Home Blog Page 1066

Firing outside Salman Khan’s residence: Lawrence Bishnoi gang member arrested for paying shooters

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Firing outside Salman Khan’s residence: Lawrence Bishnoi gang member arrested for paying shooters

A member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang from Rajasthan has been apprehended by the Mumbai crime branch for purportedly offering financial assistance to the shooters involved in the gunfire incident outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s residence. Identified as Mohammed Rafique Chowdhary (37), he marks the fifth arrest related to the incident.

On April 14, two assailants on motorcycles fired shots outside Khan’s residence at Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra area before fleeing. Chowdhary’s involvement surfaced during the interrogation of previously detained individuals. Reportedly associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, he maintained direct communication with the alleged shooters, Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta.

Chowdhary is accused of facilitating Pal and Gupta by providing financial aid for purchasing a motorcycle and renting a dwelling. Additionally, he conducted reconnaissance around Khan’s residence on multiple occasions. Preceding the shooting, Chowdhary stayed with Pal and Gupta in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, offering logistical support throughout the conspiracy.

Upon receiving specific intelligence regarding Chowdhary’s location, a team from the crime branch was dispatched to Rajasthan, where he was apprehended in Nagaur district. The Mumbai police have thus far detained five individuals in connection with the gunfire incident. Anuj Thapan, one of the detainees accused of supplying firearms to the shooters, reportedly committed suicide in police custody on May 1.

Lawrence Bishnoi, currently incarcerated at Sabarmati Central Prison in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, along with his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, believed to be residing in the United States or Canada, have been implicated in the shooting case.

‘Ram Mandir is useless, its map is not right’: SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Yogi responds saying Congress and SP are anti-Hindu

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Ram Mandir is useless, its map is not right’: SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Yogi responds saying Congress and SP are anti-Hindu

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and party’s National Secretary General Ram Gopal Yadav stroked a fresh controversy after he made a controversial remark on Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir. Responding to a reporter’s query, the SP leader said that Ram Mandir is “useless”. Reacting to his remarks, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hit back at the SP leader and charged SP and Congress as ‘anti-Hindu’ and ‘anti-Ram’. He asserted that the I.N.D.I. alliance leaders were the ones who denied the existence of Lord Ram. 

Notably, the third phase of voting is currently underway across the country and the Samajwadi Party leader interacted with reporters in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency. He made the controversial remark while responding to a query about ‘why did the I.N.D.I. alliance leaders not visit the Ram Mandir’. 

He replied, “That Mandir is useless. Mandirs are not built like this. From North to South, see how the old mandirs are built. The map of Ram Mandir is not made properly. It has not been built properly as per Vaastu.”   

Launching a scathing attack on the senior SP leader, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath charged I.N.D.I. alliance partners of being anti-Hindu and anti-Ram. He highlighted the firing incidents on Kar sevaks and asserted that these are the people who play with the faith of the Indians for vote bank politics. 

UP CM Yogi said, “Be it Samajwadi Party or Congress, the character of both of them is anti-Hindu and anti-Ram. These are the same people who opened fire on Ram devotees and who deny the existence of Lord Ram. So to expect from them that they can respect the faith of India and respect the national heroes of India is meaningless. The statement of Ram Gopal Yadav shows the reality of the INDI alliance, Samajwadi Party and Congress. And this shows that these people are playing with the faith of India for vote bank…”

Voters will decide the fate of candidates on 93 Lok Sabha seats across 12 states and union territories in the third phase of the general election on Tuesday (7th May). 

The regions conducting polling in this phase include Assam (4), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2), Goa (2), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (14), Maharashtra (11), Madhya Pradesh (8), Uttar Pradesh (10), and West Bengal (4).

In Uttar Pradesh, voting is underway for 10 Lok Sabha seats: Sambhal, Hathras, Mainpuri, Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Etah, Budaun, Aonla, and Bareilly.

EVMs are not hacked, narrative around EVMs is: Read why Indian EVMs are totally safe, and how opposition peddles falsehood of hacking to explain electoral losses

Gaurav Goel
-
0
EVMs are not hacked, narrative around EVMs is: Read why Indian EVMs are totally safe, and how opposition peddles falsehood of hacking to explain electoral losses

In one of the famous parables, “The Sky is Falling”, a chicken mistakes the thud of a falling acorn to be the ominous sound of falling sky. The clever fox immediately sees it as an opportunity and helps whip up public hysteria and happily devours a few scared animals that had sought shelter in his den. You are not alone if you see an uncanny resemblance between the story and the fear mongering created primarily by usual leftist suspects and luddites regarding EVMs. Charlatans, alarmists and scaremongers often have one thing in common; they thrive on the public’s inability to sift through information and propaganda.

