A video of YSRCP legislator, P Ramakrishna Reddy, vandalising Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Macharla constituency in the Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh has gone viral on social media.
In the webcam footage, Reddy was seen forcibly entering a polling station, taking control of the voting device and throwing it on the floor. The YSRCP MLA was found stomping on the EVM.
The video is said to have been recorded on 13th May this year when elections were conducted for both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.
The Election Commission (EC) took cognisance of the matter on Tuesday (21st May) and directed the Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena to take criminal action against Reddy.
VIDEO | YSRCP MLA P Ramakrishna Reddy was caught on camera allegedly damaging an EVM in the Macherla assembly constituency during the May 13 polls.
The Election Commission on Tuesday directed the Andhra Pradesh police chief to take strict criminal action against MLA.… pic.twitter.com/vdVHJvc7Ie
In a statement, Meena said, “YSRCP Sitting MLA Pinneli Ramakrishna Reddy was recorded on a web camera during the incident of vandalising EVMs in 7 polling centres, including PS number 202 in Macharla Assembly constituency.”
“Palnadu district election officials handed over the video footage of all such polling stations to the police to assist in the investigation into the vandalism incident. The police stated that the MLA’s name has been included as an accused in the investigation,” he emphasised.
“The EC is taking this matter very seriously and has directed CEO Mukesh Kumar Meena to inform the DGP to take strict action against all those involved in these incidents. Therefore, the EC hopes that no one will dare to commit such misdeeds in the future to conduct the elections peacefully,” the Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer concluded.
The Opposition has demanded strong action against YSRCP. TDP leader Nara Lokesh said that P Ramakrishna Reddy was afraid of losing elections and hence destroyed EVMs out of frustration.
A case of love jihad recently came to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district. Police arrested Nazim Ansari who is accused of trapping a minor Hindu girl by using a fake Hindu name, Rahul Singh and then taking her to Mumbai. According to reports, he was planning to convert the minor’s religion and marry her in court by altering the date of birth on her Aadhaar card.
However, his plan was exposed when an OTP for an Aadhaar “update” was received on the phone of the victim’s mother. The victim’s family, who had already filed a missing person’s report, informed the police. After conducting surveillance, the police apprehended the accused and rescued the victim on 17th May. They handed over the minor victim to her family.
It is alleged that Nazim’s mother Noorjahan is also involved in this entire conspiracy and she fully supported her son.
The case pertains to the Kotwali Dehat police station area of Mirzapur district. On 7th May 2024, the victim’s mother filed a complaint with the police. In the complaint, the victim’s mother stated that Nazim who used the fake Hindu name Rahul Singh had lured her 16-year-old daughter and taken her away. Nazim, son of Pappu Ali is originally a resident of Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh.
According to reports, six months ago, Nazim came to live next to the victim’s house.
He introduced himself to the victim as Rahul Singh to develop a friendship with the minor girl. Later, he trapped the minor in a love affair. On 7th May, with the help of a young neighbour, Nazim managed to run away with the victim. He took the minor from Bhadohi to Mumbai.
After extensively searching for her daughter, when the victim’s mother could not find any trace of her, she filed a complaint with the police. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under sections 366 and 363 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to reports, Nazim Ali was planning to marry the victim after converting her to Islam in Mumbai. He was preparing documents to marry the girl in court. For this, he wanted to alter the date of birth on her Aadhaar card.
He also visited an Aadhar card centre in Mumbai. However, the minor’s Aadhaar card was linked to the phone of her mother. During an attempt to “update” Aadhaar card details, an OTP was sent to her mother’s phone. To get OTP, the staff of the Aadhaar card centre called her.
The victim’s mother then approached the Police and informed them about the same. The Police then set a trap to arrest Nazim. On 17th May, they apprehended him when he came to Mirzapur for some work.
After rescuing the minor victim, she was sent to counselling, and her medical examination was conducted. The girl’s statement was also recorded in the court. Based on her recorded statement before the court, the police are taking further action in this case. During the investigation, the police also found the role of Nazim’s mother suspicious. OpIndia has the FIR copy.
Meanwhile, the young neighbour who assisted the accused is still at large, and the police are searching for him.
Additional Superintendent of Police Nitesh Singh said that the young man has been arrested in Mumbai on charges of abducting the minor girl and has been sent to jail. The minor has been handed over to her family, and the matter is under investigation.
A drunk teenager rams his overspeeding luxury car into vehicles killing two people and the honourable court orders him to write an essay on accidents as ‘punishment’. Does this sound absurd, insensitive and unreal travesty of justice? Well, this is what happened in Maharashtra’s Pune after a 17-year-old teen rammed his Porsche car into a vehicle in an inebriated state and killed two people named Aneesh Awadhia and Ashwini Koshta on the 19th of May. While two innocent people lost their lives, the accused teenager who is the son of builder, Vishal Agarwal of Brahma Realty and Infrastructure, got bail within 15 hours of his arrest.
In the words of the teen’s lawyer Prashant Patil, the court was “kind enough” to grant bail to the accused with certain bail conditions. Now the bail conditions imposed by the court reflect nothing but apathy towards the deceased victims.
