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Haldwani violence: District Magistrate refutes claims that demolished property was madrasa, says it was an empty property

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Haldwani violence: District Magistrate refutes claims that demolished property was madrasa, says it was an empty property

Following violent clashes in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area, Uttarakhand Police on Friday said they are using CCTV footage to identify rioters and stone pelters.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed swift action, instructing officials to immediately arrest miscreants.

Clashes erupted Thursday night after an anti-encroachment drive in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area.

Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Radha Raturi, DGP Abhinav Kumar, and ADG Law & Order AP Anshuman reached Haldwani to assess the situation.

The state government issued a high alert across the state on Friday, and security was tightened in Banbhoolpura.

Meanwhile, the district administration has ordered the suspension of internet services and the closure of all schools and colleges.

Expressing deep concern over the Haldwani violence incident, Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh termed the incident unfortunate and assured that the accused will be identified and strict action will be taken against them.

Singh emphasized that the incident was not communal and urged everyone to refrain from making it a communal or sensitive issue. She clarified that no particular community was involved in the retaliation.

“The police station has been completely damaged by the mob…This is an unfortunate incident. The accused will be identified and strict action will be taken. This (incident) was not communal. I request everybody to not make it communal or sensitive. Any particular community did not retaliate…This was an effort to challenge the state machinery, state govt and the law and order situation…A briefing will be done again in the evening,” she said.

Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh said this while addressing the media on Friday, providing details about the incident.

“According to official information till now, two people have died,” DM Singh said.

Refuting claims of the property being a Madrasa, the DM specified that it was an empty property.

“It is an empty property that has two structures, which are not registered as religious structures or have been given any such recognition. Some call the structure a Madrasa,” she said.

The DM said the demolition drive started peacefully but stones were pelted at the Municipal Corporation’s team. The DM said the attack on the forces was planned.

“The demolition drive started peacefully, the force was deployed for prevention…Stones were pelted on our Municipal Corporation’s team…It was planned that the day the demolition drive will be conducted the forces would be attacked…The first mob with stones were dispersed & the second mob that came in had petrol bombs. This was unprovoked and our team did not use any force…” she said.

“You can see (in the video) that the police force and the administration are not provoking or harming anybody,” she added.

The DM said, after the HC’s order, action has been taken against encroachment at various places. This was not an isolated activity and was not targeted at a particular asset.

“After the HC’s order action has been taken against encroachment at various places in Haldwani…Everyone was given notice and time for hearing…Some did approach the HC some were given time while some were not given time. Where time was not given demolition drive was conducted by PWD & Municipal Corporation. This was not an isolated activity and was not targeted to a particular asset,” she said.

The DM claimed that despite the “peaceful” demolition drive, a large mob attacked the municipal team.

“We decided to continue the demolition drive because there was no stay on the assets… A legal process to remove the encroachment is being carried out at various places and so it was done here too…Our teams and resources moved and nobody was provoked or harmed…No actions were taken (by Police and administration) to cause harm to life and property…The demolition drive began peacefully…Despite the entire process being carried out properly, a large mob, within half an hour, attacked our municipal cooperation team,” she said.

Further, the DM claimed efforts were made by the mob to terrorize the area… Our priority was to protect the police station and then ensure that no loss of life or property occurred in Gandhi Nagar

“Maximum force was used for the protest of the police station…As soon as they (the mob) were dispersed from the police station, they headed to the Gandhi Nagar area…People from all communities and religions stay there…Efforts were made (by the mob) to terrorize the area…Our priority was to protect the police station and then ensure that no loss of life or property occurred in Gandhi Nagar…Our efforts were directed to protect the main city of Haldwani,” she said.

The DM said that the mob surrounded a police station, trapping those inside. The mob attacked with stones and petrol bombs, setting vehicles on fire.

“Later, the police station was surrounded by the mob and those inside the police station were not allowed to come out. They were first pelted with stones and then attacked by petrol bombs. The vehicles outside the station were set on fire, and due to the smoke, there was suffocation due to the smoke…Tear gas and water cannons were used only to safeguard the police station,” she said.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

‘I demand NYAY as a woman’: Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter writes an open letter to Rahul Gandhi over online abuse by a Congress aide

OpIndia Staff
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‘I demand NYAY as a woman’: Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter writes an open letter to Rahul Gandhi over online abuse by a Congress aide

Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, recently wrote an open letter addressed to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, drawing his attention to abuses hurled at herself and her late father by a Congress supporter, followed by many senior Congress leaders.

“Since the publication of my book ‘Pranab My Father: A Daughter Remembers’ a month back, I and my father have been subjected to vicious and continuous trolling by your supporters on social media. The book contains some observations about you made in my father’s diaries which are not very complimentary,” she wrote in her open letter.