Therefore it is extremely crucial to put complete information in the public domain to help voters make up their minds on the authenticity of allegations leveled against EVMs whenever opposition parties lose an election.

History of EVMs in India

The idea of using EVMs for elections in India is not new and is almost 50 years old. EVMs were conceived in India during Janata Party rule between 1977-79. They were piloted during Indira Gandhi’s tenure at an election in Parur assembly constituency in Kerala on 19th May 1982 under an initiative taken by the Election Commission of India. Indira Gandhi’s government was against it and it led to a case in the Supreme Court. The court gave a resounding judgement in favour of ECI and even asked the government to bring in a legislative act to enable widespread use of EVMs.

A few years later, Rajiv Gandhi government amended Representation of the People Act 1951 adding Section 61A in December 1988 empowering the ECI to use EVMs for general elections. The amendment came into force on 15th March, 1989. Congress supporters often applaud PM Rajiv Gandhi for bringing computers to India. I wonder then why they don’t celebrate the introduction of EVMs by his government. The first parliamentary election that was conducted using EVMs was in 2004 which the incumbent BJP government lost unexpectedly. If the EVMs were rigged, then the Vajpayee government surely did a very poor job of rigging them.

In case you are tempted to believe that the older EVMs were safe and the newer ones hackable, I would like to stop your train of thought right there. EVMs used in India have gone through three generations of design changes: M1 EVMs (from 2001 to 2006), M2 EVMs (2006 to 2013) and M3 EVMs (from 2013 onwards). M3 EVMs were conceived by state owned BEL (Bharat Electronics Limited) during the tenure of PM Manmohan Singh in 2013. If there is a flaw in the design of M3 EVMs then that brings the role of UPA 2 government into question. Of course I don’t need to mention that Congress and other opposition parties like AAP, TMC , LDF have won multiple elections using the same EVMs, making the allegations against EVMs a little like Schroedinger’s cat – hackable and non hackable at the same time. Unsurprisingly, the opposition never questions EVMs after any resounding electoral victory.

How the simplicity behind EVM design makes it safe from hackers

Our country is prone to hacking like how the anti corruption movement in 2011 was hijacked by Arvind Kerjriwal. We have seen sophisticated attempts from Money Heist to Jamtara in pop culture. So it is natural that some people have healthy skepticism regarding anything electronic/ digital. The genius of EVMs lies in its simplicity. The “micro-processor” chips used in laptops and phones allow you to download any new program/app and use the gadget for any purpose – from trolling people on social media to listening to music to doing anything productive. These are powerful chips made using the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes. They run at incredibly fast speed and come with an ecosystem to store large programs and data files.

On the other hand, “embedded” devices like refrigerators, A/Cs, water purifiers, washing machines contain “micro-controller” chips that run a fixed program. Most of these chips don’t need to use the most cutting edge semiconductor manufacturing technology either. Microprocessor chips are produced by the likes of Intel, AMD and Qualcomm while micro-controller chips are made by an entirely different set of companies like NXP, Microchip etc. What sets these two sets of chips apart is the type of memory used. Some memories like RAM (Random Access Memory) are volatile in nature (they lose their content when switched off), while others like Flash (think of your pen drive) don’t lose content when powered off.

Microprocessors use a variety of volatile and non volatile memories since they need to allow users to download new programs. On the other hand, micro-controllers such as those used in our EVMs rely on ROM (read only memory) that can be programmed just once. These are also called OTP (One Time Programmable) memories. They are programmed by blowing up tiny micro fuses inside these ROM chips by passing a high current. It is an irreversible physical process. Long story short, once you program these chips for a particular program, it cannot be undone. Not to mention that these chips typically contain small memory and hence can only execute basic functionalities like counting votes.

The way EVMs are programmed make them totally immune to hacking

Since India doesn’t have meaningful semiconductor manufacturing right now, these micro-controller chips are imported from foreign companies, mainly from the US and Japan. Can rogue agents hack these chips before they are deployed? Well firstly, BEL doesn’t use any customised “chip”, it uses standard off the shelf micro-controller chips sourced from multiple vendors. Secondly, the source code (or the program) that is “fused/burnt” inside OTP memory of these chips is written by BEL engineers. This program is the same for all the EVMs used across India and EVMs themselves are randomised and used across different booths and constituencies. This “ROM” code is given as a binary file to device makers to burn it in the OTP memory. BEL then verifies the integrity of the burnt source code by using a special error checking code called “checksum/CRC” that catches both manufacturing defects as well as malicious attempts.