The accused who stepped out of a posh bar late in the night before the incident was asked by the Juvenile Justice Board to work with a traffic police official for 2 weeks and attend psychiatric counselling sessions. The teen has also been asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents and create traffic awareness boards. His father Vishal Agarwal who owns the bar where a 17 years and 8 months old accused was served alcohol has been arrested today after a case was registered at Yerwada Police Station.
Reports say that the minor had tried to flee the spot after the incident, however, the locals caught hold of him and thrashed him before turning him over to the police.
Such is the deplorable state of our society and the judiciary that a rich underage boy without a driving license driving a luxury Porsche Taycan car without any registration since March at its top speed, fails to control the vehicle while drunk and ends up killing two people, booked under IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence) among other sections get bail in a blink of an eye. The unusual bail conditions and the celerity in granting bail have made the public perceive the development as “Bhai paisa ho toh kya nahi ho sakta [When you have money, anything can happen] alongside misuse of power and influence.
Meanwhile, the teen’s lawyer Prashant Patil has already said that the investigation is yet to be concluded on whether his client was indeed driving the car when it hit the deceased victims. Amid criticism over handling the case involving a prominent businessman, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar to ensure strict action against the accused.
Where I ask Prashant Patil, lawyer of the underage Porsche kid, why his client shouldn’t be tried as an ADULT: pic.twitter.com/HuRqOy8bkK
Although 304A is a bailable offence, getting bail in just a few hours with such appalling bail conditions raises the concern that the judiciary desperately needs reforms.
Notably, the Modi government brought the new Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, section 106 of which akin to IPC 304A. However, 106(2) whoever causes death by rash and negligent driving not amounting to culpable homicide and flees without reporting to the police shall be punished with 10 years jail term and a fine. Although the three criminal laws passed by the parliament will come into effect from 1st July, BNS Section 106(2) has been put on hold after the transporters associations protested.
It is pertinent to mention that this is not the first case that exposed the prevalent flaw in our system, the way our law enforcement and the judiciary function.
Jessica Lal murder case that shook the nation
On April 30, 1999, a man named Siddharth Vashishta alias Manu Sharma, shot and killed model Jessica Lal for refusing a drink at a party. At a private party, she was tending an unlicensed bar. When she refused to give Sharma a drink after midnight, Sharma shot her dead. His father, Venod Sharma, is a politician from Haryana with an influential political background.
Manu Sharma (L), Jessica Lal (R) (Source: IndiaToday)
The acquittal of Sharma by a city court in February 2006 sparked nationwide protests. After hearing the matter, the Delhi High Court overturned the ruling. The judgement referred to the fact that the lower court disregarded or misinterpreted material evidence. Sharma was convicted to life imprisonment in December 2006. In 2010, the conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court despite an appeal against the High Court judgement. On 2nd June 2020, Sharma was granted early release by the then-Delhi L-G Anil Baijal on grounds of “good behaviour” after the then-Delhi home minister and now-jailed AAP leader Satyendra Jain recommended the same.
Sanjeev Nanda mowed down six people with his BMW car, faced just two years jail terms and community service as ‘punishment’
In 1999, Sanjeev Nanda, a businessman and grandson of former Naval Chief SM Nanda hit seven people with his BMW car in an intoxicated state resulting in the death of six people including three police officers at Lodhi Road in Delhi. On 11th January 1999, Sanjeev and his friends were arrested, however, as several witnesses in the case turned hostile, Nanda got bail in October of that year.
Sunil Kulkarni, a witness in the case had said that he gave a different version of the incident under police pressure. In many cases, the powerful people manage to influence, threaten and even bribe witnesses to change their statements with or without the involvement of police officials.
In 2008, Nanda was sentenced to 5 years in jail by the trial court under section 304 (II) IPC. He then challenged the conviction in the Delhi High Court. The High Court then converted his conviction from 304(II) to a lenient 304A reducing the sentence to two years. The court, however, noted that Nanda gave Rs 65 lakh to the families of victims only to get bail and not out of remorse over his crime.
Sanjeev Nanda, his BMW car after the incident (Source: TheHindu, MumbaiMirror)
In 2012, the Delhi Police challenged the modification to Nanda’s conviction and sought an increase in jail sentence, however, the Supreme Court refused to enhance the quantum of punishment of two years jail term already served by Nanda and directed him to do community service for two years in addition to paying Rs 50 lakh compensation to Central government for road accident victims. Six people were killed for no fault of theirs and their killer gets relaxation in jail term, community service as ‘punishment’ and fines/compensation which being a rich person Nanda easily managed to pay. The verdict in the case reminds one of the adage, “If the punishment for a crime is a fine, it means that it’s only a crime when the poor do it.”
Punjab and Haryana HC reduced the jail term of the rash driver evenas one died and two were injured
Back in 2017, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, reduced the sentence from two years to eight months of a car driver Dil Bahadur convicted by a magistrate court in 2015 under IPC section 304A in a 2012 case from 2 years in jail to 8 months considering that he was the sole breadwinner of the family and poor. The incident transpired on 12th January 2012 when an ambulance was bringing a patient Madanlal towards Prabh Ashram in Mohali while another person was also sitting in the ambulance.
