena Kapoor. Source: Instagram

Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika Sajdeh, vetern actress Madhuri Dixit and some other celebrities also shared stories but deleted after immense pressure from the public. Here are screenshots of their now-deleted stories.

Stories on Instagram that were deleted after pressure from the public. Source: X

Retaliating to the propaganda campaign, pro-Israel accounts have started sharing social media posts asking those who have “eyes on Rafah” to help Israel in finding the hostages that Hamas has not released since 7th October 2023.

What happened in Rafah? IDF says civilian casualties may be result of Hamas explosive warehouse inside civilian area

Rafah is the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip. It shares a border with Egypt and the Rafah crossing is presently the only way Gaza residents can leave the area. However, Egypt only allows humanitarian aid inside. Egypt has refused all requests for evacuation and does not allow Palestinians to enter their nation.

At least that was what the world thought, because, recently Israel’s military operations in Rafah exposed several tunnels extending from Rafah to Egypt, allegedly allowing Hamas terrorists to enter Egyptian territory without anyone noticing. Israel has claimed at the ICJ hearing that Egypt’s government knew about those tunnels.

On 26th May (local time) Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas launched rockets at the Tel Aviv area in Israel. Sirens were heard across the region warning the residents to take shelter immediately. Hours after the rocket strike by the terrorist group, Israeli forces launched an airstrike at Rafah, an area that is the southern most part of the Gaza strip, where currently many Palestinians have taken shelter.

Notably, it is on the border with Egypt. During the airstrike, Israel accidentally hit a tent camp where reportedly displaced Palestinians were living. Media reports have claimed that around 45 people including children and elderly lost their lives and 200 were injured in the strike. However, Israel has denied it, saying they had hit a terrorist shelter away from civilian area.

IDF has stated that they had launched a precision strike with a limited amount of explosives at an area 1.7 km away from the civilian zone. However, secondary explosions might have been triggered because Hamas has a habit of storing explosives and munitions in civilian areas, often using civilian compounds as cover.

Also, Hamas has been successfully running a misinformation campaign. They have earlier made misleading, sometimes totally false claims amplifying victimhood, while using Palestinian civilians as human shield throughout the conflict. One such attempt was the desperate efforts to claim “hundreds of civilians killed in Shifa hospital“. Soon enough, images and videos exposed their lies. The fire incident in a parking lot was amplified as mass destruction, with active help from international media.

The attack by Israeli forces was aimed at killing Hamas operatives hiding in the area and they successfully neutralised two of them. United Nations and the World Health Organisation condemned the air strike on Rafah. Israel has expressed regret over the death of 45 people in the fire and explosions and launched an investigation in the matter.

Displaced priorities: The hypocrisy of selective outrage

The recent surge in such posts by numerous Indian celebrities has brought to light a troubling trend of selective outrage. A particular image was shared over 33 million times worldwide on Instagram which appears to be an attempt to create a negative narrative against Israel. These celebrities collectively amplified the message which reminded of the “I am ashamed” placard campaign during the Kathua incident. Instead of trying to get into the depth of the incident to find out what happened, Hindus were targeted with selective outrage. However, their conspicuous silence on other pressing issues reveals a stark hypocrisy.

The social media onslaught of the ‘All eyes on Rafah’ campaign has again exposed how celebrities are detached from ground realities and the bigger picture. Dozens of hostages taken away by Hamas after the October 7 massacre are yet to return home. Recently released videos show how brutally young girls were raped and tortured by Hamas terrorists, but none of that was enough to incite concern from these celebrities with millions of followers.

Ignoring the plight of Hindus

While these celebrities come out in support of international matters, their deafening silence on the atrocities faced by Hindus in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh raises several questions. The persecution and suffering of Hindus in these countries are severe. Yet not even one of these celebrities has ever raised their voice in their support or used their mass followership to shed light on their plight. The indifference not only highlights their selective activism but also questions their commitment to human rights and justice.

Silence on domestic atrocities

Their hypocrisy is not limited to the international issues. They fail to raise their voices for victims of love jihad in India. The merciless killings of Hindus during riots, growing instances of love jihad where Hindu women become victims of Islamists and other such grave injustices the thrown under the rug by these influential figures. Have you ever seen any one of them raising their voices for the likes of Kanhaiya Lal? These celebrities who were vocal in the Rafah campaign, have failed to address these significant concerns, thereby exposing their selective moral compass.

Coordinated efforts and virtue signalling

The uniformity of the posts shared by these celebrities suggests that there might be a well-orchestrated campaign behind them. There is a possibility that some or all of them were paid to participate in the campaign. The way these celebrities prefer to engage with international narratives while neglecting the issues closer to home shows how their actions are limited mostly to orchestrated campaigns rather than advocating for all victims of injustice.

No one is stopping these celebrities from earning money or indulging in international campaigns. However, selective outrage and targeted virtue signalling are problematic and need to be addressed. Celebrities often influence millions of people on social media. Many of them form a narrative without getting into details of the incidents. In such cases, victims often get painted as the perpetrator.

7th October Hamas terrorist attack on Israel

On the 7th, Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel killing at least 1,300 people including foreigners. They abducted hundreds of civilians from Israel and took them to Hamas-controlled areas in the Gaza Strip. In retaliation, Israel launched a military action against Hamas to finish the terrorist organisation. Though Israel requested the locals in Gaza to move out, many of them stayed resulting in thousands of deaths in Israeli attacks. During the military action, Israel revealed how Hamas was using a well-established tunnel system under residential areas. Schools and hospitals in Gaza had tunnels under them housing Hamas terrorists. Furthermore, Hamas was exposed for using UN vehicles and aid for their benefit. The Israel-Hamas war will enter its eighth month in June 2024.

India’s stand on Israel-Palestine conflict

India considers Israel a friend and strategic partner. However, India’s stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict has always been clear. India advocates for a 2-state solution and has always stood for peace. India has repeatedly voted in favor of a 2-state solution, allowing the Palestinians their rights to a defined, viable, and independent state side by side with Israel, while advocating for the end of terrorism and civilian casualties.

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