EVM machines have no access to the outside world.They don’t contain electronic circuits for connecting to WI-FI, bluetooth or even radio frequency devices. So how would you hack the EVMs? The only wired access that the Ballot Unit of EVMs has is with the Control Unit manned by the officer on duty. It can only inhibit the EVM from recording the vote till the voter is ready (remember the green and red lights seen on EVM panel?). In case you are tempted to think that a rogue/ corrupt presiding officer can suppress votes from getting recorded, you need to be reminded of the VVPAT unit of EVMs. Once a voter casts a vote, VVPAT prints a tiny slip of paper using the thermal paper confirming his choice.

As mentioned earlier, EVMs use the same program in all booths and constituencies. So even if I manage to slip in malicious source code inside EVM how would it always favour party “X”. The candidates are listed based on alphabetic order on the EVM panel. Party “X”’s candidates can be at number 4 in one constituency as against say number 8 in another one. It is not possible to make the malicious source code consistently benefit one party. Secondly, even if this was somehow made possible, election commission officers conduct a mock poll on the day of polling in front of representatives of all parties in every booth. Only when all party representatives are satisfied and sign the paper, the presiding officer resets the machine and seals the “reset” button. At the end of the poll, in front of all party representatives , machines are again sealed before being transported. These human measures complement the technical checks that are part of EVMs.

EVMs are safe, rest is just propaganda

Given the vast set of checks and balances built into the system, you can safely conclude that elections using EVMs cannot be rigged in India. Is our system perfect? No. It is not. The most glaring loophole is that EVMs can only accommodate 16 candidates per panel and only 4 EVM machines can be put in series to accommodate a maximum of 64 candidates. In case there are more than 64 candidates, ECI is forced to use ballot votes. Has that been exploited by political parties? Yes. In 2019, there were 185 candidates in fray in Nizamabad constituency forcing ECI to use ballot papers. If there is such a simple way to enforce use of ballot papers why don’t the opposition parties put up dummy candidates? The reason is that they know EVMs are not hacked, voters are exercising newer options. Merely using ballot papers will not guarantee their return to power. It is just propaganda to create doubts in the minds of external / global agencies on the authenticity of elections.

Many migrant workers are not able to participate in the voting process due to travel involved. ECI had proposed a new EVM called RVM (Remote Voting Machine) to enable this process. However Congress and 15 other parties have opposed this proposal despite a convincing demonstration of RVM by ECI.

Did the Fox in the parable of “The Sky of Falling” want its victims to know that the sky is not falling ? Of course not. EVMs are not getting hacked. Only the political discourse around EVM hacking is truly hacked. Go out and vote fearlessly, the sky is not falling.

Saharanpur: Shaqib poses as Sagar to befriend a Hindu girl, assaults and attempts to rape her with his associates after being exposed

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Saharanpur: Shaqib poses as Sagar to befriend a Hindu girl, assaults and attempts to rape her with his associates after being exposed

A new case of Love Jihad has surfaced from the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, where a Hindu girl was trapped in a ‘love affair’ by accused Mohammed Shaqib, who posed as a Hindu individual. Shaib identified himself as Sagar and befriended a 17-year-old Hindu girl, developing their friendship further into a relationship.

As per the videos that are making rounds on social media, the accused then assaulted the girl along with four of his associates and also threatened to kill her. The police are said to have taken cognizance of the incident and filed a police complaint.

The video of the minor victim girl is making rounds on social media in which she is heard saying that she had stopped talking to the accused after she came to know about his original identity.

“At the beginning, he introduced himself to me as Sagar. We soon began talking over the phone and began coming close emotionally. Later I discovered that he belonged to another religion after which I stopped talking to him,” the girl said.

She added that the accused then threatened her to talk to her. On refusal, he barged into her home one day and abused her. He along with four of his associates assaulted the girl and also attempted to rape her. However, as per the girl, she escaped from the spot and shouted for help.

“Shaqib and his friends then fled from the spot on seeing people approaching to help me. Meanwhile, I escaped to my neighbour’s place for help. But the boys discovered that I was there. Later, they found me and continued to assault me,” she added.

The victim further stated that the accused also used to threaten her and say that he would kill her if she stopped talking to him. He also reportedly had some derogatory pictures of the girl, which he would use to blackmail her.