At midnight Dil Bahadur who was driving the Mahindra Scorpio SUV rammed the vehicle into the ambulance which consequently overturned. The ambulance driver, patient Madanlal and another person suffered severe injuries. Later, Madanlal succumbed to his injuries. Last year, the Supreme Court overturned the High Court verdict saying that it was a display of “undue sympathy”.
There have been many such cases where either the accused managed to get bail easily, or got their sentences reduced even in murder cases. In one such case the Delhi High Court last year commuted the death sentence of a man who kidnapped and killed a 12-year-old boy in 2009 in Delhi saying the crime was not “rarest of the rare”.
The tragic flaw of the Indian judiciary and the way forward
Interestingly, while the bail conditions in the Pune Porsche case have befuddled the people, there have been many other cases where the murder accused was directed by the courts to plant 10 saplings of either some fruit-bearing tree or neem etc, in some cases even the height of the saplings to be planted was specified. Such bizarre bail conditions demonstrate a lack of sympathy for the victims and also raise a question about the judiciary’s seriousness in ensuring justice.
In a fast-moving world where material gains and luxuries are more valuable than human life incidents of hit-and-run cases in a country like India are sadly, too common. The occurrence of hit-and-run cases is common to such an extent that in 2022, over 30000 people died in such cases while double the number were injured. While the number of cases has been high, the conviction rate in hit-and-run cases has been below 50% in 2022.
The Indian legal system must be reformed to provide justice for all people. Misplaced sympathies and lack of it when needed, delays and inefficiencies in the current system make it more difficult to provide justice to the common people. Transparency and accountability should be improved to ensure timely and deserved justice for the victims. Reforms are required to guarantee prompt case resolution. Judicial reforms and the justice delivery system are desperately needed. In a broader context, a slow-moving legal system marked by lengthy wait times and gradual advancement allows a window for rich and powerful criminals to exploit the loopholes in the law and escape punishment for their crimes.
Fair and prompt trials, appropriate media coverage, and conscientious public outrage can all help ensure justice for the victims—particularly in hit-and-run cases where the likelihood of conviction is remarkably low and obtaining bail is quite effortless.
On 20th May, a video of a man beating his wife went viral on the social media platform X. It was revealed that the man in the video was identified as Aquib Mir from Bathandi, Jammu. Upon investigating the case, OpIndia found that Aquib had posed as a Hindu boy to lure the woman he was beating in the video into a relationship. OpIndia accessed the FIR registered against Aquib under Sections 376, 420, 400, 504, 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code IPC and talked to the victim for details.
This guy Aqib Mir posed as a BJP supporter just to gain popularity and of course to trap Hindu girls. He was never a Modi fan…
— Mr Sinha (Modi's family) (@MrSinha_) May 21, 2024
As per the FIR, the victim was already married and had a son when she came in contact with Aquib. In her complaint, she said that at that time, she was in a vulnerable position as her husband was suffering from medical issues leading to stress and an emotionally weak situation. Speaking to OpIndia, the victim revealed that her husband was an alcoholic and she had been separated from him. Aquib contacted her on Instagram posing as a Hindu man named Ravi Rajput in 2021. They became friends and slowly came closer.
He was aware that the victim was married. After some time, she installed another social media app, Snapchat, on her phone. She was shocked to see his name as Aquib Mir on the app. When she asked for an explanation, he told her that he posed as a Hindu man to gain her trust and he was in love with her. He claimed that he did not want to give her more stress as she was already in a distressed situation.
By that time, they were already close and he proposed to her to marry. He also promised that he would take care of her son. When she refused, he allegedly threatened to kill her son if she did not marry him. He also threatened her mother that he would kill her grandson if she did not convince her daughter to marry him. The victim said they felt helpless and she was not in a mental condition to think as she was worried about her son’s safety.
One day, he took her son and her mother to his house in Bathandi and told her that he would get everything sorted if she signed some papers. She and her mother allegedly signed the papers that were written in Urdu. Later she came to know that it was Nikahnama. She was shocked and was unable to do anything about it. After 15 days, she sold her jewellery worth Rs 42 lakhs and used 32 lakhs out of it to buy some property to secure her son’s future. The money was paid to the property dealer via Aquib.
The victim accused Aquib of making physical relations forcefully. She alleged that he had physical relations with multiple women which he proudly told her. On 23rd April, she told him to get the papers of a building in her name to which he replied, “Do you think that I am in love with you? I wanted money and that I got. Now shut up otherwise I will kill you”. He also told her, “Stay within your limits. Wear a hijab. Do house chores. Otherwise get out.”
Later she came to know that Aquib Mir and the property dealer planned to dupe her of the money. She added that not only those 32 lakhs, but Aquib also took away 10 lakhs in the name of personal use.
Speaking to OpIndia, the victim said that she had moved out of Aquib’s house. She said that the altercations started between them a few days after the Nikah as he was getting regular calls from other women. One day, she picked up his phone and there was a woman on the other side who informed her that Aquib was with her the previous day. Meanwhile, Aquib started to assault her physically. She said that he was caught only because the incident of beating was recorded on CCTV.
She said that on social media, Aquib claims to be secular but in reality, he was an Islamist. He would tell her not to worship Hindu Gods and wear hijab.
