The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Interior Ministry to revoke its letter regarding suspension of social media ‘X’ within one week, reported The News International.
People in Pakistan continue to face difficulty accessing social media platform X as the government has suspended its access since February, citing national security threats.
“What are you [interior ministry] achieving via shutting down trivial things […] The world must laugh at us,” SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi said while hearing multiple petitions filed by Zarrar Khuhro, Jibran Nasir and others.
Last month, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) told the court that it blocked the social media platform after receiving directions from the Ministry of Interior and intelligence agencies, The News International reported.
The PTA further said that the directions for temporary suspension of mobile internet data services, social media websites and applications are only issued by the said ministry after careful consideration of all the relevant reports and circumstances.
Following the PTA’s remark, the interior ministry told the Islamabad High Court that “tent uploaded on the internet” is a “threat” to the country’s national security.
During the hearing today, the Chief Justice of the SHC highlighted that the “law does not empower the interior ministry to act on reports forwarded by intelligence agencies.”
The petitioner’s lawyer stated that using X and other social media platforms does not lead to “blasts”, reported The News International.
“In hindsight (it seems that) no justification was given to suspend X,” the SHC chief justice said, adding that the court will issue its orders if the interior ministry does not withdraw the directives issued on February 17.
Later, the court adjourned the hearing till May 9, and directed the Interior Ministry to present its reasons behind the blocking of the social media platform on the mentioned date.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On 17th April, former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel cast aspersions on the encounter of 29 Naxals in Kanker yesterday. The Congress leader said that the encounter was “fake” and claimed that the BJP government has ‘labelled’ many innocent villagers as Naxals and arrested or killed them in fake encounters.
“There have been fake encounters in Bhartiya Janata Party government. Arrests have been made. In the last four months, we have received information that there has been a rise in fake encounters and fake arrests of Adivasis labelling them Naxals have been carried out. Adivasi villagers are being threatened by the police that they will be falsely implicated and arrested in this or that cases. In Kawardha district as well, we have heard of such incidents,” Baghel said at a press meet in Kawardha on 16th April.
Bhupesh Baghel’s statement was severely criticised by the ruling BJP. Reacting to the Congress leader’s remarks, Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Vijay Sharma said, “It is sad to hear that the former Chief Minister of the state, Bhupesh Baghel yesterday said that the encounter is fake. What does this mean? The soldiers whom I have seen, have they been falsely injured? All the weapons that have been recovered, are they fake? All the Naxals wearing uniforms have been killed, is this fake? Now saying this and changing the subject again is very wrong….”
On Wednesday, despite the outrage, Baghel doubled down in his attacks on BJP, and said, “The encounter which happened earlier in Kanker was fake. How much evidence does he need? We will give all the evidence (of fake encounters) from now and Raman Singh’s tenure…”
Durg, Chhattisgarh | Former CM & Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel says, "The encounter which happened earlier in Kanker was fake. How much evidence does he need? We will give all the evidence (of fake encounters) from now and Raman Singh's tenure…" pic.twitter.com/SGTzVibeRE
As reported earlier, 29 Naxals were killed and three security personnel sustained injuries on 16th April in an encounter that broke out in Kanker of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar. The police said that along with a huge cache of AK 47 rifles, INSAS/SLR/Carbine/.303 rifles and huge quantities of arms ammunition, were recovered from the spot.
Earlier this month, thirteen Naxal terrorists including a woman were reportedly killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur
Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded security personnel on Wednesday for their anti-Maoist operations in Kanker. Amit Shah stated that security forces had remarkable success in the state. He said that the BJP government has undertaken a fight against Naxalism and terrorism since Narendra Modi became prime minister. “We started setting up camps in 2014,” Amit Shah stated.
मोदी सरकार देश को नक्सलवाद से मुक्त करने के अपने लक्ष्य के लिए संकल्पित है और छत्तीसगढ़ के कांकेर में सुरक्षा बलों को मिली यह बड़ी सफलता नक्सलवाद के पूर्णतः उन्मूलन की दिशा में अहम कदम है। pic.twitter.com/JeO1CgikF0
— Amit Shah (Modi Ka Parivar) (@AmitShah) April 17, 2024
Meanwhile, Congress’s motormouth spokesperson Supriya Srinate went a step ahead to appease the Naxals and called the 29 Naxal terrorists killed in Kanker encounter as “Shaheed” (martyr). Ironically, Srinate called the slain Naxalites as ‘martyrs’ while saying her party would not do politics on this issue.
“No, I don’t want to do any politics on this. I think a thorough investigation should be conducted in this [Kanker encounter]. And all those who martyred (Shaheed) and also our security personnel were injured, our [Congress] sympathies are with all of them,” Shrinate said.
Shameless @SupriyaShrinate calls Naxals killed by Security Forces as 'Shaeed'
— Ankur Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@iAnkurSingh) April 17, 2024
Congress leaders are projecting Naxal terrorists neutralised in the encounter in Kanker as ‘Shaheed’ despite the police explicitly stating that all of the 29 persons killed were Naxal terrorists and not innocent villagers.
Giving details of the Kanker encounter, IG Sundarraj said, “Yesterday, an encounter broke out between security forces and Naxalites which lasted for around 4 hours…Teams of DRG and BSF cordoned off the area and as a result, 29 CPI Maoist bodies were recovered, out of which 15 were female and 14 were male. Arms and ammunition were recovered in large quantities from the spot…The autopsy of bodies of the Maoists are underway.”
However, this is not the first time Congress leaders have attacked the BJP government and the police over action against Naxals in Chhattisgarh. Congress party has a history of genuflecting before the Naxalites to whitewash their crimes. Desperate after defeat in the last state assembly elections, Congress is sympathising with even Naxal terrorists to garner some votes.