The mother of the victim also meanwhile talked to the media and confirmed the incident, saying that the accused barged into her house and harassed her daughter when she was not at home. “I returned home from work to see my daughter sitting at my neighbour’s house. On asking, she told me about the incident. Our house was messed up, and my daughter was also in pain. We came to the police for help but the authorities initially did not cooperate. However, now a police complaint has been filed in the case,” the mother said.

As per the video reports, the accused also used to threaten the girl, saying that he would kill her and her parents if all his sexual desires remained unfulfilled. The police complaint in this case has been filed. Further investigations are underway.

OpIndia tried to call the police to obtain further details, but the calls remained unanswered. The report will be updated once further information is obtained.

‘Chopped my hair when I refused to wear Burka’: Hindu girl stalked, raped, and forced to convert to Islam by brothers Abdul and Irfan in Chitrakoot, UP

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Chopped my hair when I refused to wear Burka’: Hindu girl stalked, raped, and forced to convert to Islam by brothers Abdul and Irfan in Chitrakoot, UP

In Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot, a case of forced conversion and harassment has been reported wherein two Muslim brothers repeatedly raped a minor Hindu girl before forcing her to observe Roza and convert to Islam. The victim has lodged a complaint against the accused.

In her complaint to the police, the victim said that the incident unfolded in Tarunha, a village next to Karvi. The victim said that it began in the year 2022, as per reports. The victim said, “I was in the tenth grade then. Abdul Rehman, a Chougalia Tarunha resident, used to follow me everywhere I went, including school and temple. He was pressuring me to become friends. I rebuffed him several times, but he eventually resorted to threats.”

The victim stated that owing to fear she did not inform her family about Abdul’s actions. This boosted his morale and he threatened her. The victim said that the accused called her to his residence, and raped her. She alleged that Abdul then blackmailed her and raped her multiple times. Meanwhile, Abdul got married to another woman. Following this, Abdul’s younger brother, Irfan, began following the victim. He blackmailed the victim by claiming he knew about her relationship with his brother. He took advantage of this and raped her. Meanwhile, the accused threatened to destroy the victim and her family leaving the victim terrified. 

The accused enticed the victim with the prospect of marriage. Meanwhile, on the 30th of March, he took her to Pune. Then he started forcing her to visit the mosque. Irfan asked the victim to don a burqa and when she refused, Irfan chopped her hair. The victim has complained that Irfan made her speak to Abdul’s wife Ruksaar who coerced the victim into accepting Islam. However, tired of the harassment, the victim eventually complained to the police and said that she had been facing continued harassment for the past two years.

Inside the growing menace of love jihad in Bangladesh: Involvement of radical Islamic outfits, fake social media IDs, and cash rewards

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
-
0
Inside the growing menace of love jihad in Bangladesh: Involvement of radical Islamic outfits, fake social media IDs, and cash rewards

Radical Islamic sectarian groups embark on new proselytizing missions in Bangladesh targeting religious minorities, particularly Hindus. Rewards have been announced for the volunteers of the organization which is used to proselytize religious minorities – Hindu males and females in the name of Dawat.

It may be mentioned here that, several years ago, notorious Islamist hate-preacher Zakir Naik was running his proselytizing mission with millions of dollars received from Afro-Arab sources, while Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) has been running such activities throughout the world – including India.

According to counterterrorism experts, Tablighi Jamaat is serving the purpose of jihadist recruitment as a front-vessel of Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS).

Media reports claim, various IDs and pages are being opened on social media to promote the notorious agenda of luring Hindu males and females towards the trap of love jihad and compel them towards religious conversion.

These Islamists are also teaching their volunteers the tactics of proselytizing through love jihad. Meanwhile, in the name of protection of neo-Muslims, many social organizations including a bank have been involved in such misdeeds giving patronization to religious conversions.

After 2008, although the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Bangladesh stopped funding the rehabilitation of neo-Muslims directly, the Islamic Foundation continued this process through their Zakat Fund.

Several social organizations across the country have been accused of proselytizing minorities. Many people also think that the nominal allocation by the Ministry of Religious Affairs is pushing towards discrimination in improving the quality of life of minorities.

Communal groups are taking this opportunity to convert non-Muslims, especially Hindus into Islam. People of religious minorities including Sanatan dharma are alarmed by such reality.

Eminent individuals including rights activists and religious leaders say that a large part of the young generation is connected online in the age of technology. Especially the participation of the new generation in social media is very high. A group is using this as an opportunity on Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms to exploit this opportunity.

They are openly encouraging religious conversions under the banner of social organizations. In this case, the law enforcement forces are stunningly silent. Islamist bigots have started such dangerous activities as part of their plot to weaken people of other religions, particularly Hindus and force them to migrate to India.

