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Haldwani violence: How an SC order stopped govt and allowed 4000 families of illegal encroachers to continue staying on Railway’s Land

OpIndia Staff
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Haldwani violence: How an SC order stopped govt and allowed 4000 families of illegal encroachers to continue staying on Railway’s Land

On Thursday (8th February), incidents of stone pelting and arson transpired in the Haldwani area of Uttarakhand. The Muslim mob attacked authorities who went there to raze a madrasa built on illegally encroached government land near the Banbhoolpura police station under the ongoing drive against illegal encroachments.

The stone pelting by the rioting mob on Thursday left several persons dead and over 100 police personnel were injured. The violent mob surrounded the Banbhoolpura police station and set vehicles stationed there ablaze. The mob also attacked Haldwani Municipal Corporation workers including SDM. To bring the law and order under control, the local administration imposed a curfew and issued shoot-at-sight orders in Haldwani.

The Municipal Corporation team in Haldwani, Uttarakhand had arrived to demolish an illegal structure located in Malik’s garden under the Banbhoolpura area. Officials said they had sent a notice to the management of the madrasa-mosque informing them that the structure was illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madrasa management could not provide any documents to prove that the structure was not illegally constructed. The Corporation had also previously seized three acres of land near the demolished site. A plea challenging the Municipal Corporation’s notice was heard by the Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday. The vacation bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit did not grant relief in the matter following which the authorities initiated the demolition exercise.

The authorities have stated that the encroachment removal process has been completely legal and in compliance of court orders. They also stated that the process has been going on at multiple sites after serving notices and giving ample opportunities to the c concerned parties to bring objections or prove their ownership of the sites.

Haldwani Railway land encroachment case

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Haldwani has been engulfed in protests and violence over government action against illegal encroachments. In January last year, a massive protest had erupted in Haldwani over the issue of the removal of encroachment from the land owned by the Indian Railways.

The protests started after Uttarakhand High Court, on December 26, 2022, ordered the authorities to immediately evict the illegal encroachers which comprise nearly 4000 families to vacate the land belonging to the Indian Railways.  The protesters (mostly Muslims) claimed that the clearance of encroachments would affect a large number of women, children, and elderly persons residing in the area. The usual players including AltNews’s Mohammad Zubair, and Amnesty India among others jumped in to support the illegal encroachers against the court-directed action to remove encroachments from the railway land in Banbhoolpura city.

While illegal encroachers were not ready to leave the Railway land, the Railways department had said that the encroachment is impeding growth and expansion efforts. Several requests for increasing railway tracks in the region, according to the railway officials, were previously submitted to the government but were thwarted due to encroachment. A proposal to build pit lines was received a few years ago, however it was shelved owing to a shortage of area caused by encroachment.

However, on 5th January 2023, the Supreme Court bench comprising SK Kaul and AS Oka stayed the removal of illegal encroachments and also barred any construction or development on the land until the matter is resolved. The apex court ruled that a workable arrangement has to be devised. The SC bench gave its decision while hearing multiple petitions contesting the Uttarakhand High Court ruling that mandated the removal of unlawful encroachments on railway land in Haldwani.

The Supreme Court had issued notifications to the Uttarakhand government and the Railways in the case, urging them to find a realistic solution before proceeding with the eviction.

As reported earlier, while the Supreme Court agreed that the land belongs to Indian Railways and is needed for the development and expansion of railway infrastructure, the court stated in its judgement that the government must give full rehabilitation to the eligible residents of the area.

While putting a stay on the matter, the Supreme Court said that 50,000 persons cannot be relocated in seven days. Justice SK Kaul stated that there are numerous parts to the issue, that people have been living on the land for years, and that there are establishments.

Interestingly, the Supreme Court had taken a different approach in the matter of illegal encroachments on forest land in Khori Gaon, a village at the foothills of the eco-sensitive Aravallis in Haryana’s Faridabad. On 7th June 2021, the Supreme Court had ordered the removal of illegal encroachments within six weeks while hearing a plea seeking a stay on the demolition of 10,000 houses in the area. The apex court back then observed that “no compromise can be made with forest lands.” Days later, the top court also upheld its decision to clear the illegal encroachments on forest lands and evict 100,000 people from the encroached forest land. 