Congress has a history of mollycoddling with Naxals despite half of its leadership was wiped out by the leftist terrorists
Back in 2019, Congress MLA from Konta constituency, Kawasi Lakhma had written a letter to the then-CM Bhupesh Baghel that an incident in Bastar, where a woman was killed and another was injured after allegedly being caught in a crossfire between Naxals and security forces, was a deliberate act by security forces to target and kill innocent adivasi villagers. Accusing the security personnel of conducting fake encounters of Adivasis, Lakhma had asked for action to be taken against the CRPF personnel involved in the shooting.
Interestingly, Kawasi Lakhma, Konta’s MLA, was the only one who survived. Lakhma was suspected of involvement and later questioned, however, he was exonerated by the NIA due to a lack of evidence.
In August 2018, the Congress, which was then in opposition, claimed that the CRPF encounter in Sukma, in which 15 Naxals were allegedly killed, was also a fake encounter. Congress even set up an 18-member panel to investigate the incident, which included Lakhma. Congress even claimed that the BJP government in the state was anti-tribal and was staging ‘false encounters’ to portray innocent people as Naxals.
It seems like the Congress party has forgotten how Naxalite terrorists had mercilessly killed its leaders in 2013. When the BJP government and security forces in the state are making Chhattisgarh free from Naxal terrorism, Congress instead of extending support is perhaps suffering from “Stockholm syndrome”.
Back in 2013, around 250 Naxals attacked a convoy carrying senior Congress party leaders, slaughtering 27 Congress leaders in cold blood. It is said that the Congress party was alerted of a potential attack earlier. The Maoists launched the Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC), which included this attack. The Naxals are alleged to have used 30 kilograms of explosives in the attack. The Naxalites stopped the convoy after a blast and shouted the names of those on their hit list.
Mahendra Karma, the former Home Minister of Chhattisgarh, was also on the hit list. He is claimed to have pleaded with the Naxals to take him and let others go before the terrorists killed him.
Back in June 2012, 19 Naxals were gunned down by the security forces in the Dantewada. P Chidambaram was the Union home minister and he had mentioned to the media that three prominent Maoist leaders, Somulu, Nagesh and Mahesh were killed in that gun battle. However, the usual players including Swami Agnivesh, PUCL President Prabhakar Sinha and CPIM alleged that the encounters were fake and the CRPF had killed innocent people in cold blood.
Notably, some of the Chhattisgarh Congress leaders had back then raised strong objections over Naxals being called ‘terrorists’. The Chhattisgarh AICC had even downplayed the then-Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s announcement about three Maoist terrorists killed in a gun battle back then. At that time also, after a dramatic turn of events which included the formation of a fact-finding committee to probe the veracity of the encounters, Chhattisgarh Congress had called the encounters “completely fake”.
It is, however, not surprising that Congress is hailing left-wing terrorists as ‘martyrs’ for political gains. In November 2023, when Bhupesh Baghel was the CM of Chhattisgarh, he had brushed aside the killings of 8 BJP leaders by Maoists in 2023 alone as ‘minor incidents’. Many BJP leaders had alleged that the Congress government had launched a “proxy war” against BJP using Maoists.
As we reported at the time, when asked about the news of the killing of a BJP leader by Maoists, Baghel had said, “Some minor incidents are happening in some places.” When a sitting CM was dismissing killings of BJP leaders by Maoists as ‘minor incidents’, it is not difficult to guess how seriously the scam-tainted Congress government must have fought against left-wing terrorism.
Congress’s dismissal of encounters resulting in the killings of Maoist terrorists as “fake” is in line with the stand of the banned terror outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist). In February this year, the Maoist outfit had called an encounter in which 4 Naxalites were killed as “fake and fabricated”, much like Congress’s claim in the Kanker encounter, CPIM had also claimed that the slain Naxalites were ‘innocent’ villagers.
Heavy, unprecedented downpours in parts of UAE’s desert city-state, Dubai, have prompted flight cancellations, school and office closures, and brought traffic to a grinding halt. Several videos of the inundated streets, busy airports, and mist surrounding high-rise buildings in Dubai are circulating on social media, depicting the aftermath of a sudden change in the area’s weather conditions.
While some viral videos show cars being washed away from roads, others captured the ceiling of a shop collapsing as water inundated one of Dubai’s most popular malls. The city’s metro system faced disruptions, and many residents had to evacuate their apartments. Torrential rains have also led to flooding in underground car parks, and several buildings have suffered power outages.
These visuals are from Dubai Mall. No development can fight with nature. Nature is almighty pic.twitter.com/qhg15P0kco
— Interesting Videos You Should Watch (@ThemViralVideos) April 17, 2024
As per reports, the Emirates, located in one of the hottest and driest regions on Earth, has experienced the heaviest rainfall in 75 years in just a few hours. The city recorded more than 142mm of rain in a single day. This amount is equivalent to nearly a year and a half of the desert city’s average annual rainfall. It’s pertinent to note that the Persian Gulf region typically receives an average cumulative annual rainfall of less than 100 mm (3.9 inches).
Experts have revealed that the heavy rains that have led to widespread flooding across the desert nation stemmed partly from cloud seeding, colloquially known as Artificial Rain.
Cloud seeding explained
As part of the continuous ‘water cycle’, water evaporates from the Earth’s surface, condenses to form clouds when warm air cools (as it rises), and falls back as precipitation, like rain, snow, or hail. Now, adequate atmospheric conditions, including sufficient moisture, favourable wind patterns, and the presence of “condensation nuclei”, are required for cloud formation.
(Water vapour condenses/coalesces around Condensation nuclei, Image Courtesy – ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu)
Condensation nuclei are tiny particles, such as dust or salt, around which water vapour coalesces (sticks together as one unit) to form water droplets or ice crystals. A large number of these water droplets lead to the formation of a cloud.
(Image Source – NASA Climate Kids)
Now, some advocate for ‘Cloud seeding’ as a means to catalyze precipitation in arid or semi-arid regions, where rainfall is scarce due to insufficient condensation nuclei or rapid cloud dissipation. Apart from ‘altering’ precipitation, it is also used to mitigate air pollution.