They say, through sinister plans of religious conversion, the poison of communalism is being spread across the country. Such activities are criminal offenses in the eyes of the law. Religion and the constitution also do not support it. They suggested creating a social awakening against radicalism, including taking stern legal steps in this regard under the Digital Security Act and Blasphemy Act.

Khatib Mufti Mohammad Ruhul Amin of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque told reporters that anyone can be invited to accept Islam. However, no one has the right to forcibly convert someone or announce rewards or to induce them. It is also a crime in the eyes of religion.

A disturbing notification signed by Muhammad Shahidullah Khan Madani and Professor Dr. Abdullah Farooq of ‘Bangladesh Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadis’ has been circulating on social media calling upon volunteers to lure Hindu females into love jihad and force them towards religious conversion. 

According to the notification, a reward between BDT 50 thousand to a maximum of 5 lakh has been set for the conversion of people of different religions, especially Hindus. Copies of this notification have been sent to all district presidents and general secretaries of the organization.

The office address of ‘Bangladesh Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadis’ is 79/A/3, North Jatrabari, Dhaka. When contacted, leaders of this organization denied their involvement behind the notification and claimed it to be “conspiracy” of “vested interest groups” to “malign the image of ‘Bangladesh Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadis’. When asked how this organization is receiving large amounts of donations from various Afro-Arab sources, the leaders of ‘Bangladesh Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadis’ could not give any satisfactory reply.

Meanwhile, according to media reports, another organization named ‘Islami Dawah Institute’ under the leadership of Mufti Jubair Ahmad is trying to convert Hindus through various tactics. It is giving training to prospective love jihad volunteers through a one-year course under the garb of ‘dawah’. These courses include, “Ways and methods of inviting Hindu-Christian-apostate brethren in to Islam”, “Attracting Hindu-Christian-Buddhist-Qadiani and Bahá’í to Islam”, “Answers to questions raised by non-Muslims regarding Islam”.

Another status circulated by ‘Islami Dawah Institute’ in Arabic and Bengali on Facebook says, “Our Muslim brothers are converting idol worshipers (Hindus) into love traps, and at the same time turning them into true Muslims. What is appreciable is that our Muslim brothers are being trained in such a way that girls (of other religions) think they really love them. This capability of ​​theirs is fulfilling our mission (of luring non-Muslims into the love trap)”.

A person named Mamun, who is running a group on Facebook of the mission of Love Jihad, is giving instructions on how to lure a Hindu female into the love trap. Muslim volunteers are encouraged to open fake IDs on social media with Hindu names and target Hindu females.

Commenting on the ongoing Islamist attempt of love jihad in Bangladesh, Advocate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik of National Hindu Grand Alliance said, “This is a very disturbing and alarming trend. Moreover, we are terribly shocked to see some Islamist groups have been openly running love jihad activities and offering financial reward to Muslim volunteers in joining this vicious plot to lure Hindus into the love trap and get them converted into Islam. I would say, only Hindu females are not falling victims of love jihad. Instead, Islamists are targeting Hindu males and even members of entire families towards this dangerous trap. In my opinion, these acts are part of the blueprint of turning Bangladesh into a Hindu-free country. They want to eliminate Hindu population from this country”.

It may be mentioned here that, recently leaders of National Hindu Grand Alliance fell victims of cruel media assault from a number of Islamist groups and individuals. An ex-Hindu jihadist recruiter named Pinaki Bhattacharya led this notorious plot targeting leaders of National Hindu Grand Alliance, including Advocate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik and branded them as “Hindutva terrorists”, “agents of India”, “Agents of RSS”, “Lapdogs of Narendra Modi”.

Pinaki even went further by demanding a ban on activities of the National Hindu Grand Alliance by designating its leaders and members as terrorists. Commenting on such disturbing acts, Gobinda Chandra Pramanik said, “For the last 35 years our organization has been tirelessly working for protection of rights of Hindus in Bangladesh and saving Hindus from falling prey to love jihadists. That is why anti-Hindu and anti-India elements like Pinaki Bhattacharya are continuously hatching conspiracy against National Hindu Grand Alliance. They want to silence every Hindu rights group in Bangladesh so that they can implement their agenda of turning Bangladesh into a Hindu-free nation. Moreover, they are targeting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) because it has been working to protect the rights of Hindus throughout the world. Islamists in Bangladesh, such as Pinaki Bhattacharya are also running vile propaganda against Modi ji (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi) because he has emerged into a global leader protecting rights of Hindus”.