Since then, Ms Mukherjee has been at the receiving end of unmitigated abuses and sexual innuendos, with many purporting to be Congress supporters reviling her for her book that contains the former President’s views about Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. Ms Mukherjee underlined that being a passionate supporter of Freedom of Expression, Rahul Gandhi should take action against those who are abusing her and her father.

“However, as you seem to be a torchbearer of Freedom of Expression, you should know that FoE involves not just praising someone, but also the ability to tolerate criticism gracefully. But you seem to have failed miserably to convince even your own followers of one of the most crucial Rights granted by our Constitution, which is also one of the core values of Congress. Your favourite slogan of ‘Nafrat ke Bazaar me Mohabbat ki Dukan’ also seems to fall on deaf ears of your own followers as they unleash all their ‘Nafrat’ on anyone daring to criticize you,” she further added.

Mukherjee took to X to share the picture of her open letter to Mr Rahul Gandhi and screenshots of abusive posts made by one Naveen Shahi, whom she said is a close associate of Congress and is followed by several senior Congress leaders.

Highlighting Naveen Shahi’s abusive posts against her father in her letter, Mukherjee wrote, “But every limit was crossed yesterday when one of your alleged supporters called Naveen Shahi having X handle of @Naveen_Kr_Shahi who is followed by several senior Congress leaders like Pawan Khera, Ajay Maken, Srinivas BV and many other verified handles from INC Social Media dept. abused my father Shri Pranab Mukherjee and me in such a vile language that I feel nausea even to repeat it. In a series of tweets, he called me licentious, and repeatedly wrote that ‘Pranab’ was a ‘chu**** , a licentious person, insinuating that he was a sexual pervert willing to accept even the dogs.”

The daughter of Pranab Mukherjee said since Rahul Gandhi is talking about NYAY in his yatra, she is demanding NYAY from him as the abuses originated from a person associated, formally or informally, with his organisation.

“I demand Nyay as a woman, who herself, and whose father (leaving aside the fact that he was a former President of India) have been subjected to character assassination and the most vile abuses having sexual connotations. To show that you are serious about Nyay, please take action against this person Naveen Shahi, and all the others who reacted positively to his abuses, against your social media head and your communication head for allowing this kind of language and abuse,” Ms Mukherjee wrote in her letter to Rahul Gandhi.

She further added that FoE involves everyone’s right to criticise her but it doesn’t give them any liberty to abuse her or use foul language against her.

“But as you publicly claim to be the ‘upholder’ of tolerance and liberal values of Congress, I decided to bring to your notice the behaviour of your followers in case you haven’t noticed it as yet; not just vis a vis me, but vis a vis any of your real or imaginary opponents, including the media,” she further added.

‘Stones pelted from roofs, they barged into house where we took shelter, wanted to burn us alive’: Woman police officer narrates Haldwani horror by Muslim mob

OpIndia Staff
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‘Stones pelted from roofs, they barged into house where we took shelter, wanted to burn us alive’: Woman police officer narrates Haldwani horror by Muslim mob

The violence against police officials and the Haldwani Municipal Corporation team on Thursday (8th February) by a rioting mob left more than three hundred police officials injured. The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led state government issued shoot-at-sight orders and imposed a curfew in the Haldwani to bring law and order under control. As reported earlier, the rioting mob hurled stones at police officers and municipal corporation workers on Thursday as they arrived to demolish a madarsa-mosque built illegally on government land in compliance with the Uttarakhand High Court order.

After the incidents of stone-pelting and arson, a woman police officer detailed her horrifying ordeal during a media interaction. “We sought refuge in a house to shield ourselves from the stone-throwing, when approximately 15 -20 individuals barged in, attacked us, stones were being hurled on us from all the sides, even from the rooftops. They also attempted to set the house ablaze, evidently with the intent to burn us alive. They wanted to burn us alive,” the injured officer said.

The officer informed that the rioters abused the person who saved the police officials and damaged his house. “We barely managed to survive. There was stone pelting from all directions. The bylanes had been blocked. We managed to send out our locations. The man who saved us was attacked. His house was damaged. Eventually, the force came and rescued us. But even during the rescue, shards of glass were being thrown at us. We somehow made it through,” she said.

According to reports, six people have died in the violence. More than 300 police officers were injured in the attack by the Islamist mob. State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued orders to shoot rioters on sight. A curfew has also been enforced in Haldwani.

Another police officer who escaped the attack in Haldwani stated that the rioters came from the streets and hurled stones. The police officer claims that bullets were fired at him when he returned. Machete-wielding Muslim rioters opened fire on them. They destroyed a municipal corporation tractor, a patrol vehicle, and many motorcycles.

In another video, a police officer shows his injuries and describes how he escaped from the riots. A Sikh police officer has also been injured in the violence.