Cloud seeding is a technique that artificially induces or enhances cloud formation to result in precipitation (rainfall or snow, etc.). The cloud seeding operation is carried out using small, slow-moving aircraft that disperse tiny particles (chemicals) such as silver iodide or dry ice into clouds to encourage the formation of ice crystals or water droplets, potentially leading to increased rainfall or snowfall.
The success of cloud seeding depends on meteorological conditions, including the presence of moisture-laden clouds and suitable wind patterns. Additionally, high-speed planes are not suitable for cloud seeding as they drastically reduce the effectiveness of spraying the chemicals. Usually, planes fly below the clouds for this process as there can be challenges in navigating above the clouds.
The UAE has been one of the pioneers in using cloud seeding technology to increase precipitation and it started these operations in 2002 to address water security issues.
According to Ahmed Habib, a specialist meteorologist, the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology (NCM) dispatched seeding planes from Al Ain airport on Monday and Tuesday (15-16 April) to take advantage of convective cloud formations. The riveting process can be witnessed in this video depicting the timelapse and the formation of rain clouds.
He added that the seeding planes have flown seven missions over the past two days.
Habib noted, “For any cloud that’s suitable over the UAE you make the operation (cloud ceding/Artificial Rain).” According to him, the latest storms also followed heavy rains earlier this year.
As a dry city that does not receive much rain, the drainage system in Dubai is not designed to handle the deluge of water that came down in a short period, causing unprecedented flooding in the city. However, despite the problems created by the floods, this shows the success of the cloud seeding program, raising hopes for other similar arid regions.
Meanwhile, apart from the UAE, other countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, India, China, and among others have used it on various scales to either increase precipitation or reduce air pollution in their countries.
China uses cloud seeding to ‘alter’ rainfall pattern
In 1958, China began experimenting with weather manipulation to combat arid conditions in the northern region. Today, the People’s Republic invests millions annually in its national Weather Modification Office. Between 1999 and 2007, the office claimed to have protected 470,000 square kilometers from hail and produced over 250 billion tons of rain—enough to fill China’s second-largest river, the Yellow River, four times.
These efforts have also positively impacted weather conditions at national events such as the World Expo in Yunnan, the Asian Games in Shanghai, and the Giant Panda Festival in Sichuan.
During the 2008 Olympics, China deployed artificial rain to prevent rainfall over Beijing’s open-air Olympic stadium, the Bird’s Nest, seating 91,000 spectators. This operation was led by the city’s division of the National Weather Modification Office, under the China Meteorological Administration.
India’s own examples of Cloud seeding
A study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) found that a cloud seeding trial in Maharashtra’s Solapur region resulted in an 18% increase in rainfall compared to typical patterns. Scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune and other institutes conducted the study.
Strikingly, in India, scientists have also explored it to mitigate pollution that grips the northern parts of the country with the onset of winter.
Can cloud seeding have a downside?
However, cloud seeding is not a guarantee of green pastures (metaphorically); its efficacy in many cases is uncertain, and it raises ethical concerns as it can modify natural weather patterns. It can also lead to unintended consequences such as diverting rain from one area to another, causing drought elsewhere. Moreover, regions where cloud seeding is employed often lack the infrastructure to manage increased rainfall, leading to flooding and destruction, as seen in the present case with the UAE. Additionally, it can be costly and may raise legal and regulatory issues.
However, having said that, and despite the bad optics that unfolded before the UAE residents yesterday because of flooding, Dubai’s media office dubbed the downpours “rains of goodness”.
With global warming threatening a surge in heat-related deaths in the UAE, the emirate has been experimenting with this process and made necessary arrangements to minimise the loss because of its experimentation, for a larger good – fulfillment of increasing water demand for the UAE residents.
Notably, to minimise irreparable losses, the UAE government issued warnings ahead of the heavy rains. It asked people to stay at home and only leave “in cases of extreme necessity.” It later extended remote working until Wednesday for all federal employees, as reported by Bloomberg.
It is pertinent to note that with its calibrated experimentation of cloud seeding, the UAE can mitigate the most visible concern of flooding by building underground reservoirs and effective drainage systems.
Over time, significant advancements in cloud seeding technology have and will keep minimizing potential risks involved, rendering it a promising avenue worthy of experimentation for further betterment and mitigating climate crisis, and alleviating water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions.
Every innovative idea, in its inception, may seem radical and lead to a sudden degree of chaos and setbacks. However, with trials and tribulations under critical observation, the successes of past experimentation in climate science, such as cloud seeding, carbon capture technologies, the building of the Suez Canal, the ongoing Interlinking of Rivers project in India, reforestation efforts, genetically modified crops, and the Green Revolution, as seen in yesteryear, demonstrate the value and potential, making it worth undertaking further scientific experimentation.
Mind you, the danger of power (anthropogenic experimentations in the present context) lies not in its existence, but in the hands of those who wield it and the reckless use of technology for nefarious purposes.
A book titled ‘Modi 3.0: Bigger, Higher, Stronger’ by Pradeep Bhandari is scheduled for release on 19th April 2024. Bhandari is founder and editor-in-chief of Jan Ki Baat, an Indian journalist and psephologist. The book provides an intelligent and in-depth analysis of how the voters in India exercise their right to vote and why Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains unchallenged. It also shows why PM Modi will return to power with a bigger, higher and stronger mandate.
Pradeep Bhandari is an Indian journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of Jan Ki Baat and consulting editor of Zee Media Network. Earlier, he was a consulting editor with Republic Media Network and a news director with India News. Jan Ki Baat is a psephology and election data platform that predicts the results of the elections in India using an indigenously developed data-crunching model. Bhandari has covered 400 Lok Sabha constituencies since 2016 and predicted over 40 Indian elections with precision.
What is Modi 3.0?
The book, ‘ Modi 3.0: Bigger, Higher, Stronger’, by Pradeep Bhandari dives into several aspects of Indian politics and revolves around why the PM Modi-led NDA government is deemed to come back in power for the third consecutive term. The book starts with Ayodhya, its importance in Indian culture, and how it will play a significant role in the Lok Sabha elections.