National Hindu Grand Alliance leaders have alleged that Islamists are trying to impose their religious practices on ordinary Hindus in Bangladesh, and that minorities are being forced out of the country through systematic persecution, torture and intimidation. They also alleged that some of the figures in the administration refuse to accept cases against these religious insulters and cases of love jihad. They urged the state and society to stand against the evil forces which are running love jihad and engaged in religious conversion.

Referring to the long-standing project of a section of Islamist fundamentalists who are running dangerous projects of converting Hindus into Islam, National Hindu Grand Alliance leaders said, “These are the worst examples of religious hatred. However, even if such misdeeds are openly continuing on social media, there is no legal action at the state level. Because of this, there is fear in the minds of religious minorities in Bangladesh. The parents are suffering from insecurity with their children. It is a very alarming situation”.

Advocate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik called upon Bangladesh authorities to take stern measures against the perpetrators of love jihad and ban such activities in the country.

Meanwhile, a private Islamic sharia bank in Bangladesh has established ‘Neo-Muslim Care Aid’ since 2010. This bank provides legal assistance, financial support and employment to neo-Muslims. Bank officials said that they are working to increase the social status of neo-Muslims. At present, their activities are conducted by recruiting volunteers in 64 districts in the country. Although Bangladesh’s constitution does not permit such activities, religious bigots are continuing these projects due to lack of legal measures against love jihad or deceitful religious conversion of Hindus into Islam.

It may be mentioned here that, during the rule of Islamist coalition of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, the Religious Affairs Ministry was provided annual Tk. two million funds for patronizing neo-Muslims. According to Hindu rights groups, during the 2001-2006 rule of BNP-Jamaat nexus, there has been state-patronization to religious conversion of Hindus in the country. In 1982, a special fund was allocated from the state-controlled Zakat Fund under direct initiatives of military ruler Gen Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who had turned Islam into the state religion of the country.

The Religious Affairs Ministry’s annual allocation of budget for patronizing neo-Muslims was cancelled when Awami League came to power in January 2009.

Continuous conspiracy to malign image of India

Recently, members of Al Qaeda-connected Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and so-called journalist Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, who earlier raised the issue of arrest of Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal at the US State Department and the United Nations has made fresh attempt of defaming India’s democracy. During a press briefing.

Ansarey asked Matthew Millar, “The world’s largest election has begun in India. However, there has been a significant increase in intimidation, harassment. Prime Minister Modi’s inflammatory rhetoric against Muslim community has heightened fear and uncertainty within the 200 Muslim community in India.

“At the same time, major social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Google, and Meta are removing critical content and blocking channels at the request of the Indian authority, raising concern about the censorship and the impact on free speech. What steps are being taken to protect these US-based social media platforms and ensure that the right to free expression is upheld?”

It is a matter of great mystery as to why the US State Department and Matthew Millar are continuously allowing Ansarey to ask questions with the agenda of demonizing India, the country’s democracy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to sources, sitting in London, BNP’s acting chairman and convicted terrorist Tarique Rahman has been instructing his party’s member and so-called journalist Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey in continuously asking questions at the White House, US State Department and the United Nations targeting India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It may be mentioned here that, Bangladesh Nationalist Party considers India as enemy while it encourages persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh.

Tamil Nadu: YouTuber Savukku Shankar gets beaten in Coimbatore jail, lawyer claims he was blindfolded and assaulted with pipes

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Tamil Nadu: YouTuber Savukku Shankar gets beaten in Coimbatore jail, lawyer claims he was blindfolded and assaulted with pipes

YouTuber A. Shankar, also known as ‘Savukku’ Shankar, who was arrested by cybercrime police in Coimbatore on the 4th of May was beaten by the staff at Coimbatore Central Prison, according to his counsel Gopalakrishnan.

Savukku Shankar’s counsel claimed that Shankar’s right hand was fractured in an assault on the night of 4th May, after he was remanded in prison in judicial custody, and that no adequate treatment was provided to him. The counsel claimed that on Saturday night, the jail staff, numbering roughly ten people, blindfolded Savukku Shankar and attacked him with plastic pipes wrapped in clothing. He claimed that Shankar was compelled to take painkillers without his consent.

Shankar has been remanded in custody till May 17.

“The incident came to light when I visited Mr. Shankar in the prison for legal assistance on Monday. A petition has been filed with the concerned court,  highlighting the torture undergone by Shankar in judicial remand and seeking an inquiry into the incident. The petition has been allowed and we are expecting a favourable direction from the court,” Advocate Gopalkrishnan said and also sought direction to treat the arrested YouTuber at a private hospital.