A video of the police officers injured in the attack has also emerged. The police officers are receiving medical treatment. It is seen in the video that one police officer suffered injuries on his head and another got injured on his hand.

In a press conference on Friday, Nainital DM Vandana Singh said that the Haldwani violence against the police and municipal corporation team was pre-planned. “The demolition drive started peacefully, the force was deployed for prevention…Stones were pelted on our Municipal Corporation’s team…It was planned that the day the demolition drive will be conducted the forces would be attacked…The first mob with stones were dispersed & the second mob that came in had petrol bombs. This was unprovoked and our team did not use any force…,” Singh said.

Notably, internet access has been discontinued in Haldwani after the Thursday violence. Schools and colleges are also closed in Haldwani. Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state chief minister, has appealed to the people to maintain peace.

It is to be noted here that a Malik Colony resident named Safia Malik and others had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on 6 February 2024 seeking a stay on demolition of the said madarsa and mosque and challenged the notice given by the Haldwani Municipal Corporation to the petitioners.

On Thursday (8th February) the Uttarakhand High Court held a hearing on the PIL. The vacation bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit refused to grant relief to the petitioners in the matter. The next hearing is scheduled for 14th February. After the hearing, the court didn’t make any comment on the matter. The order just said, “List this matter on 14.02.2024”. After the court did not grant relief to the petitioners seeking a stay on the demolition exercise, the Haldwani Municipal Corporation and local police arrived at the madarsa-mosque to demolish it in compliance with the court order.

Haldwani violence: Islamists ‘planned attack’ simultaneously while seeking stay on demolition, mob unleashed violence in 3 stages, tried to burn cops alive. Details

OpIndia Staff
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Haldwani violence: Islamists ‘planned attack’ simultaneously while seeking stay on demolition, mob unleashed violence in 3 stages, tried to burn cops alive. Details

The Nainital district administration on Friday (9th February) addressed a press briefing on the violence that was perpetrated by Islamists in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura on 8th February during the anti-encroachment drive. The administration clarified that 2 people have died and not 4 as reported earlier, 3 are critically injured.

District Magistrate Nainital, Vandana Singh has revealed in the press briefing that the attack on the state machinery was planned. Singh showed footage of the violence that injured more than 300 police personnel.

Close-up footage showing the very first incident of arson as well as drone visuals of the same were displayed at the briefing.

Within 30 minutes since the demolition drive began, the mob started to take over the streets. Videos of the petrol bomb attack on the police station, vehicles being set ablaze and an attack on police personnel inside the police station were shown to the media.

Media vehicles and vehicles of citizens were also targeted. DM Singh categorically mentioned that the attack and arson by the mob were unprovoked.

“No one provoked them (the mob), no one tried to harm them, no one tried to hurt them. Despite that, an unprovoked attack was attempted on the police personnel inside the police station. They were not let out. They (the mob) tried to burn them (the cops) alive,” the District Magistrate said.

Footages were also shown from days before the demolition drive when notices were served in this area over the illegal encroachments.

In this footage, as explained by DM Vandana Singh, no significant amount of stones can be seen on the rooftops of the structures in the area which begets the question as to how the mob came in possession of such a large quantity of stones pelted on the police personnel on Thursday.

The first attack, the DM revealed, was made by the mob on the team of the municipal corporation by pelting stones at them from rooftops on all four sides.

Mob planned attack simultaneously when petition filed in HC against demolition was being heard

Despite being unable to grant sufficient evidence of ownership as against evidence available with the state, the opposing party tried seeking a stay on the demolition notice.

They moved the High Court seeking a stay on the notice issued by the district administration. The hearing went on for two days and HC refused to give relief to the petitioner.

Singh said, “Our preparation was completed three days ago itself and so taking into account the HC order, we went ahead with the anti-encroachment drive.”

No one was provoked, we moved our equipment as per due procedure and started the drive peacefully, she added. Within 30 minutes of the demolition drive, the mob began to attack.

Singh said that in the footage from 30th January, no stones can be seen on the rooftops in the Banbhoolpur area. Considering the large number of stones that were pelted on 8th February, the DM pointed out that the attack was planned by the mob simultaneously when the petitioner’s case was being heard in the HC.

“This means it was planned that when the demolition drive will be held, we will attack the forces and we will try to demoralise the state machinery,” she said.

Three-pronged planned attack attempted at the police force and municipal corporation team by the mob

In a shocking revelation, the attacks were so systematically planned that for every failed attack, there was another attack planned with the aim of killing.

The DM narrated that the first attack was with stones targeted at the team of the municipal corporation and the police.

Seeing that the forces did not budge with stone pelting, the mob then launched a second attack with petrol bombs and hurled them inside the police station.

At this point, vehicles were set ablaze and property was being damaged. But the police personnel still did not withdraw.