Slowly, his habit of being in a relationship with other women got more frequent and whenever she questioned him, he would beat her. He also forced her to convert. At one point, it was unbearable to be with him and she left his house. The victim said that her earlier marriage took place in 2009. She left her previous husband in 2019 and recently left Aquib’s house.
On social media, Aquib has denied the allegations against him and claimed the matter is not related to love jihad but a property dispute.
Notably, he was previously linked to the BJP. He was removed from the party’s association after several allegations against him were raised by women on social media.
Source: X/SagasofBharat
The letter of his removal from BJYM in 2019 also went viral on social media.
On 20th May, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) strongly refuted the claims made by a recent ‘study’ done by researchers at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) where it was suggested that over 30% of the people who received the made-in-India COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, experienced side effects. In its statement, ICMR not only labelled the study as “incorrect, misleading and unacceptable” but also demanded that it should be retracted by the publisher, Springer.
More updates in the #Covaxin adverse events study done by the BHU Govt is upset about a paper by BHU on #Covaxin related side effects and is trying to nip Anti Vaxxers in the bud here
The study titled “Long-Term Safety Analysis of the BBVl52 Coronavirus Vaccine in Adolescents and Adults: Findings from One Year Prospective Study in North India” stirred controversy as it reported several adverse effects from the vaccine. The side effects included nervous system disorders, skin disorders, menstrual abnormalities and hypothyroidism. The study was conducted by Dr Upinder Kaur and Dr Sankha Shubhra Chakrabarti of BHU. The sample size of the study was 1,024 Covaxin recipients and the information about the possible side effects was collected via telephonic conversation a year after the vaccination.
Criticising the study for lacking scientific rigour, ICMR Secretary and Director General, Rajiv Bahl, stated that no support was provided by ICMR for the research. Bahl asserted, “The ICMR has been incorrectly and misleadingly acknowledged in the paper. ICMR is not associated with this study and has not provided any financial or technical support for the research.”
Methodological issues highlighted
ICMR, in its statement, pointed out that there were several methodological flaws in the study. For example, there was no control group of unvaccinated individuals which made it impossible to conclude that the side effects occurred due to the vaccination. Furthermore, the study did not provide any baseline information and background rates of observed events. Such information is crucial for assessing any changes in incidents after the vaccination was taken by the recipients.
Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General, ICMR has written a letter to the authors of the paper and editor of the journal to immediately remove the acknowledgement to ICMR and publish an erratum. He also flagged the poor methodology and design of the study.
Bahl said, “The method of data collection has a high risk of bias. Study participants were contacted telephonically one year after vaccination, and their responses were recorded without any confirmation with clinical records or by physician examination.”
ICMR to take legal action
ICMR has demanded that the university and the authors remove the acknowledgement on behalf of ICMR to be removed from the study with immediate effect. They also demanded a corrigendum to be published by the researchers and the university. The agency warned of potential legal action as the publications used their names without permission previously as well. Please explain why ICMR should not seek legal and administrative action against you,” Bahl’s letter stated.
BHU’s response
Responding to ICMR’s reaction, BHU issued a statement and acknowledged the concerns raised by ICMR about the study. The university emphasised that it is committed to improving its research ecosystem and mentioned that the Institute of Medical Sciences is reviewing the matter. BHU said, “The individuals have communicated their responses to the ICMR. Additionally, the Institute of Medical Sciences is also working on further strengthening and improving its research ecosystem.”
In its study, BHU scholars claimed that 50% of the participants complained of infections during the follow-up period. Adverse Events of Special Interest or AESI included strokes, and Guillain-Barre syndrome that was reported in 1% of the individuals by the researchers. The study involved 635 adolescents and 291 adults.
Bharat Biotech defends Covaxin
The manufacturer of Covaxin, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, responded to the controversy and defended Covaxin. The company stressed that the study done on the vaccine should consider a broad range of data to avoid any bias. The company further added that the researchers should compare the data of vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals to get accurate results. Bharat Biotech highlighted that multiple peer-reviewed studies have confirmed Covaxin’s excellent safety profile.
The company said, “For such a study in safety to be effective, informative and to avoid investigator bias, the following data points are also required: AESI safety profile of the subjects before participation in the study; Comparison of safety profile of non-vaccinated subjects during the study; comparison of safety profile of subjects who received other vaccines during the study; all study participants should be followed during the study, instead of only a subset; several studies have been executed on the safety of COVAXIN, and published in peer-reviewed journals, demonstrating an excellent safety track record.”
The controversy revolving around Covaxin came at the time when Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID‑19 vaccine, Covishield, which was manufactured by Serum Institute of India for Indian recipients, also came under scrutiny after AstraZeneca admitted in the court again that it may result in severe side effects.
In a recent statement in a UK court AstraZeneca admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known. “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines,” AstraZeneca said in a statement.
Notably, the chances of rare side effects of possible TTS or blood clotting are just 3-4 cases in a million-strong population, and the effects are seen within a few weeks of vaccination, that too after the first dose itself.
On Tuesday (21st May), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at 11 locations across various states in connection with the Rameshwaram cafe blast. A low-intensity IED took place on 1st March this year at the Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru in which 10 people suffered grievous injuries.
“Multi-state raids were underway in different locations,” a senior NIA official said, without sharing further details. According to the officials, the searches are being carried out based on specific inputs and information gathered during the questioning of Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha, who planned and executed the blast.