Gopalkrishnan further revealed that Senthil Kumar, who was the superintendent of prison in Cuddalore when Shankar was imprisoned previously, is now the superintendent of Coimbatore Central Prison. “So they’ve filed a case in Coimbatore and are torturing Shankar. Policemen are acting out of vendetta and are torturing Shankar,” the YouTuber’s counsel said adding that there is danger to Shankar’s life.

According to reports, the Coimbatore Cybercrime Police filed a case against the YouTuber for making insulting statements about women constables and arrested him from Theni on Saturday. Taking to X Coimbatore City Police informed about Shankar’s arrest and said: “Savukku Shankar has been arrested today by Coimbatore city police cyber crime wing for the offences committed under the following sections. 294(b), 509 and 353 IPC r/w section 4 of Tamilnadu prohibition of harassment of Woman Act and section 67 of Information Technology Act,2000.”

Savukku Shankar, a former employee of the vigilance department, was earlier sentenced to 6 months in jail for a contempt of court case by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court. In 2008, he was jailed by the DMK government for leaking a conversation between two top officials.

Rajdeep Sardesai gets schooled by Milind Deora on Congress’ Pakistan sympathy and why I.N.D.I. Alliance win will be ‘celebrated’ in Pakistan

Shraddha Pandey
-
0
Rajdeep Sardesai gets schooled by Milind Deora on Congress’ Pakistan sympathy and why I.N.D.I. Alliance win will be ‘celebrated’ in Pakistan

IndiaToday journalist Rajdeep Sardesai got schooled once again on his show after he tried to bat for the Congress party. On the 6th of May, former Congress leader and now a Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MP Milind Deora exposed Congress’s pro-Pakistan proclivities as Sardesai raised questions over Shiv Sena advertisements saying that Congress and I.N.D.I. Alliance’s victory will be celebrated in Pakistan.

“Your vote, do you want it to lead to celebrations in Bharat or Pakistan?” the ad published by the Shiv Sena reads. Regarding this, Sardesai questioned Deora if his party wanted to lead the poll campaign of this sort when the NDA is talking about development and future.

To this, Milind Deora questioned Sardesai if national security is not essential to take India to the next stage as NDA talks about Viksit Bharat (Developed India). “To equate India with its hostile neighbours with a Hindu Muslim narrative…for the media and the opposition,” Deora said as Sardesai interrupted him to ask if Deora intended to say that Congress is pro-Pakistan and anti-Hindu.

An infuriated Rajdeep Sardesai alleged that the “Shiv Sena ad is fear-mongering that if I am voting Congress party I am being pro-Pakistan.”

Congress after 26/11 attacks

Responding to Sardesai’s allegation, Milind Deora recalled the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and how the Congress leaders acted absolutely against the interest of India and blamed Hindus for the terror attack.

“…I tried to improve things from within. There was a growing perception that Congress stands on the wrong side of the issues that matter to India. Let me give you an example. I was the MP from South Mumbai in 2008 when 26/11 [terror attack] happened here…I worked closely with then PM Dr Manmohan Singh. The intention of the government of India and the law enforcement agencies was to tell the world, the United Nations that Pakistan is behind this. By the way Pakistan itself admitted that 26/11 was their own doing. We caught Ajmal Kasab, he was tried and sentenced to death,” Deora said.

“What was the statement by Congress leaders soon after that terror attack? Congress leaders released a book which diverted attention away from Pakistan and they blamed the Hindu community for that attack. Who made it a Hindu-Muslim issue in the first place…” Deora added.

Sardesai, however, tried to downplay the anti-Hindu actions of the Congress leaders who blamed Hindus for the Mumbai terror attack by asserting that it was their individual opinion and they just attended the book release. Deora while responding to the question about what he did to oppose this, said that he raised his voice opinion within the party’s internal forums.

It is worth noting that Aziz Burney, notorious for his anti-Hindu rants, published a book titled “26/11 RSS Ki Saazish?”. (26/11: An RSS Conspiracy?) to blame RSS for the Mumbai terror attacks carried out by the Pakistan-based Islamic terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. To lend credence to the book authored by the then-editor-in-chief of the Sahara Urdu newspaper, Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh personally launched it twice, once in Delhi and again in Mumbai. The same Aziz Burney also also claimed that the ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who lost his life in the Mumbai terror attack, was killed by the Indian Army.