Seeing this a third mob, the DM said, gheraoed the police station. Magistrate, police personnel, officers, some state machinery and teams among others were present inside the police station.

“Those who were inside the police station were not allowed to come out. Stones were first pelted on them, then petrol bombs were hurled and vehicles stationed outside were set on fire. The smoke from the fire filled the police station and it got suffocating inside,” Singh said.

Warning announcements were made by the force, tear gas shells were fired and water cannons were released to put the fire off and save those stuck inside the police station from suffocating. Despite all this, the mob did not budge.

Officials then received information that shots were fired at the officials present inside the police station. “Whether the arms used were legal or illegal is a matter of investigation,” DM Singh said.

It was after this that a curfew was imposed, orders were given to use force and shoot-at-sight below the waist for the safety and security of security officials.

As soon as the mob was disbursed from the police station area, the vandals moved to Gandhinagar area and surrounded it with the intent to terrorise state machinery and residents.

Security officials brought the situation in Gandhinagar under control even as a large mob kept moving out of Banbhoolpur to other areas.

Attack aimed at the state machinery

DM Singh said that the nature of the violence was not communal but rather an attempt at attacking the state machinery and authorities.

She said that the mob was not trying to save the structure but to attack the police station.

“They tried to challenge the law and order in the state,” she said.

More damage could have happened if more time would have been given to stall the demolition

Nainital DM Vandana Singh said that the more time that would have been given, the more damage could have been done by the arsonists across Haldwani.

This can be gauged from the extent of damage done by the mob by planning and preparing between 30th January to 8th February.

“If we would have delayed the demolition, they would have gotten more time to prepare the attack. This could have been severe had they been given more time,” Singh said.

The demolition drive was not new and not done in isolation

The administration had been conducting demolition drives on illegal structures in various areas in Haldwani for the past 15-20 days, the DM said.

The anti-encroachment drive was being conducted after the High Court’s order. Singh said that due procedure has been followed ahead of the demolition drives including serving notices, heeding concerns and objections and were addressed.

“…After the HC’s order action has been taken against encroachment at various places in Haldwani…Everyone was given notice and time for hearing…Some did approach the HC some were given time while some were not given time. Where time was not given demolition drive was conducted by PWD & Municipal Corporation. This was not an isolated activity and was not targeted to a particular asset…” the DM said.

Singh underlined that the demolition drive in Banbhoolpura was not an isolated one but part of a wider anti-encroachment drive going on for weeks.

Madrasa that was being razed in Banbhoolpura was illegal

The empty property has two structures that were being demolished in Banbhoolpura were being razed as part of this very demolition drive.

The two structures, Singh said, are nowhere registered as religious properties and neither are they officially recognised as such.

“Some people call it madrassa and some call it a purnamaz sthal (a former place for namaz). But there is no official record of their existence at present. We got the place emptied, took over the open space and a notice was put up on these structures,” Singh said.

She pointed out that the area is called “Malik Ka Bageecha” but the documents with the municipal corporation show that it is not registered under this name. Instead, the property is registered as “najul land” of the municipal corporation.

Najul land is a type of government land which is used for non-agricultural purposes like building roads and other such public amenities/properties.

On these grounds, a notice was stuck on the structures ordering the removal of illegal encroachments in 3 days. It was clearly stated in advance by the administration that if the same is not done then those staking claims would have to prove ownership of the property or else it would be taken down by authorities.

Singh said that the date of 4th February was selected for the demolition drive and the above-mentioned instructions were given on 30th January 2024.

On 3rd February, a discussion was held in this regard between all stakeholders. Those against the demolition requested time from the district administration to move High Court.

However, since time had already been given earlier and the administration did not give more time. On 4th February, some documents were presented by the stakeholders which eventually led to a halt in the drive.

The structure, which belonged to the corporation, was sealed with mutual agreement and the PAC (Pradeshik Armed Constabulary) was posted.

“There was no possibility of anyone’s interest getting affected, no one was living inside that property, no one was being evicted, and no one’s house was involved in it. That was an illegal structure. All due process was followed,” the DM said.

Pakistan Elections: 26/11 terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed loses from Lahore

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Pakistan Elections: 26/11 terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed loses from Lahore

Amid the voting of the general elections conducted on Thursday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Latif Khosa has secured victory against UN-proscribed terrorist Muhammad Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed from Lahore’s NA 122 seat, Pakistan media reported.

Latif Khosa garnered 117,109 votes while Talha Saeed received only 2024 votes. Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique got 77907 votes, as per local media reports.

Notably, Muhammad Hafiz Saeed, who is a UN-proscribed terrorist, is the founder of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He was the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and is wanted in India in numerous cases.

The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political entity of Hafiz Saeed has fielded candidates for each and every national and provincial assembly constituency across Pakistan for the general elections held on February 8.