Notably, despite the Supreme Court agreeing that the encroached land in Haldwani belongs to the Railways Department, the matter is getting dragged with the illegal encroachers, that is nearly 4000 families still occupying the Railways land. On 7th February 2023, the apex court granted the Indian Railways authorities and Uttarakhand government eight weeks’ time to work out a solution in relation to the rehabilitation of the people who were asked to vacate the encroachments from railway land in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area. A bench consisting of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Manoj Misra granted eight weeks to Railway authorities and Uttarakhand at the plea of Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati. The matter will be heard on 2nd May.

Whether it’s encroaching on railway land or rioting over the demolition of an illegal madarsa-mosque, Islamists are never willing to follow the law. They want things to go their way or they will resort to violence and use all of the propaganda machinery at their disposal to gain sympathy and support.

Nainital DM Vandana Singh, while addressing the media about the violence on 8th February, stated the anti-encroachment drive was neither targeted at one particular structure or one particular community, but has been going on as per due process in a multiphased manner. However, on Thursday, 8th February 2024, government officials and police personnel were attacked by the locals. Stones were pelted, petrol bombs were thrown, and there were attempts to burn the personnel alive by setting fire.

Illegal encroachment menace in Uttarakhand

The menace of illegal encroachments on government properties is not limited to Banbhoolpura or Haldwani but is rampant across Uttarakhand. In December last year, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that his government has freed 5000 acres of land encroached through Land Jihad. As reported earlier, CM Dhami had directed the state police and forest department to identify all illegal constructions. The authorities identified a total of 3,793 such areas until May 2023. The Nainital district had the highest number of encroachments, with around 1,433, followed by the Haridwar district, which had 1,149. Other districts with a large number of illegal structures are Tehri (209), Almora (192), and Champawat (97). The great majority of these encroachments were on forest land.

In May 2023, the state authorities had demolished over 330 Mazars in 90 days. Earlier in March 2023, the Uttarakhand government rolled bulldozers over illegal mazars which were built by encroachment on the reserved forest land. 

The usual lies, victim playing begins: After Muslim mob went on a rampage in Haldwani, the online mob, including TheWire, starts shielding on-ground Jihadis

Nupur J Sharma
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The usual lies, victim playing begins: After Muslim mob went on a rampage in Haldwani, the online mob, including TheWire, starts shielding on-ground Jihadis

On February 8th, Haldwani, Uttarakhand, erupted in unbridled violence as Muslim mobs went on a murderous rampage. The mob attacked police authorities who had gone to Haldwani to demolish a Madrasa, built illegally. This action was not one carried out on a whim – it was after the High Court ordered the authorities to do so.

The mob went on a rampage when the 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. Officials said that they had sent a notice to the management of the madrasa 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 madrasa and namaz place, which they now demolished.

The irate mob reportedly 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.

While the mob went on a rampage, the Uttarakhand government ordered shoot-at-sight orders with curfew being imposed in several areas. 4 have died in the violence so far and over 300 police personnel have been injured. Among the injured police officers, several woman police officers have been grievously hurt. Here is a snippet of what the Muslim mob did to police officers.

Images of police officials injured in Haldwani violence

Videos of the horrific violence that emerged showed 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 the information that has emerged since the violence began and the fact that the violence had also erupted only days after the Uniform Civil Code was passed in the state, media and the online mob of Jihadis started giving cover fire to the on-ground Jihadis.

One Islamist claimed that “this” was the “same old game” which was being played out in Haldwani where allegedly the Muslims were first provoked and instigated, and then, when they “resisted”, those injured in the violence (police officers and Hindus) are “crying victim”.

Screenshot of tweet

Essentially, what Saif is saying is that the process of the law itself is a provocation to Muslims and any attempt to enforce the law is an affront. Further, he is branding all violence by the Muslims as the “language of the oppressed” essentially saying that Muslims somehow have the right to commit arson, pelt stones, shoot and commit violence because of their internalised victimhood.

This is, of course, the same strategy that Islamists use the world over. They commit unbridled violence and then, that violence is justified in the name of their imagined victimhood. The playbook is simple and is deployed by the Islamists from Israel to India.