The officials added that Kumaraswamy Layout and Banshankari in Bengaluru were among the places that were raided.
According to reports, the NIA officials also raided the house of a retired headmaster, Abdul in Rayadurgam town, Andra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. They questioned retired headmaster Abdul and his son, Sohail who is a software engineer about suspicious bank deposits. Later, the Police detained Sohail who is currently being questioned by the NIA at Raydurga Police Station.
According to South First, an official confirmed to them that Sohail had been under the radar of the NIA and intelligence agencies for a while due to his suspected links with Abdul Matheen, the mastermind of the blast, as per NIA.
#Breaking: @NIA_India officials conducted search raid at the house of a retired headmaster, Abdul from Atmakur constituency in Rayadurgam town of Anantapur district.
Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, NIA arrests Sohail from Rayadurgam town, linked to A2 suspect in Rameswaram blast. He's detained and transferred to Bangalore for investigation. Sohail's friend notified pic.twitter.com/rvmPzMXfuy
NIA took control of the blast case on 3rd March. On 12th April it arrested two main accused in this case including the mastermind Adbul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa and bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib. Shazib is accused of placing the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the cafe. They were arrested from a lodge near Kolkata, where they were staying under fake identities.
It is also alleged that both of them are members of the Shivamogga-based Islamic State module. Shariq, a member of the same module, had carried out a blast in Mangaluru on 19th November 2022, the officials said.
NIA raids at 11 locations include searches on two Coimbatore-based doctors
The NIA also conducted raids at the residences of two Coimbatore-based doctors in Tamil Nadu. According to reports citing sources, two teams of NIA carried out raids at the residences of the two doctors at Periya Subbanna Gounder Street and Narayana Guru Road at Saibaba Colony.
According to sources, both the doctors hailed from Karnataka and they have been undergoing training in a private hospital at Saibaba Colony in Coimbatore for over two years. Other details are yet to emerge.
The agency started the searches early in the morning and reportedly ended by 8 AM.
On 23rd October 2022, there was a car bomb explosion in front of the Arulmigu Kottai Sanagameswar temple in Ukkadam, Coimbatore. Later, the authorities found the charred body of a 29-year-old youth, Jamesha Mubin at the blast site.
According to reports, the suicide bomber was planning to explode himself along with the car near a market on 23rd October 2022, which was Diwali eve. However, it exploded before the expected time. Since that attack, several people and organisations in the Coimbatore region have been under the radar of the Central agencies.
Meanwhile, according to Hyderabad-based Journalist Sudhakar Udumula, NIA’s Bengaluru branch apprehended a trader in Vikarabad district in these raids. The man, in his fifties, is originally from Pune but currently resides in Nanded, Maharashtra, where he runs a fruit business, the journalist added.
UPDATE: The National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) Bengaluru branch picked up a trader in Vikarabad district on Tuesday in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case. The man, in his fifties, is originally from Pune but currently resides in Nanded, Maharashtra, where he runs…
— Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) May 21, 2024
Sources confirmed that the trader was reportedly involved in previous cases and had been earlier convicted in a case in Karnataka, Udumula added.
It was earlier reported that agencies are trying to nab the online handler of the cafe blast accused who goes by the codename “Colonel”. According to the authorities, “Colonel” was in touch with Taha, the alleged mastermind, and Shazib, the alleged bomber, since their association with the ISIS Al-Hind module in 2019-20.
According to an NIA charge sheet, Taha and Shazib were previously part of a 20-member Al-Hind module that planned to establish an ISIS province in the jungles of South India.
The United States media is constantly portraying the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India as anti-Muslim. The New York Times published a report on May 19, in which it was said that Muslim families living in India have been sidelined by the ruling authorities and even their identities are being questioned.
On Monday (May 20), the US State Department clarified and praised India’s religious freedom. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the state rejects such reports outright. “We are deeply committed to promoting and protecting universal respect for the right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide. We have engaged many countries including India on the importance of equal treatment for members of all religious communities,” Miller said in a daily press briefing.
During this time, the US State Department also rejected its International Religious Freedom Report, which stated that Muslims are being oppressed in India. Also on May 17, the White House stated that India is the world’s most thriving democracy. The ability of Indians to vote and speak out to choose the right government is commendable.
Since the commencement of the Lok Sabha elections in India, the US media has been broadcasting negative stories about the country. It describes the secular system of India as a threat. Most media outlets predict that if Prime Minister Modi is elected for the third time, violence against Muslims will escalate in the country. Also, the Indian government will isolate Muslims.
The New York Times published a report on May 18 reading “Strangers in Their Own Land: Being Muslim in Modi’s India”. The report suggested that Muslim families grapple with anguish and isolation as they try to raise their children in a country that increasingly, allegedly questions their very identity. It added that Muslims live ‘lifeless lives’ in India.
Several other US media houses like the Associated Press and Fox 59 reported that the Modi government is facing a test in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024. The reports also claimed that the PM was influencing people by playing over religion.
Further several reports also claimed that the Prime Minister had also influenced the people from the Hindi cinema industry. “Hindi cinema once reflected certain secular, democratic values championed by India’s founding fathers. Many critics now say the industry has veered toward the right over the past decade – coinciding with the populist rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),” the CNN report read.