As the counting of votes is underway, the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) had won 12 seats, Dawn reported. The daily, citing provisional results of the Election Commission of Pakistan, said that independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had won 9 seats.

Khan was disqualified from contesting the elections due to criminal convictions, and his supporters contested as independent candidates. Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has secured victory in 11 seats, Dawn reported.

Local media outlets in Pakistan today started reporting the results of the polls conducted in the national and provincial assemblies that began at 8 am on February 8 and was conducted until 5 pm on the same day.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry today said delay in election results, which was supposed to be out by Friday morning, was due to a “lack of connectivity,” which it stressed was the result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has contacted the Chief Secretaries, DROs and Provincial Election Commissioners, and issued strict instructions to ensure immediate declaration of results, according to an ECP press release cited by The News International reported.

Nawaz Sharif secured victory in NA-130 constituency with 171024 votes, Geo News reported, citing results from the Election Commission of Pakistan.

According to the results received from all polling stations, former Prime Minister and brother of Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif secured victory in NA-123 seat by garnering 63,953 votes while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Afzal Azeem received 48,486 votes.

Additionally, Shehbaz Sharif secured victory in the Lahore PP-158 seat by receiving 38,642 votes while independent candidate Yousuf Ali was runner-up with 23,847 votes. His son Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif won his seat with 105960 votes from Lahore’s NA-118 seat, according to ARY News report.

PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz secured victory in Lahore’s PP-189 seat with 23,598 votes, according to ARY News report. According to unofficial results received from all polling stations, Hamza Shehbaz secured victory against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Aliya Hamza, who received 100,803 votes, ARY News reported.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali claimed that PTI is leading at 150 seats and will form government in all over Pakistan.

While sharing the video of Gohar Ali Khan, the post on Imran Khan’s official X handle reads, “InshAllah PTI will form governments in Punjab, KP and Federal. Any attempt to change the results overnight will be thwarted and not accepted at any cost by the people of Pakistan or the local and international observers and media – Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar”.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Ravish Kumar whitewashes Islamist violence in Haldwani, suggests Opposition to milk it during election and dubs courts as ‘communal’

OpIndia Staff
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Ravish Kumar whitewashes Islamist violence in Haldwani, suggests Opposition to milk it during election and dubs courts as ‘communal’

A day after Islamists ran riots in Haldwani city in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, former NDTV ‘journalist’-turned-YouTuber Ravish Kumar gave a clean chit to the rioters and blamed the court and the State government for removing illegal encroachments.

In his long rant on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday (9th February), the left-wing propagandist conveniently ignored the stone-pelting and arson attacks executed by radical Islamists. Instead, he accused the Hindus of supposedly being ‘complicit in silence.’

“The existence of mosques was erased overnight in Delhi. The people of Delhi city ignored it. They are becoming involved in every atrocity with their silence,” Ravish Kumar alleged at the very outset.

Instead of calling out frenzied Muslim mobs which rioted in Haldwani, he attempted to guilt-trip Hindus discussing the communal incident.

“There is severe unemployment in Uttarakhand but the debate is being created about what? It is sad if the youth there have chosen this future. They need to be careful of newspapers and channels,” Ravish Kumar claimed.

He then went on to fear-monger about the State government, local and district courts and the media in a bid to absolve the Islamists of any wrongdoing.

Ravish Kumar tells Opposition to include ‘Haldwani violence’ in speeches

Ravish Kumar was seen suggesting the Opposition parties to politicise the Haldwani incident and use it in their elections.

While devising a shrewd political strategy for non-BJP politicians, the YouTuber remarked, “Prominent leaders of the Opposition should go to Banbhoolpura in Uttarakhand. They should stay there and find out what has transpired at that place.”

“It seems that in the name of removing illegal encroachment, something else is happening there. The news is dominated by the narrative of the Uttarakhand government. As such, Opposition leaders should display courage and visit the affected area and communicate to people,” he added.

Ravish Kumar claimed, “You cannot leave the majority (referring to the Hindu community) at the mercy of ‘Godi media’ and ‘WhatsApp propaganda’. He then urged the Opposition to step up their political efforts ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Electoral polarisation is happening anyway. If the opposition continues to maintain silence like this, it will not be able to fight the ‘government-led-communalism’ happening across the country. Mention these things in your speeches,” he emphasised.

The former ‘journalist’ however lamented that the Opposition leaders did not pacify Muslims after the demolition of an illegal mosque in the National Capital. “Did the opposition leaders go to the spot and tell the people nearby what was happening?” he had tweeted.

YouTuber casts aspersions on media and Judiciary

Ravish Kumar, who is known for virtue signalling on ‘journalism and ethics’, was seen scaremongering about the media, Judiciary and the State apparatus to deviate public discourse from the role of Muslim mobs in fomenting violence and chaos in Haldwani city of Uttarakhand.