The book discusses the significance of India’s democratic process and the evolving political landscape. It highlights the massive scale of India’s electoral movement and the shifting sentiments within the electorate. Bhandari shared his insights gathered from extensive travelling across the country and presented a psychological examination of the election outcomes. The book discusses various aspects, including the “phenomenon” called PM Modi, the formation of new political alliances, and more. It also discusses how the NDA and I.N.D.I Alliance are different.
Speaking about the importance of Bhagwan Ram, he wrote, “Lord Ram is very dear to the followers of the Sanatan Dharma. Ram naam is taken by Hindus when greeting each other and chanting during last rites. Unfortunately, a section of the Indian political entity has slandered the holy chant of Jai Shri Ram by communalizing it. That they had got it wrong was abundantly clear as I walked through the streets of Ayodhya. Because I heard continuous chants of Jai Shri Ram, not only by devotees from the Hindi heartland but also from those who hailed from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country. Jai Shri Ram is the heartfelt chant of most Hindus in the country.”
He discussed how Congress-led UPA questioned the existence of Ram and former Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who tried to defer the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute till the completion of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. He wrote, “In stark contrast, Narendra Modi was the only prime minister who visited Ayodhya for the fifth time when he participated in the prana pratishtha ceremony on 22 January 2024. He has emphasised embracing our ancient cultural roots and taking immense pride in the civilizational glory of Bharat. Even prominent leaders of the INDIA bloc, like Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, and Sharad Yadav, declined the invitation to attend the prana pratishtha ceremony, calling it ‘an RSS and BJP event’ and thus a political function.”
In the book, he questions, “If the Babri Masjid litigant, Iqbal Ansari, could attend the ceremony, why couldn’t our leaders of the Opposition?”
Bhandari discussed in detail how Ram Mandir is uniting the nation. Furthermore, he extensively discussed the Temple Economy. He wrote, “The increase in footfall will certainly have a ripple effect on the local as well as the state economy. As Prime Minister Modi puts it, the mandir stands both for Vikas, progress in terms of revenue generation and employment, and virasat, heritage and tradition. Ayodhya anticipates an infusion of funds to the tune of over H8,500 crore, which will transform it into a global tourism destination. The Master Plan for the city includes a new township spread over 1,200 acres, which can host over three lakh visitors—both domestic and international—per day.”
The book is set for launch on 19th April. You can pre-book it by clicking here.
The government of Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed that it had ordered a ban on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in February owing to “national security concerns”. Islamabad informed of the ban to the Sindh High Court following which the court has demanded that the ban be revoked within one week.
The Interior Ministry of Pakistan had reportedly informed the court that the microblogging platform was banned because it “failed to adhere to the lawful directives of the government” and cited a threat to national security.
“The Sindh High Court has given the government one week to withdraw the letter, failing which, on the next date, they will pass appropriate orders,” Moiz Jaaferi, a lawyer challenging the ban reportedly said.
The Sindh HC came down heavily on the government. SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi said, “What are you (Interior Ministry) achieving via shutting down trivial things… The world must laugh at us.
The ban on X was imposed during the Pakistan general elections during which time internet services were also banned in the Islamic country with the interior ministry citing security reasons. This unfolded after a senior Pakistani government official admitted to vote manipulation in the 8th February polls.
As per reports, users in Pakistan have reported problems using X in Pakistan since mid-February but the reason was apparently kept under wraps by Islamabad. The platform has been inaccessible reportedly since 17th February, when Imran Khan party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) called for protests against the admission of vote manipulation.
Rape is regarded as one of the most horrific crimes against women, although at times the offenders escape punishment for their transgressions. However, a reported vigilante in Bangladesh decided to take matters into his own hands and took the lives of at least three suspected rapists. The peculiar case which equally intrigued and astonished the world came to the fore in 2019.
His identity also appeared to be shrouded in mystery, reminiscent of any popular superhero movie where a ‘Dark Knight’ rises to seek retribution for the beleaguered people. He also left messages and warnings in the name of the Greek divine hero, “Hercules,” adding a further layer of secrecy to the entire thing.
A note found hanging around the neck of one of the deceased’s bodies. (Source: The Daily Star/ANN)
The story started with a tragic occurrence on 7th January when an 18-year-old Ashulia district factory worker was found dead in her home, just hours after reporting her rape to the local authorities. According to the local police records, a textile worker individual named Ripon and three other co-workers were the identified suspects in this case. On 17th January, the vigilante found his target Ripon and exacted his revenge. He also left a note on the deceased’s neck in Savar which read “I am the prime accused in a rape case. I am a rapist. This is my punishment for the rape. Be careful. Be careful – Hercules.” This discovery signalled the beginning of the investigation into the unexplained killings.
Police then received a report of a body found in the neighbouring trash yard on 1st February in the quiet district of Rajapur, a subdistrict of Jalakathi. The deceased had been found to have gunshot wounds, which were described as significant punctures to the head. The cops observed that a message was hanging around the corpse’s neck which stated, “I am Rakib. I am the rapist of a madrassa girl (unnamed) of Bhandaria. This is the punishment for the rape. Be wary rapists – Hercules.” It was the body of a rape accused Rakib Mollah.
Notably, just one month prior, the Bangladeshi police had identified the 13-year-old girl and learned of her horrible ordeal, which led to an unusual turn in the case. She was sexually violated on 14th January by a pair of males while she was travelling to visit her grandma. The crime took place in the Pirojpur district, specifically in the Bhandaria area. Her father had reported the instance to the local police on 17th January, and they subsequently named Rakib Hossain Mollah and Sajal Jamaddar as the two possible offenders.
As fate would have it, Rakib’s body and the ominous note would be revealed within the next two weeks. With the shocking event, “Hercules” who by this point was being lauded by the townspeople as a vigilante, entered the national spotlight. The press and media throughout the world took notice of the contents of the message undersigned by Hercules. It marked the beginning of the world’s attention to the rampage that a serial murderer known only as Hercules had unleashed.