Earlier in February, the British newspaper The Economist had also published a report in which it was said that there are flaws in India’s democracy. In this report which published the ranking of democracy among 167 countries, India was ranked 41st. According to the report, democracy exists in India with some flaws.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has outrightly rejected these reports. In several interviews and election campaigns, the PM has said that no community is being oppressed in the country. He emphasized that the news of atrocities on minorities in India is absurd and the public should stay away from them.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council said in a report that from 1950 to 2015, the Muslim population in India increased by 43.15%. On the contrary, a decline of 7.82% has been observed in the population of Hindus during the same period.
The research found that the Christian, Sikh, and Buddhist numbers increased, while the Jain and Parsi populations fell. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also cited the EAC-PM report, claiming that the narrative that “minority is in danger” is untrue and has been debunked. He stated that the perception that has been formed is “proving to be a mistake.”
“Between 1950 and 2015, the number of Hindus in India has decreased by about 8 per cent, while that of minorities has increased by 43 per cent. The perception that has been created is proving to be a mistake. The wrong narrative is being exposed. Whatever meaning one has to take out of it, they can. I don’t want to bring out anything,” PM Modi said while speaking to Republic TV earlier this month.
“If this is factual, then the perceptions created as in that minority is being suppressed in India, there is no voice for the minority in India… all these narratives that are being created, all this allegation against India, please accept the truth and come out of this narrative,” he added.
The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) is an independent council established to provide economic and related advice to the Government of India, specifically the Prime Minister.
Earlier on May 17, White House spokesperson John Kirby had said that America is closely watching the elections being held in India. He noticed that 96 crore people in India would become a part of the voting process to choose the candidates of 2,660 registered parties.
“Indians are electing 545 Members of Parliament from among thousands of candidates, with more than 10 lakh polling stations,” he added. This statement of the White House came when the global media called the elections being held in India a threat to its democracy.
Even though empirical evidence suggests every community, including the Muslims, has flourished and received central government schemes without discrimination, the Western media have run a concerted smear campaign to project the Modi government as anti-Muslim.
The Ministry of External Affairs meanwhile dismissed a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “reinforcing discriminatory nationalist policies.”
The Ministry referred to the group as “biased” and indicated that it does not expect it to understand India’s diverse, pluralistic, and democratic culture.
“The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a biased institution with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India disguised as an annual report,” Randhir Jaiswal, an MEA official spokeswoman, stated at a news briefing.
Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken potshots at Indian media for running a smear campaign against him for the past 23 years.
While speaking to News24, he sarcastically remarked, “If there was no media, then, who would have known me?”
PM Modi pointed out, “I have received a lot of abuse through the media and it has been happening for the past 23 years. People began to wonder about my ability to withstand all these abuses and still be able to work calmly.”
"अगर मीडिया न होता तो मुझे कौन जानता"
◆ PM मोदी ने News24 के साथ EXCLUSIVE इंटरव्यू के दौरान कहा
“I will say that the media has played an important role in creating public curiosity about me. It has played a catalysing effect in the process. My only challenge has been to debunk the fiction that the media plays up as ‘fact,’ he said.
PM Modi noted, “The entire media ecosystem in India runs on sources. Most of the time, the channels do not have anything concrete but they need to run news 24/7.”
“Unlike in the past, the internal affairs of the government are not leaked to the media. This is why even the gossip has a limit now. All forms of leakage have been sealed by our government,” he emphasised.
A person has died on a London-Singapore flight that experienced severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines reported on Tuesday. The plane reportedly plummeted for several minutes before being diverted to Bangkok, where emergency crews attended to injured passengers amid stormy weather conditions.
The Boeing 777-300ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, landed in Bangkok at 3:45 p.m. (0845 GMT), according to a Facebook post by the airline.
Tracking data from FlightRadar24, analyzed by The Associated Press, showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at 37,000 feet (11,300 meters). Just after 0800 GMT, the Boeing 777 sharply descended to 31,000 feet (9,400 meters) over three minutes.
The plane remained at 31,000 feet for nearly 10 minutes before descending again and landing in Bangkok in under half an hour. This descent occurred over the Andaman Sea as the flight approached Myanmar.
Emergency crews from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, located about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Suvarnabhumi Airport, were present to transfer injured passengers from Flight SQ321 for treatment. Videos posted on the LINE messaging platform by Suvarnabhumi Airport showed a stream of ambulances arriving at the scene.
“Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the deceased’s family,” the airline stated. “We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance and are sending a team to Bangkok to offer additional support.”
Ever since China militarily occupied Tibet in 1951, it has been notorious for exploiting the rich mineral resources of the region with impunity. However, the mineral exploitation and mining activities, which began with small projects in the Tsaidam (Chinese name – Qaidam) Basin in the late 1950s, have increased multifold. The Chinese regime has been recklessly expanding its mining activities in Tibet despite alarming warnings of social and ecological concerns by critics and renowned experts.
China rapidly expanding mineral exploitation and mining activities in occupied Tibet
According to the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, Global Times, China has increased its investment in mineral resources exploration (exploitation) during the 14th Five-Year Plan period 2021-25 to bolster reserves and production. Last year, China saw an 8% rise in exploration investment, hitting 110.5 billion yuan, leading to growth in reserves of strategic minerals like oil, natural gas, rare earth, and gold.