  1. When Muslims indulge in violence, it is because the Muslims are the oppressed victims and the unbridled violence is the language of the oppressed.
  2. Since Muslims are the oppressed, they have a right to indulge in violence against non-Muslims and should not be blamed for it.
  3. Once they indulge in violence, there should be no ill-will towards the Muslims because that would be Islamophobic.
  4. Muslims, even though they celebrate the violence against non-Muslims, are not the same as those who committed the violence.
  5. The non-Muslims against whom the violence has been perpetrated are the actual aggressors because they did something to anger and hurt the Muslims – anger and hurt which is justified, and therefore, the violence is the legitimate act of the victims (the Muslims – not the ones being attacked).
  6. Any cognisance of the fact that their religious doctrine ordains them to kill the non-Muslims is immediately and automatically Islamophobic.
  7. After the Muslims indulge in violence and other Islamists celebrate that violence, any act of self defence or retaliation is oppressive and genocidal.

This playbook was employed rather beautifully by the online mob of Islamists and Jihadi allies.

Millat Times was one of the propaganda handles at the forefront of crying victim.

Tweet by Millat Times

They gloss over the fact that the Muslim mob went on a rampage hurling stones and petrol bombs and committing widespread arson, in an attempt to murder police officials and burnt them alive.

What they do claim is that the Muslims are being provoked because their religious structure was being demolished without cause – a lie because it was being razed owing to a High Court order. They also claim that Muslim women were being attacked by the police who had gone there to protest peacefully. This is again an absolute lie. The Islamists have a habit of keeping their woman and children at the forefront so they can either dent police action or, they can later cry victim claiming that their women were “attacked”. Amid widespread violence, one could see burqa-clad women attempting to help the Jihadi mob – a fact that is also glossed over by Millat Times.

Lastly, they claim that the government, without cause, issued shoot-at-sight orders against Muslims. A classic victim-playing ploy which does not tell readers that shoot-at-sight orders were issued only AFTER the Muslim mob went on a rampage attempting to murder and burn police officers alive.

Jihadis using their women to play victim after indulging in violence is not new. This is a phenomenon we observe every time there is violence by the Islamists. Several Islamist handles spread the same misinformation.

Another narrative that seems to be taking root is another example of how the classic Islamist book ploy plays out – Indulge in violence and then blame others when they defend themselves.

A handle that appears to be an ardent follower of AltNews’ co-founder and fake news spreader in-chief, Mohammad Zubair, tweeted a video insinuating the stone pelting was done by the police and Hindus because, in the video, one could see stones being pelted while slangs at Muslims were being hurled.

Is this a fake video? No. It is not. However, the Islamists have learnt from years of spreading propaganda the perfect way to twist facts.

According to the police, 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. 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 explains 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 explains how there was an attempt to burn police officers alive.

With this information and the several visuals of the violence that has emerged, it is obvious that the Muslim mob indulged in pre-planned, calculated violence against the authorities when they went to Haldwani to implement the High Court order.

When there is arson, stone pelting, shooting and petrol bombs being hurled by thousands of Islamists, it is obvious that the actual victims of the violence would try to defend themselves and in the process, not only hurl the stones back but also be angry enough to hurl some slurs along with it as well.

This act of self-defence, however, is taken as an act of aggression by the online mob of Islamists, completely forgetting that the violence was perpetrated by their co-religionists and the victims had to retaliate only to defend themselves from their onslaught.

If one believes that this campaign of lies was being spearheaded by random Twitter accounts only, one would be sorely mistaken. TheWire, the Left propaganda outlet and the greatest ally of the Islamists started peddling the same lies as the online mob.

Excerpt of The Wire’s report

Here are the assertions by TheWire:

  1. No demolition order was produced by the authorities.
  2. Women were beaten.
  3. Authorities allowed two people to retrieve “religious books” from the Madrasa before demolition.
  4. “Few police officers” got injured when “people from the area retaliated”.

Now, that there was no demolition order produced by the authorities seems to be an absolute lie. Firstly, this was a High Court ruling and not a random government decision. Secondly, the DM of Nainital categorically stated that the violence was preplanned for the day of the demolition. If the residents of the area did not know of the demolition and the court order, one has to ask The Wire how they managed to collect stones and petrol bombs to attack officials. Officials have also categorically said that they had sent a notice to the management of the madrasa 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.