At the time, the authorities believed Hercules had struck twice and Rakib’s murder was committed after Ripon’s. They soon realized, nevertheless, that Rakib was in fact the third target and not the second, after all. A week before Rakib, Hercules had already punished Sajal, Rakib’s friend and a law student, for his misdeeds. The police recognized Sajal’s body from a different incident, remarking that his head was pierced by bullets and fractured by the blunt end of a weapon. Additionally, a message alerting potential rapists in the area was uncovered there which displayed, “I am Sajal. I am a rapist. This is a punishment for my crime. Beware, Rapists. Beware – Hercules.”
Who was Hercules
The national police force launched a nationwide search and rescue effort to find Hercules when the body count continued to rise week after week. The officer in charge of the “Hercules” case, M. Jahidul Islam, admitted that although the police have started their inquiry from the beginning, they are currently unaware of his identity. Over five years have passed there are still unanswered questions about Hercule’s identity, motivations, whereabouts and whether he acted alone.
His vigilantism was recognized and warmly applauded by the people but many criticised him for functioning outside the boundaries of the legal system. Human rights advocates around the country denounced the delivery of “divergent justification.” Sheepa Hafiz, the executive head of Ain-O-Salish, a human rights organization, cautioned against unjustified vigilantism in the area in a statement to the national press. The activists agreed that the killings and the letters would only continue, inspiring a new wave of vigilantes to oppose the status quo and social norms. Sheepa Hafiz cautioned the people and the judiciary to act cautiously. “We have to look very carefully into why such incidents are taking place.”
Assistant Police Inspector-General Shohel Rana claimed, “It is not clear to police, who are involved behind this kind of secret killings. We are trying to identify them.” The men’s families, however, claimed that they were picked up or followed by police while they looked into the rape charges. However, Shohel Rana refuted the allegations. Interestingly, after a while, the killings allegedly ended in the same year and the enigmatic tale concluded leaving the bewildered people with more questions than answers.
Ravindra Singh Bhati, an independent MLA from Sheo Assembly, Rajasthan, has been making headlines for months. He was with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Rajasthan Assembly Elections in 2023. However, he left the party and contested the elections as an independent candidate after the BJP denied him a ticket. Bhati won the Sheo Assembly Constituency by a substantial margin and later announced he would challenge for Lok Sabha Elections as an independent candidate from the Barmer constituency. Since 15th April, Bhati has come under fire on social media for the wrong reasons.
On 15th April, Sheo Constituency MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati faced criticism on social media for meeting the husband of anti-India propagandist Nitasha Kaul, Dibyesh Anand, during his trip to London in February this year. In a post on X, Bhati posted, “It was a delightful opportunity to meet Professor Dibyesh Anand, Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement and Employability at the University of Westminster, London. During our discussion, there was an extensive and meaningful conversation about exploring new employment opportunities for youth in remote areas like Shiv. Additionally, Professor Anand assured me of his ongoing support in addressing the challenges faced by the Shiv Assembly.” Bhati trended for making a “poor choice” of meeting Anand, who is anti-India.
It was a delightful opportunity to meet Professor @dibyeshanand , Vice-Chancellor of Global Engagement and Employability at the #University_of_Westminster, London. During our discussion, there was an extensive and meaningful conversation about exploring new employment… pic.twitter.com/32vdoWJNg6
X user Rohit said, “Disappointed. He is a well-known ISI agent & supports the 1990 Kashmiri Hindu Genocide. Bigots like him brainwashed KMs to pick up arms & pelt stones. Due to such people, Kashmiri Hindus like me have been in exile for over 34 years now. Why meet such Anti-India Hinduphobes?”
Disappointed. He is a well known ISI agent & supports the 1990 Kashmiri Hindu Genocide. Bigots like him brainwashed KMs to pick up arms & pelt stones.
Due to such people, Kashmiri Hindus like me have been in exile for over 34 years now. Why meet such Anti-India Hinduphobes?
Ravindra Singh Bhati is a 26-year-old politician from Dudhoda village in the Sheo constituency of district Barmer, Rajasthan. Bhati was born into a Rajput family. His constituency is located near the India-Pakistan border. He was initially aligned with BJP and worked extensively for the party ahead of Assembly polls in 2023, hoping to get a ticket. However, the BJP gave a ticket to Swaroop Singh Khara from the Sheo constituency, leaving Bhati irked over the decision. Bhati decided to go separate ways and contested Assembly Elections as an independent candidate from the Sheo Assembly seat in Barmer, Rajasthan. Bhati is fondly called Ravsa among his peers.
जनता की अपेक्षाएं, जनता की उम्मीदें, जनता का विश्वास मेरी ताक़त है, मेरा हौसला है, मेरा जुनून है। लड़ूंगा इनके हक़ के लिए, लड़ूंगा इनके मूल अधिकारों के लिए, लड़ूंगा इनके सम्मान के लिए। आपका आशीर्वाद, स्नेह और मोहब्बत इस संघर्ष में मेरी पतवार है जो लोकसभा चुनाव की नैया को… pic.twitter.com/p3wAV0vtNl
— Ravindra Singh Bhati (@RavindraBhati__) April 16, 2024
He began his political career in 2019 through student politics. He wanted to contest the poll from ABVP but things did not work out in his favour. He became the first independent president elected in Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU). Notably, he actively led a movement to protect University land from being sold for a convention centre, making him popular among the students and leading to his victory. Later, he led statewide protests against universities and colleges over fee issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rajasthan police also arrested him for violating COVID protocols. In September 2021, he led a protest against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. He demanded 75% reservation in employment for the youth of Rajasthan on the lines of reservation in Haryana. Bhati has graduated in law from JNVU.
— Ravindra Singh Bhati (@RavindraBhati__) April 16, 2024
Reports suggest that Bhati’s popularity is not limited to western Rajasthan. He has been traveling to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad to meet immigrants from his constituency to vote. His popularity is peaking on the ground and on social media. He has 2.2 million followers on Instagram.