The report added that Qinghai Province has established 346 gold mining sites, with the largest Dachang Gold Mine located in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (the Chinese name for the occupied territory of Tibet).
(China has been increasing the number of mines and expanding the scale of current ones to expand its mining exploration in occupied territories of Tibet despite safety concerns for the local population)
Beijing has been rapidly scaling up and establishing numerous new mines in the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region, turning several of these mines into some of the largest mineral extraction sites in the world. This expansion overlooks all safety measures and disregards the region’s fragile ecosystem. In 2012, China’s Ministry of Land and Resources selected Gyama Mine as a “pilot of the national green mines project” and a “Model enterprise of national unity and progress”, according to Chinese authorities. They claimed that the mine had the potential to become China’s biggest copper producer within 10 years.
(China announced its intention to recklessly expand its Mineral Exploitation in Gyama Mines despite concerns of triggering disaster in the Earthquake and landslide-prone Tibetan Region, Source – Tibetan.net)
Back then, it claimed that Gyama (Chinese name – Jiama) mine would adhere to higher standards of technology-oriented and corporate responsibility-oriented laws, prioritising policies such as ‘people first’ and ‘safe production,’ while promoting ‘harmony between the mine and the community’ and shouldering the responsibility of social welfare. However, its unchecked expansion resulted in the tragic loss of 83 miners in a landslide a year later. Experts and scholars dedicated to studying the impact of Chinese policy on Tibetan climate and lives asserted that the landslide could have been a “man-made” disaster.
(Tibet.net graphically and geological explains why experts consider that the 2013 landslide in Gyama mine was a man-made disaster, it has used Google Earth images of before and after the incident to explain the geological event)
(Google Earth Image shows how reckless mining can trigger landslides in the region, Source – Tibet.net)
Contrary to China’s claim that the Gyama mine would be a model for “green mine” or “progress”, experts have noted that it has become the symbol of over 200 mining sites across the Tibetan plateau that face similar or even worse socio-economic and environmental problems, requiring urgent attention.
Strikingly, the Gyama Copper Polymetallic Mine, located at Maizhokunggar County in Tibet is owned and operated by Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Company Limited, a subsidiary of China National Gold Group.
China's illegal mining activities in Tibet must stop immediately. Tibet's cultural and environmental heritage is at risk as mining disrupts the delicate balance of the earth. It's time to #FreeTibet because of Tibet for Tibetans. #TibetForTibetanspic.twitter.com/D9ZN9zDcf4
Similarly, the Chinese government approved a 36-year assessment period for the ambitious expansion of its Julong (Qulong) Copper Mine into the world’s largest copper mine. It is located in Mozhugongka County, Lhasa in Tibet, and started in 2010. It is one of the largest copper mines globally. However, Zijin Mining Group, which has a majority stake in Julong Copper, plans to transform it into the world’s largest copper mine, increasing annual production to 350,000 tons by the end of 2025 and aiming for 200 million metric tons annually in the long term.
China is planning to expand the Julong mine in Tibet to make it the largest copper mine in the world. This project is led by Zijing company which has a controversial track record of dumping chemical waste into rivers, writing off worker fatalities, and environmental destruction. pic.twitter.com/AvT0aD7mpG
Furthermore, China is operating the biggest chromite mine in Tibet – the Norbusa Mine in the north of Lhuntze. In Tibetan language, Norbusa means ‘Land of Gems’ which is being plundered by the Chinese regime.
Apart from increasing the scale and number of its gold, copper, and other mineral mines, China recently expanded its mineral exploitation around lithium reserves. Till now, China, which is the world’s biggest EV market, has largely relied on other countries for lithium supply. But it recently started exploiting the vast deposits in the Tibetan plateau, which are said to be around 85% of the country’s total lithium reserves. According to a report by Turquoise Roof, a network of Tibetan researchers, this “white gold rush” has led to Chinese miners using “quick, cheap, and dirty” extraction and processing techniques. While China’s claim of using high-standard technology in the Gyama mine proved fatal for 83 miners in 2013, the reports that China is using cheap extraction processes in lithium mines should raise significant alarm.
The Chinese government has been exploiting mineral resources with impunity because it has clamped down on all modes of communication channels. However, lately commercially available satellite images have revealed the extent of danger and threat posed by China’s massive expansion in mining in Tibet.
For China, Tibet is a wasteland that can be redeemed by mining; threats and concerns
Notably, the Tibetan Plateau, which has earned the moniker of ‘Rooftop of the World’, is geologically volatile and vulnerable to earthquakes and landslides.
Critics and renowned subject matter experts have expressed concerns that in recent decades, the Xi Jinping-led CCP regime has intensified its mineral exploitation in the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region, posing increased threats of instability. This includes heightened natural disaster risks from mining and dam projects in earthquake and landslide-prone mountainous regions. This has also led to health hazards, cultural subjugation of Tibetans, irreparable damage to land use patterns, pollution, severe environmental degradation, and disturbances to the pristine and ecologically sensitive Tibetan plateau.