He claimed, “Hindi newspapers are filled with stories of ‘Hindu claims’ on mosques. Sometimes, they (Hindus) create an atmosphere of chaos claiming that a temple exists underneath a mosque and sometimes in the name of removing illegal encroachments.”

“After going through many such stories, it seems clear that the courts, police, State government departments and newspapers run by Godi media are continuously trying to consolidate the Hindu vote bank. This is extremely sad and shameful,” Ravish Kumar brazened out.

While alleging that the Judiciary is working in cahoots with the government to spread communalism, the propagandist claimed, “There should be a discussion on the role of the courts at the lower level. The game is being played in the form of surveys. The idea is to make everything look legal (to the common eye).”

Raavish Kumar then begged the supreme court to intervene in cases where the verdict is unfavourable to his political agenda. “The Supreme Court should look into the cases going on in different courts…A new form of ‘court communalism’ is being witnessed in India. At least the Supreme Court should not become the protector of such communalism and at the same time should not remain ignorant.”

Riots in Haldwani

On Thursday (8th February), Islamists resorted to stone pelting and arson in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani area. The frenzied mob attacked authorities who went there to demolish a madrasa, which was built on illegally encroached govt land near the Banbhulpura police station.

The Islamists pelted stones at the policemen and Haldwani Municipal Corporation workers present there. Later, they surrounded the police station and went on to set fire to the vehicles stationed outside the Banbhulpura police station.

The mob also set a transformer on fire, resulting in a power outage in the area. Several journalists and administration officials were trapped inside the police station as a mob surrounded the Banbhulpura police station.

“Four people died in the violence-hit Banbhoolpura and more than 100 policemen were injured,” said State ADG Law & Order AP Anshuman.

Following the unrest, the district administration suspended internet services and ordered the closure of all schools and colleges. Uttarakhand government has put high alert in the state as a precaution after the violence.

‘Authorities acted in haste… should have first taken Maulana into confidence’: Congress MLA blames authorities instead of Muslim mob for Haldwani violence

OpIndia Staff
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‘Authorities acted in haste… should have first taken Maulana into confidence’: Congress MLA blames authorities instead of Muslim mob for Haldwani violence

On Thursday, February 8, a murderous Muslim mob attacked police personnel and Municipal Corporation officials who went to demolish an illegally constructed structure which some labelled as a madarsa while some a namaz place in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. As many as 4 people have been reported dead so far and over 300 police personnel have been injured in the violence.

Several videos emerged showing Islamists pelting stones, shooting guns, and indulging in rampant arson and violence. There are testimonies from police officials which claim that the Muslim mob wanted to set them on fire.

Despite knowing the fact that it was the police personnel and local civic authorities who fell prey to the wrath of the Muslim mob, Haldwani Congress MLA Sumit Hridayesh has shockingly gone on to blame the Uttarakhand authorities for the violence.

Following the Thursday incident, the Congress MLA took to X to share a video of himself speaking to the media from the hospital. In the video, the Congress leader can be heard sort of defending the Muslim mob while he accuses the authorities of acting in haste.

Despite knowing that the authorities were carrying out the demolition in compliance with the High Court directives, the Congress MLA is heard saying, “There has been a major lapse from the civic officials’ side. The people who approached the court against the demolition were given time until the 14th, but the officials acted in haste. It was best if they had first gained the confidence of the Maulana. They showed up abruptly and executed the task in such haste.”

Though later in the video, he condemns the incident, on the face of it, the Congress MLA seemed to be defending the Muslim mob that committed the violence by implying that the authorities had acted in haste without seeking approval from the maulanas in the area which compelled the Muslim mob to respond in the way they did.

While the Congress MLA wants people to believe that the action taken by the civic authorities was not according to the law, the truth is that the officials had sent a notice to the management of the madarsa informing them that the structure had been illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madrasa management, in turn, could not furnish any documents substantiating that the structure was not illegally constructed. Moreover, the Corporation had previously seized three acres of land near the site of the illegal madarsa and namaz place. These structures were demolished on Thursday.

Speaking about the demolition of the illegally constructed structure on government land in the Banbhulpura area, Nainital DM confirmed that this was done in compliance with the High Court orders and that everyone was given notice and time for a hearing.

“After the HC’s order action has been taken against encroachment at various places in Haldwani…Everyone was given notice and time for hearing…Some did approach the HC some were given time while some were not given time. Where time was not given demolition drive was conducted by PWD & Municipal Corporation. This was not an isolated activity and was not targeted to a particular asset…”

It is to be noted here that a Malik Colony resident named Safia Malik and others had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on 6 February 2024 seeking a stay on demolition of the said madarsa and mosque and challenged the notice given by the Haldwani Municipal Corporation to the petitioners. On Thursday (8th February) the Uttarakhand High Court held a hearing on the PIL. The vacation bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit refused to grant relief to the petitioners in the matter. The next hearing is scheduled for 14th February.