Bhati defeated Fateh Khan, another independent candidate, Ameen Khan of Congress and Khara of BJP in the Assembly polls last year. He got almost 80,000 votes from the Sheo Assembly seats, which set a more straightforward path for his political journey. If we look at the Sheo constituency, there are around 3 lakh voters, including 1 lakh Muslim voters. Bhati was contesting against seasoned politicians, including six-time Congress MLA Ameen Khan, who has been actively contesting elections from the same seat since 1980; Fateh Khan, another independent candidate who was initially aligned with Congress but left the party after being denied a ticket and Swaroop Singh Khara of BJP.
Bhati got 79,495 votes and won the seat. Fateh Khan got 75,545 votes, Ameen Khan got 55,264, and Swaroop Singh Khara got 22,820. If the pro-Congress ballots had not been divided among Fateh Khan and Ameen Khan, it would have been difficult for Bhati to win the seat.
— Ravindra Singh Bhati (@RavindraBhati__) April 10, 2024
Soon after winning the Assembly elections, Bhati decided to try his luck with Lok Sabha Elections. He is contesting as an independent candidate from the Barmer constituency.
Who is Nitasha Kaul?
Nitasha Kaul is a controversial ‘activist’ who was recently deported to the United Kingdom after landing at Bengaluru airport. The Congress government invited her to Karnataka to speak at a ‘Constitution and National Unity’ conference.
Nitasha Kaul has justified terrorism on several occasions. She was seen making a case for radical Islamic terrorism in Kashmir by downplaying acts of terror as a ‘right to protest’ against supposed ‘repression’ by the Indian government. She also glorified Islamic terrorist Burhan Wani in a vicious article in 2016. Months after the abrogation of Article 370, Nitasha Kaul gave a written submission before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on South Asia Human Rights in October 2019.
The anti-India propagandist exploited the opportunity to allege that the Modi government was a ‘colonial’ power and denying ‘freedom’ and the ‘right to access to the internet’ to Kashmiris.’
In December 2015, she was seen spreading falsehoods about the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) during an interview of Ram Madhav with controversial Al Jazeera host Mehdi Hasan.
In March 2017, she equated RSS to a terror organisation. Nitasha Kaul tweeted, “RSS, the right-wing paramilitary organisation in #India that breeds terrorists & of which PM #Modi is a member. #BJP is its political wing.”
She was also one of those who were behind the cancellation of PM Modi’s Wharton address in 2013. On several occasions, she endorsed Pakistan over the Kashmir matter.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) unveiled the ‘AAP ka Ram Rajya’ website on Wednesday (16th April) as a part of their Lok Sabha election 2024 campaign, claiming that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attempted to achieve Lord Ram’s ideals in the national capital.
The website was inaugurated ahead of the first round of the Lok Sabha elections on 19th April, as well as the Ram Navami festival, which is being observed in numerous regions of the country.
Addressing a news conference alongside senior AAP leaders Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Jasmine Shah, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “Today, on Ram Navami’s occasion, the AAP will start a website called ‘AAP ka Ram Rajya’. What is the concept of Arvind Kejriwal’s Ram Rajya? This is the Ram Rajya that was discussed and fulfilled by Lord Shri Ram. Mahatma Gandhi wanted to implement it to bring equality. To fulfil the dreams of Ram Rajya, Kejriwal has done tremendous work in Delhi in the last ten years and has set an example for the entire country.”
Singh accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of harbouring animosity and vengeance towards Kejriwal, saying, “Kejriwal has demonstrated this by forming governments in two states (Delhi and Punjab) in the recent decade. He demonstrated how to grow a city by giving good schools and hospitals, free energy, and free transportation for women. Previously, people cited America as an example of good schools and hospitals, but now the entire world cites Kejriwal’s school and Mohalla clinic models.”
“Anyone who wants to examine the progress under Kejriwal’s Ram Rajya can check out this website and see the work done by the Kejriwal government in the last ten years,” he said.
Atishi meanwhile compared Lord Ram’s 14-year journey to Vanvas to Arvind Kejriwal’s ten-year struggle to fulfil his dream of Ram Rajya in Delhi, highlighting the central government’s interference, attempts to halt work and false imprisonment he faced in his quest.
screengrab of the website
Bharadwaj stated that the website contains a number of films, testimonies, and Ram Rajya plans that Kejriwal wishes to implement not only in Punjab and Delhi but across the country. He also emphasized the website’s features and urged people to vote for AAP based on the party’s activities on the ground.
It is important to note that the Aam Aadm Party has always been showcasing its hatred towards the Hindus and Sanatan Dharma and also Lord Rama at times. And now when the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been jailed because of his involvement in the Delhi Liquor Scam, the party is making use of Lord Ram’s name to its benefit.
AAP insulting Hindus, Lord Rama
In the year 2022, AAP leader Rajendra Pal Gautam who was the Minister of Social Welfare, Government of Delhi insulted Hindu Gods saying that there was no need to worship them and that he would never consider them as Gods.
According to media reports, on the day of Vijayadashami in the year 2022, AAP leader Rajendra Pal Gautam attended a program at Ambedkar Bhawan on Rani Jhansi Road in Karolbagh. People not only received Buddhist initiation but also swore an oath not to worship or regard Hindu gods and goddesses as Gods. The BJP then slammed the party and demanded an apology from the party.
In the year 2019, Kejriwal, on the day before Holi shared an image that depicted a man running behind a ‘Swastika’ shape with a club in his hand, driving out the symbol that is considered holy in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism in India.
The caption on the image read, “Hoping for a Delhi, that I actually wouldn’t mind visiting or living in.”
In 2020, Kejriwal, the chief of AAP declared himself a devotee of Lord Hanuman. He had also claimed that since Lord Hanuman is a devotee of Lord Ram, by extension, even he is so. Kejriwal had announced that after the Ram Mandir is constructed in Ayodhya, he would take the elderly people from Delhi to Ayodhya for darshan.
Interestingly, it is this ‘Ram Bhakt’ who had earlier questioned the need for a Ram Mandir. In 2014, he had shamed the Hindus for trying to build a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram saying his Nani (grandmother) would never have approved of it.