(China has intensified its mineral ‘exploration’ in the occupied territory in Tibet, a brief overview of mineral sites, Credit – India Today)
In one of his books, Australia-based authorGabriel Lafitte explained the massive, uninhibited expansion of mining activities in Tibet and the severe implications for the fragile environment and people of Tibet by highlighting China’s alarming perspective on the Tibetan plateau. Lafitte, a renowned scholar dedicated to researching the impacts of Chinese policies on the region, noted in his book “Spoiling Tibet: China and Resource Nationalism on the Roof of the World,” that “China has persistently described most of Tibet as wasteland, especially the mountains, unless redeemed by mining.”
Several experts have expressed concerns about the safety of miners, noting that China is notorious for blacking out any news that shows it in a bad light. Notably, there have been numerous protests in Tibet regarding health and safety concerns of miners, recurrent accidents, and environmental hazards, but Chinese media has deleted or blocked such news and also didn’t take adequate safety measures to averse such incidences in the future.
Accidents and issues/protests around miners’ safety and forced disappearance, torture get blacked out
On March 29, 2013, the Gyama Copper Polymetallic Mine experienced a tragic landslide that buried 83 miners alive. The incident highlighted the environmental risks of extensive mining and the lack of credibility in Chinese claims of safety and high-standard technology.
The landslide, spanning three kilometers wide and 30 meters deep, occurred while workers slept, raising concerns about the aggressive mining practices and poor environmental regulations in Tibet. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) suspected that the landslide was a man-made disaster due to mining activities.
(Undated image of a River polluted by mining activities in Tibet’s Maldro Gongkar county, Image Source – Radio Free Asia)
It is important to note that Gyama is also culturally significant for Tibetans, as it is home to sacred temples and traditional agriculture. However, China has been rapidly changing the landscape in the region, making it increasingly uninhabitable. The mines are accused of dumping harmful chemicals, and toxins, polluting the river, and adversely affecting the health of miners.
(Chemicals waste dumped by mines result in dead of aquatic life, Image – Dead fish exhibited outside Lhagang township government offices, Source – Tibet Watch report)
Another incident that came to light, despite the usual media blackout in Chinese-controlled areas, occurred in May 2023. On 14th May 2023, six workers were reported missing after an accident at the Julong Copper and Polymetallic Mine in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It was reported that contact with the miners was lost when a lift cage fell during construction.
(Environmental Protests on the Tibetan Plateau, Source – Tibet Watch Thematic Report, updated till January 2015)
(Source – Tibetan Watch Report)
According to experts in the know, some of the criticisms and protests over excessive mining in Tibet had flashed in China on the internet but they were deleted or blocked in no time. These protests are often suppressed before they can begin, and despite stringent curbs, if protesters do gather, the Chinese regime cracks down heavily on them and censors any news about the events. The Tibetan Watch Thematic Report cited some of the major incidents over these concerns in the last decade.
It is pertinent to note that certification and awards for miners’ safety by the Chinese government lack any credibility and are just a farce to hide the extent of the acute crises posed by its aggressive expansion in mining activities in Tibet. Notably, the Gyama Mine, which is still one of the largest active mines in Tibet, was honoured by the local government for its work on safety, despite the 2013 disasters that resulted in the death of 83 workers in a massive landslide.
Furthermore, several experts have expressed concerns that these mines could be China’s strategic move against India apart from the reason of mineral exploitation from its occupied territory.
China’s Sinicisation Project: Cultural and Economic subjugation of Tibetans, slow population replacement
Contrary to the Chinese perspective that views the Tibetan mountains as a wasteland redeemable only through mining, the Tibetan people have a profound spiritual connection to their land. Their nomadic traditions follow the seasons, making their lifestyle sustainable by allowing the land time to replenish. Tibetans consider certain mountains and lakes as the physical homes of Buddhist deities, holding them sacred. They use remote mountains for retreat and meditation, rather than viewing them as wasteland, or cash machines.
China claims that they have spent millions on environmental conservation projects in recent years, but they have earned billions more from mining and other resource extraction activities in Tibet. Tibet literally governs for the benefit of the Chinese. #Safetibet#TibetMatterspic.twitter.com/vgIt1CIeKg
China has sought to destroy the Tibetan nomadic way of life by relocating over two million Tibetans from their ancestral lands to barrack-like urban settlements. After being forcibly displaced, nomads face poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion. Once vacated by nomads, Tibetan land and its rich natural resources become open for exploitation by Chinese companies. Many nomads, poorly educated and unable to give informed consent, are persuaded to give up their land rights through deception, threats, and bribery.
This displacement forces Tibetans into debt, making it difficult to feed their livestock or families. Nomads, lacking the skills to make a living in urban settings, are unable to compete with Chinese-literate urban Tibetans or Han Chinese immigrants. Economically marginalized, they often face social exclusion and are blamed for various social problems.
Apart from plundering mineral resources and polluting and disturbing the fragile ecosystem in Tibet, many exiled Tibetans accuse China of repression, torture, and eroding their culture. China is notorious for renaming places with Sinicised names and curbing the use of the Tibetan language, culture, and traditions—actions often referred to as part of China’s Sinicisation Project. U.N. experts have said that around a million Tibetan children have been separated from their families and put through “forced assimilation” at Chinese residential schools.