The next assertion is that only a “few police officers” got injured when people retaliated. The Wire here fails to ask (perhaps intentionally so) what was the mob retaliating to since the authorities had merely come there to implement a court order.

One assertion by The Wire, perhaps unintentionally so, exposes just how vicious the Islamists are. The Wire wrote that the eyewitness they spoke to said that the authorities allowed two people to go into the Madrasa and retrieve their religious books in Haldwani. This clearly shows that there was no anti-Muslim campaign being run by the authorities as The Wire or the online mob of Islamists would have their readers believe. If they indeed wanted to run an anti-Muslim campaign, they would not have let them retrieve their religious books. Despite this piece of information, however, The Wire helps the online and on-ground mob whitewash their crimes by parroting lies and conjectures.

As more information emerges from Haldwani, the cacophony of the online mob would only increase in an attempt to not only shield the on-ground Jihadis but also to instigate more violence.

‘The CIA blew up Nordstream pipeline, everyone knows it’: Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tucker Carlson interview

Sanghamitra
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‘The CIA blew up Nordstream pipeline, everyone knows it’: Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tucker Carlson interview

As expected, the first interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin by a journalist from the Western world after the Russia-Ukraine war started is bringing to the fore some very uncomfortable questions about the USA and NATO nations. The Russian President has held the USA and its spy agency CIA directly responsible for the destruction of the Nordstream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

During the interview, Tucker Carlson asked Putin, ‘Who blew up the Nordstream pipeline”? Putin first answers jokingly, “You did it for sure”. When Tucker laughs saying he was busy that day, Putin says, “You personally may have an alibi, but the CIA has no such alibi.”

When Tucker Carlson asks if he has evidence that the CIA did it, Putin explains, “As the saying goes, ‘look for someone who is interested’, but here in this case (the USA government) was not just interested but they also have the capabilities. Not everyone has the capability to dive into the bottom of the Baltic Sea and carry out an explosion like this.”

Tucker Carlson then asks, “The blowing up of the Nordstream pipeline is the largest act of Industrial terrorism ever. If you have evidence, given the security services at your disposal, why not present it to the world and win a propaganda victory?

Putin then answers, “In the world of propaganda, it is very difficult to defeat the USA. The USA controls the world’s media and even the European media. The ultimate beneficiaries of the biggest European media networks are US financial institutions, don’t you know that? So it is very cost-prohibitive for us to get involved in the media propaganda world, even though it can be possible. We can simply shine the spotlight on the sources of our information and we will not achieve results. It is clear to the whole world what happened in the Nordstream blast. Even American analysts say it directly.”

When Tucker Carlson asks, “But the Germans clearly know, that their NATO partner (USA) did this. it has damaged their economy greatly, they may not ever recover from it. But why don’t the Germans say something about it?”

Putin then explains that it confuses him too, but today’s German stand appears to be guided by the interests of the larger collective West. It is difficult to explain the logic of their action or rather inaction to the incident of the Nordstream pipeline, he adds.

As per research reports, the Nordstream pipeline damage in September 2022 has released over 478,000 tonnes of methane gas into the atmosphere, and the methane gas leaked from the damaged threads is matched with CO2 equivalent emitted by concrete enough to build 27 Burj Khalifa buildings. The Nordstream pipeline damage is the single largest emission of methane gas in recent memory.

What happened to the Nordstream pipeline?

The Nordstream pipeline, a critical energy supply source for Europe, was built to bypass Ukraine and supply energy from Russia directly to Europe. A large section of it traverses under the Baltic Sea. In September 2022, blasts were noticed off the Bornholm island off the coast of Sweden, and both the Nordstream 1 and Nordstream 2 pipelines were blown up.

The site of the explosions in Nordstream 1 and 2, image via Channel 4

Pulitzer-winning veteran journalist Seymour Hersh, in an explosive story, revealed that the explosives to blow up the pipelines were planted by an elite team of military personnel during the NATO exercise BALTOPS in June 2022. Hersh had further added that the Norwegian authorities had cooperated with the USA Navy for the operation and a surveillance aircraft of the Norway Navy had dropped a sonar buoy that used a signal to trigger the C4 explosives attached to the pipelines months ago by the US Navy divers team.