When Ayodhya Ram Mandir was a distant reality, Kejriwal mocked the intent and repeatedly said that the government should instead build schools, colleges, and hospitals.
Not just the Delhi CM, but his colleagues have also time and again opposed the construction of Ram Mandir. AAP leader Sanjay Singh, in an attempt to gain relevancy in politics, ran a misinformation campaign alleging funds misappropriations by the BJP and Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust in June 2021.
Further insulting Lord Hanuman, of whom he claims to be a devout devotee, Kejriwal shared a cartoon depicting the Hindu god ‘setting fire’ to JNU as a distraction. This he did after Leftist students at JNU attacked ABVP students in January 2020 over a semester form at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
— Ankur Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@iAnkurSingh) March 10, 2021
Kejriwal, who has always tried to portray himself as a devout Hindu, had another awkward encounter ahead of the 2020 Delhi elections when he grossly misquoted the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita. Taking a sly dig at their ideological opponents-BJP, he said that it is written in Gita that a true Hindu is brave and never runs away from the field. The ‘devoted’ Hindu was unaware that throughout the 700 Sanskrit verses in Bhagavad Gita, the word “Hindu” has not been used anywhere.
Arvind Kejriwal and his party have time and again insulted Hindus. In August 2020, the official Twitter handle of AAP shared pictures of Kanchenjunga in Sikkim, held sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, Kamet Peak, and Nanda Devi hills in Uttarakhand, where lies a sacred temple of Nanda Devi, an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Durga. It drew analogies between these sacred peaks and a humongous landfill at Ghazipur in Delhi. The contentious tweet was accompanied by the caption, “Highest Mountains of India.”
Aam Aadmi Party’s involvement in anti-Hindu protests
The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, has consistently provided tactical support to any sort of protest or violence against Hindus. Though Kejriwal has never officially backed such acts, he has never stopped his followers, Tahir Hussain and Amanatullah Khan, from playing a key part in the February 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots conspiracy.
The anti-CAA protests in 2020, which culminated in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots in February 2020, were blatant evidence of a planned genocide against Hindus in Muslim-majority areas. Arvind Kejriwal’s party’s close ties with Khalaistani separatists, who support Punjab secession with Pakistan’s support, exemplify their anti-India and anti-Hindu mindset.
OpIndia has extensively reported on how the Aam Aadmi Party, along with other opposition parties such as the Congress, supported the ‘farmers’ protest at the Singhu border against the Central government’s farm laws, which was hijacked by Khalistani elements.
Conclusion
Given all these above incidents and pieces of evidence, it is very hard to believe that AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal or the other AAP leaders are devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman as they call themselves. They have time and again applied tactics to insult Lord Ram, Hinduism, and Sanatan Dharma. And amid this using the name of Lord Ram or his kingdom to its benefit showcases the sickening mentality of the party and its leaders.
It is crucial to note that Delhi CM and AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal has been jailed for his involvement in the liquor scam. Earlier, several other AAP leaders were arrested in the same case. The party is making all efforts to justify the acts executed by Kejriwal and is instead blaming the BJP for using the central agencies to its benefit.
The party and its leaders need to understand that it’s not the BJP that is making use of the central agencies, but it is the AAP itself who is using Lord Ram’s name for its political benefits and indirectly again causing insult to Lord Ram and Hinduism.
As hard as it is to believe, we were able to write 9 articles in a series titled How Prime Minister Modi hacks EVMs (all listed at the end of this article) without even touching upon the huge and epochal events that have unfolded in his 10 years as PM. The scale of his trail-blazing decisions is very large. Even after 9 articles on various topics ranging from health to wealth, from law-making to peace-making, we still haven’t touched upon the many other decisions that look seemingly small but are in fact big.
For example, the Modi government changed the eligible age for marriage to 21 years for both men and women. Did you know that nearly 2000 old rules and laws that were obsolete were removed by the Modi government? There are many such small things that we can spend time on (A Twitter thread here talks about 175 unique accomplishments), but we should move on to discuss the events and decisions that no one thought were possible to achieve, but that this government has accomplished!
The opening of the new Parliament building, while a big event in itself, was also a witness to two huge events in Independent India. In 1947, just before the transfer of power from the British to India, Jawaharlal Nehru was presented with a Sengol from Tamil Nadu, which signifies the transfer of power. Jawaharlal Nehru sent it to a museum and it was later classified as his walking stick! It took Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to restore the Sengol to its rightful place in the Lok Sabha. This powerful image of India’s Prime Minister walking with the Sengol, accompanied by the chanting of mantras by the pandits, has left a really lasting impression in my mind.
The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in the first session of the new Parliament building. A bill that was first mooted in 1996 could only become law in the year 2023. This was passed with an unbelievable 454-2 majority in the Lok Sabha. The scale of this achievement will be visible (literally!) once we see 33% of our parliamentarians being women, post the delimitation exercise. Both events are befitting the stature of the event of the opening of the new Parliament building.
The National Education Policy has been revised for the first time since 1985. This NEP is even more transformational than the 1985 one. The current 3-tier structure in our schools will be changed to a more meaningful 4-tier structure; there is going to be increased focus on funding research in our colleges; there are going to be changes in the way degrees are awarded; we now have the choice of making education more flexible (such as breaking up a degree into multiple slots). A single paragraph or a single article cannot do justice to discuss the monumental changes NEP will bring in once it becomes fully operational.
The Presidency of G20 was ridiculed by the opposition saying that this is just a rotating feature and nothing great about Modi. It’s phenomenal how they underestimate Modi when they ridicule him on matters so big! Nearly 200 programs related to the G20 were held in more than 60 cities or towns in India. It didn’t matter which party was ruling a particular state – all states got good preference in hosting multiple leaders from the most powerful countries of the world in their cities or towns. Celebrations were seen in the cities and towns that hosted these multiple summits.
The first big pleasant surprise came when we all saw our Prime Minister PM Modi addressed the G20 Summit with a ‘Bharat’ nameplate.