After the hearing, the court didn’t make any comment on the matter. The order just said, “List this matter on 14.02.2024”.

After the court did not grant relief to the petitioners seeking a stay on the demolition exercise, the local police and the Haldwani Municipal Corporation team led by Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Upadhyay, City Magistrate Richa Singh, and SDM Paritosh Verma, utilized heavy machinery, including a JCB machine, to raze the illegal structure located in Malik’s garden under the Banbhulpura area of Haldwani.

The irate mob, however, responded by pelting stones at the authorities and setting police vans on fire.

Notably, after the incident took place, the DM of Nainital category explained that the violence was pre-planned and that the Islamists had decided that the day the authorities came to demolish the structure following the High Court order, they would indulge in violence against them. She also explained how there were multiple mobs and after the initial mob pelting stones was pushed back by the police, another emerged with petrol bombs. She further explained how there was an attempt to burn police officers alive.

Further, the police also confirmed that there were no stones on rooftops in Haldwani up until the 30th of January. It was after the 30th of January, while the case of the illegal Madrasa was being heard in the High Court, did the Muslims started collecting stones and petrol bombs on their rooftop.

Despite all this information being available on the public platform, the Congress MLA went on to defend the Islamists who committed unrestrained violence that resulted in over 300 police personnel being gravely injured. His reaction was, however, not at all shocking. It was, after all, coordinated with those of the leftist media and the Jihadi online mob, which, as soon as word of the violence spread, began to provide cover for these on-ground Jihadis.

Former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh to be conferred Bharat Ratna, announces PM Narendra Modi

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Former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh to be conferred Bharat Ratna, announces PM Narendra Modi

Former Prime Minister of the country, Chaudhary Charan Singh will be conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday.

Taking to the social media platform, PM Modi said this honour is dedicated to the former Prime Minister’s incomparable contribution to the country.

“It is the good fortune of our government that former Prime Minister of the country Chaudhary Charan Singh is being honoured with Bharat Ratna. This honour is dedicated to his incomparable contribution to the country. He had dedicated his entire life to the rights and welfare of farmers. Be it the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh or the Home Minister of the country, even as an MLA, he always gave impetus to nation-building. He also stood firm against the Emergency. His dedication to our farmer brothers and sisters and his commitment to democracy during the Emergency are inspiring to the entire nation,” PM posted on X.

The Prime Minister further announced that agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan and former PM PV Narasimha Rao will also be conferred with Bharat Ratna.

This exemplifies the Modi government’s commitment to the agricultural sector, as reflected by the selection of two out of three awardees, Chaudhary Charan Singh and MS Swaminathan, who have significantly championed the cause of agriculture.

Two of the awardees, Narsimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh, come from non-BJP backgrounds, indicating Prime Minister Modi’s belief in conferring national honours in a very party-agnostic manner.

Narasimha Rao and MS Swaminathan, hail from South India, showing that the Prime Minister values the contributions and expertise from all corners of the country.

Charan Singh was born in 1902 at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, in a middle class peasant family. He graduated in science in 1923 and did his post-graduation at Agra University in 1925. Also trained in law, he set up practice in Ghaziabad. He shifted to Meerut in 1929 and later joined the Congress.

He was first elected to the UP Legislative Assembly in 1937 from Chhaprauli, and represented the constituency in 1946, 1952, 1962 and 1967. He became Parliamentary Secretary in Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant’s Government in 1946 and worked in various departments such as Revenue, Medical and Public Health, Justice, Information etc.

In June 1951, he was appointed Cabinet Minister in the State and given charge of the Departments of Justice and Information. Later, he took over as the Minister for Revenue and Agriculture in the Cabinet of Sampurnanand in 1952. When he resigned in April 1959, he was holding charge of the Department of Revenue and Transport.

In CB Gupta’s Ministry he was Minister for Home and Agriculture (1960). Charan Singh served as Minister for Agriculture and Forests (1962-63) in Sucheta Kripalani’s Ministry. He gave up the Department of Agriculture in 1965 and assumed charge of the Local Self-government department in 1966.

After the Congress split, he became the Chief Minister of UP for the second time in February 1970 with the support of the Congress Party. However, President’s Rule was imposed in the State on October 2, 1970.

Meanwhile Chaudhry Charan Singh’s grandson and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhry welcomed the announcement with a brief post on X ” You have won our hearts.”