Milind Deora also talked about the recent statement by the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar who said that the bullet that killed IPS officer Hemant Karkare was not fired by Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab but from the weapon of an ‘RSS-linked’ police officer. He also mentioned the 2020-2021 India-China Galwan skirmishes and how the Modi government banned the Chinese short video app TikTok for security and economic reasons. He said that the Congres party opposed and trolled him for supporting the government over its decision to ban the said app.

Citing all these incidents, Milind Deora said that it makes the people doubt “why Congress party which has a legacy of its own is suddenly on the wrong side of India.”

Rajdeep, however, tried to insinuate that many in Pakistan would also celebrate PM Modi’s victory and so is it fine to run a campaign like if one votes Congress, Pakistan will celebrate. The IndiaToday journalists’s haranguing came despite the fact that just a few ago former Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry supported senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he reposted a video of the Gandhi scion’s polemics against the Modi government and said “Rahul on fire.”

As Sardesai continued to assert that ShivSena is lowering the standard of poll campaigns with such advertisements attacking Congress over its pro-Pakistan views, Deora hit back asking if Congress is not lowering the level of debate by giving clean chit to Pakistan adding that national security is not a fringe but important issue and it matters in the elections too.

Is PM Modi a dictator? Prime Minister breaks silence, reminds how Congress forcibly sterilised people and jailed journalists during Emergency

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Is PM Modi a dictator? Prime Minister breaks silence, reminds how Congress forcibly sterilised people and jailed journalists during Emergency

On Monday (6th May), Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the allegations of being an autocrat, which are levelled by the Congress-left ecosystem from time to time.

During an interview with Times Now, he asked journalist Sushant Singh to list ‘dictatorial measures’ under the BJP and compare them with the Congress.

“List out the things that the grandmother (Indira Gandhi) and great-grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) did. Start ticking on their activities. What was the first amendment of the Constitution done by PM Nehru? Point out that journalists used to write poems in jails during Emergency,” PM Modi emphasised.

“They used to put people in jail for not liking the songs of artists like Majrooh Sultanpuri. They stopped airing the songs of Kishore Kumar. Opposition leaders were in jail. List out how long they were there and for what reason,” he added.

“Also list how many governments they had toppled. They used to go to picnics using the vessels of the Indian Navy. Tell me what kind of democracy was that? You forcibly sterilised people as well., We know what happened to Gayatri ji. Look into the imposition of Article 56,” PM Modi continued.

“Once you make such a list, I can guarantee you that you will find that BJP comes nowhere close to Congress in dictatorship,” he concluded.

‘Islam is changing world over’: PM Modi speaks up on Muslim fearmongering, says in their obsession of dictating electoral politics, they are spoiling future of their kids

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Islam is changing world over’: PM Modi speaks up on Muslim fearmongering, says in their obsession of dictating electoral politics, they are spoiling future of their kids

On Monday (6th April), Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a heartfelt request to the Muslim community to become self-reliant and think about the future of their children.

During an interview with Times Now, he stated, “I am saying for the first time today. I am talking about the Muslim community – please become self-reliant (atmanirbhar).”

PM Modi emphasised, “Think about it. The country is progressing fast. What is the reason that Muslims have not been able to catch up with this progress?

“Why did you not get the benefit of the government schemes during the Congress regime? Have you been a victim of this during the Congress era? Please introspect (atmamanthan) and take a decision once and for all,” he added.

The Indian Prime Minister continued, “You are spoiling the future of your children while trying to put people in the corridors of power and bring others down. The Muslim community is changing around the world.”

“When I go to Gulf countries, I get respect as an individual and also as the PM of India. Yoga is a part of the official academic curriculum of Saudi Arabia. If I talk about yoga in India, then, you call it ‘anti-Muslim'” he pointed out.

“When I meet the affluent people in Gulf nations, they always ask me about Yoga during lunch or dinner. Sometimes they ask what official training programmes can be done for a particular form of Yoga. Some tell me that their wives go to India to learn yoga and stay there for a month. Here, I am talking about the wives and family members of Emir (ruler),” PM Modi continued.

“Here in India, the concept of Yoga has been reduced to a Hindu-Muslim debate. I request those Muslims who are doing this to think about their future and that of their children,” he emphasised.

“I do not want any community to live like bonded labourers, only because someone is trying to scare them. Secondly, many Muslims are scared of the BJP. I am saying that go and sit with 50 BJP workers. Will they remove you from there? See and find it for yourself. I am telling you to go to the BJP headquarters. No one will stop you,” PM Modi concluded.

In April this year, Congress, Islamists, leftists and their media spread fake news that PM Modi had referred to Muslims as infiltrators.

1...1,0651,0661,067...7,607Page 1,066 of 7,607