The second pleasant surprise was equally very heartening. G20 was made more inclusive when the 55-member African Union joined the grouping – something that no one imagined. Just when they thought there would not be any more surprises, came two more big announcements. One is the establishment of the India-Middle East-European economic corridor. The other was the establishment of the Global Biofuels Alliance.
This OpIndia article captures very well the 10 huge accomplishments of the transformative nature of our G-20 Presidency. By involving all states of India, Modi didn’t make the G20 the elitist event they thought it was. By getting the African Union to join the G20, Modi made sure the G20 isn’t an elitist organisation they thought it was. The Presidency may have gone to another country via rotation, but the legacy of what India achieved in its presidency will stay forever!
There came a time when no one took political party manifestos seriously. That was because everyone just thought all political parties lie on their manifestos and nothing really ever comes out of it. All that changed on August 5, 2019. Words fail to describe the emotions one was undergoing while watching the political acumen with which Article 370 was abrogated on that day in the Rajya Sabha and the next day in the Lok Sabha. The ensuing peace and prosperity in Kashmir that followed the abrogation is ample proof of how people have lapped up their newfound freedom. It is baffling how people of J&K were deprived of all the opportunities available to the rest of the country and yet their misery was sold to us as a normal occurrence in J&K.
The Pran Prathista (I cannot find an English translation that will sound as beautiful as this!) of Bhagwan Ram in the magnificent Ram Mandir at his birth place in Ayodhya, is a truly epochal event. The epochal scale is evident from the fact that it took more than 500 years for this to happen.
The Prime Minister delivered a brilliant speech that befits this occasion. After most eloquently describing what Prabhu Ram stood for, Prime Minister Modi also reminded us of our duty to now lay the best possible foundation of a Bhavya Bharat for the next 1000 years. He has reminded us of the hope and aspirations that this new era brings to the crores of Indians. And he has guided us on how we must conduct ourselves to fulfil this responsibility of transforming our country. He has led by example and made us all his partners in the transformation so far. The work is far from finished though. We built a Bhavya Mandir. We will now build a Bhavya Bharat!
This brings to end the 10-article series on how Prime Minister Modi hacks EVMs. Part-1 speaks about the focus on small-scale entrepreneurs; Part-2 speaks about the revolutions in the labour/employment sector; Part-3 speaks about the focus on both prevention and cure in health; Part-4 speaks about how the lives of women were made better at home, school and work. Part-5 speaks about the Focus on financial systems, along with Big Bang Reforms and simultaneous benefits to middle-class, economically weaker sections. Part-6 speaks about law-making and peace-making efforts that made India a much safer place to live in. Two articles, not numbered in this series, but count into how he hacks EVMs are – The many highs of the 17th Lok Sabha; and the implementation of the AP Reorg Act. And of course, this particular article.
A Muslim student at a British school filed an appeal with the High Court challenging the school’s policy prohibiting prayers on school property, however, the court dismissed the petition and clarified that students must abide by school policies in order to continue their education there. The student and her parents are allowed to leave the school if they disagree with any of the guidelines.
The case pertains to Michaela Community School in Brent, north London which is a state secondary non-religious institution and one of the strictest schools in Britain that forbids religious education. The school grounds are off-limits to any form of religious activity. The institution has 700 students, more than half of whom are Muslim. 30 students spread their blazers and prayed on them in March 2023, in defiance of the school’s policy against prayers. Afterwards, the school issued stern warnings and took severe measures. The schoolgirl then filed an appeal with the High Court.
In an 83-page ruling, High Court Judge Linden stated that before admission, the school notifies the students and their parents that religion isn’t allowed on the premises. This institution is intended to be non-religious. Justice Linden pronounced, “The claimant at the very least impliedly accepted when she enrolled at the school, that she would be subject to restrictions on her ability to manifest her religion.” Judge Linden rejected the student’s claims and supported the school, which had maintained that its policy was appropriate in light of threats of bombing and death connected to its on-site religious observance.
“She (the pupil) knew that the school is secular and her own evidence is that her mother wished her to go there because it was known to be strict. She herself says that, long before the prayer ritual policy was introduced, she and her friends believed that prayer was not permitted at school and she therefore made up for missed prayers when she got home,” the judgement mentioned.
“A school should be free to do what is right for the pupils it serves. The court’s decision is, therefore, a victory for all schools,” declared founder and headteacher of the school, Katharine Birbalsingh, a former government social mobility tsar who co-founded the non-faith senior public school with former home secretary Suella Braverman.
“Schools should not be forced by one child and her mother to change their approach simply because they have decided they don’t like something at the school. Parents are under no obligation to send their children to us if they don’t like something such as Michela,” the school stated during the High Court hearing and added that allowing prayer rituals risked “undermining inclusion” among pupils.
Attorneys representing the school asserted that images of students praying outside fueled a “concerted campaign” against the school’s religious policies on social media. They additionally disclosed that Muslim children were “observed to be applying peer pressure” on their fellow Muslim students to “act certain ways.” The court was also informed that the school was the subject of “false” accusations of Islamophobia, harassment and a “bomb hoax.” Attorneys stated that lifting the “emergency” prohibition would put the school under “an unacceptable risk of threats” once more and prevent “the logistical disruption and detriments to other school activities”.
Hijab controversy in India
The Udupi Hijab conflict originated in late 2021 in Karnataka and involved Muslim female students seeking to wear hijabs as part of their school uniforms in violation of uniform dress code. The dispute resulted in significant demonstrations, court cases and even spread to other regions of the nation. The debate commenced in January 2022. A college in Udupi drove away several Muslim students who came to class wearing hijabs.
The High Court pronounced that wearing a hijab is not required by Islam. Chief Justice Rituraj Awasthi of the High Court affirmed the state government’s directive that universities and schools conform completely to the uniform policy. The matter made it to the Supreme Court which also maintained the High Court’s judgement. However, Siddaramaiah was appointed Chief Minister in 2023 when Congress won the assembly elections in Karnataka and the restriction on wearing the hijab in colleges and schools was repealed by his administration.