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Former PM and veteran Congress leader P V Narasimha Rao to be conferred Bharat Ratna, announces PM Narendra Modi

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Former PM and veteran Congress leader P V Narasimha Rao to be conferred Bharat Ratna, announces PM Narendra Modi

Former Prime Minister and veteran leader of Congress, Late P V Narasimha Rao will be conferred with the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday.

Taking to X, PM Modi said that as a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao served India extensively in various capacities.

“Delighted to share that our former Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao Garu, will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna. As a distinguished scholar and statesman, Narasimha Rao Garu served India extensively in various capacities. He is equally remembered for the work he did as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister, and as a Member of Parliament and Legislative Assembly for many years. His visionary leadership was instrumental in making India economically advanced, laying a solid foundation for the country’s prosperity and growth,” the PM said.

“Narasimha Rao Garu’s tenure as Prime Minister was marked by significant measures that opened India to global markets, fostering a new era of economic development. Furthermore, his contributions to India’s foreign policy, language and education sectors underscore his multifaceted legacy as a leader who not only steered India through critical transformations but also enriched its cultural and intellectual heritage,” he added.

Born on June 28, 1921, in Karimnagar, Telangana, being an agriculturist and an advocate, Narsimha Rao joined politics and held some important portfolios. He was the Minister of Law and Information, 1962-64; Law and Endowments, 1964-67; Health and Medicine, 1967 and Education, 1968-71, Government of Andhra Pradesh. He was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1971-73 and General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee from 1975-76.

A man of many interests, his special interest was in Indian philosophy and culture, writing fiction and political commentary, learning languages, writing poems in Telugu and Hindi and keeping abreast of literature in general. He successfully published ‘SahasraPhan’, a Hindi translation of late Shri Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s famous Telegu Novel ‘Veyi Padagalu’; ‘Abala Jeevitam’, Telugu translation of late Shri Hari Narayan Apte’s famous Marathi Novel, “Pan Lakshat Kon gheto”. He translated other famous works from Marathi to Telugu and from Telugu to Hindi, and published many articles in different magazines. He lectured at Universities in the U.S.A. and West Germany on political matters and allied subjects.

During the period when he was Minister of External Affairs, Rao successfully brought to bear his scholarly background and rich political and administrative experience in the field of international diplomacy. He chaired the III Conference of UNIDO at New Delhi in January 1980, within a few days of assuming charge. He also chaired a meeting of the Group of 77 in New York in March 1980.

Narsimha Rao was also the Leader of the Special Non-aligned Mission that visited countries in West Asia in November 1983, to resolve the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. He was associated actively with the Commonwealth Heads of Government in New Delhi and with the Action Group set up by the meeting on the question of Cyprus.

He is credited with bringing many economic reforms in the country, particularly for dismantling the License Raj in the country.

It was during Rao’s term that he appointed Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister, who ushered in a series of economic reforms to lift the country from a worsening economic crisis.

Rao was a six-time MP and died at the age of 83 in 2004.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Pakistan elections: Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz win seats in Lahore, govt cites ‘internet issues’ for delayed results

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Pakistan elections: Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz win seats in Lahore, govt cites ‘internet issues’ for delayed results

As results trickled in from the counting of votes in Pakistan general elections, three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had won 12 seats, Dawn reported.

The daily, citing provisional results of the Election Commission of Pakistan, said that independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had won 8 seats.

Khan was disqualified from contesting the elections due to criminal convictions, and his supporters contested as independent candidates.

Local media outlets in Pakistan today started reporting results of the polls conducted in the national and provincial assemblies that began at 8 am on February 8 and was conducted by 5 pm on the same day.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry today said delay in election results, which was supposed to be out by Friday morning, was due to a “lack of connectivity,” which it stressed was the result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security.

Nawaz Sharif secured victory in NA-130 constituency with 171024 votes, Geo News reported, citing results from the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Results of the 265 contested seats in the National Assembly,

According to the results received from all polling stations, former prime minister and brother of Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif secured victory in NA-123 seat by garnering 63,953 votes while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Afzal Azeem received 48,486 votes.

Additionally, Shehbaz Sharif secured victory in the Lahore PP-158 seat by receiving 38,642 votes while independent candidate Yousuf Ali was runner-up with 23,847 votes. His son Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif won his seat with 105960 votes from Lahore’s NA-118 seat.

PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz secured victory in Lahore’s PP-189 seat with 23,598 votes, according to ARY News report.

According to unofficial results received from all polling stations, Hamza Shehbaz secured victory against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Aliya Hamza, who received 100,803 votes, ARY News reported.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has contacted the Chief Secretaries, DROs and Provincial Election Commissioners, and issued strict instructions to ensure immediate declaration of results, according to an ECP press release cited by The News International reported.

Polling was conducted for 265 seats of the National Assembly and 590 seats of provincial assemblies. For this election, voting in one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate. Pakistan’s National Assembly consists of 336 seats. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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