Curiously, the collective surveillance and spy network of the NATO and Western world that keeps a watch over the whole world hasn’t been able to provide an answer as to who destroyed a crucial pipeline that provided Europe with much-needed energy.

Old videos of US President Biden and key US officials declaring that they will never allow the Nordstream pipeline to be functional and will destroy it if needed, were mostly ignored by the Western media.

Recently, Sweden, in whose territorial waters the explosions happened, stated that it has no clue who blew up the pipelines.

It is notable here that after the pipelines were blown up, the USA emerged as the key energy supplier to Europe. Since the functional pipelines supplying energy were in Russia’s economic and strategic interest, as the Russian economy largely depends on sales of energy, initial allegations of Russia’s involvement in the blasts, fanned by US media and social media voices, were soon dismissed.

The explosions were reported on September 26, 2022. both lines of Nordstream 1 and one line of Nordstream 2, a multimillion-dollar major energy project crucial for Europe to purchase natural gas from Russian company Gazprom, were damaged in what is known as the largest act of Industrial terrorism so far.

Tucker Carlson’s full interview with Vladimir Putin can be watched here.

‘Do not mistake us as weak, you have no idea about our power’: How Taliban-loving Islamist Shadab Chauhan had incited Muslims on social media before violence in Haldwani

OpIndia Staff
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‘Do not mistake us as weak, you have no idea about our power’: How Taliban-loving Islamist Shadab Chauhan had incited Muslims on social media before violence in Haldwani

Two days before the outbreak of Islamist violence in Haldwani city in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, an Islamist by the name of Shadab Chauhan had posted provocative tweets on X (formerly Twitter) to incite his co-religionists against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

In a tweet on Tuesday (6th February), he warned, “Open your ears and listen, CM Pushkar Dhami. No one has the guts to stop the Muslims in India from following the diktat of Allah and the ways of Prophet Muhammad.”

“You are committing a big mistake if you consider us as weak. You do not have any idea of our power and might. We are ready for all forms of ‘constitutional struggle’,” he continued his threats.

Screengrab of the tweet by Shadab Chauhan

Shadab Chauhan further warned, “Our source of strength is Article 25 (Right to Freedom of Religion) of the Indian Constitution. You stand no chance before that. He then called upon the Congress party in Uttarakhand to continue the ‘constitutional struggle’ as suggested by him.

Shadab Chauhan is a spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh-based Peace Party of India (PPI). The Islamist rose to prominence in 2021 for hailing the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

“On the auspicious occasion our #IndependenceDay we got information that #Talibans entered in #Kabul peacefully. We congratulate them and hope they will run govt as per Ahkam e Ilahi Nizam e Mustafa, where any discrimination didn’t have place. We believe in peace & justice,” he had tweeted.

In January 2022, Shadab Chauhan threatened journalist Aman Chopra with dire consequences for weighing in on the threat received by journalist Ashok Shrivastav from a leader of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party(SBSP), an ally of Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.

“All will be treated, no virus will be spared, Insha Allah,” the Islamist had replied to a tweet by Aman where the latter pointed out the hooliganism of the Samajwadi Party and its allies even when they are not in power.

He was also seen supporting the persecution of Muslim women, protesting against the imposition of hijab in Iran.

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.

Haldwani shoot at sight orders: Father Johnny, son Anas along with Aris, Faheem, Israr and Siwan dead, over 300 police personnel injured as Muslim mob went on rampage

OpIndia Staff
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Haldwani shoot at sight orders: Father Johnny, son Anas along with Aris, Faheem, Israr and Siwan dead, over 300 police personnel injured as Muslim mob went on rampage

At least 4 people died and over 100 police personnel were injured after violence erupted in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area on Thursday during an anti-encroachment drive, a senior official said.

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

Some reports have claimed reported that 6 people have died in the violence namely a father-son duo Johnny and Anas along with Aris, Faheem, Israr and Siwan

Following the unrest, the district administration suspended internet services and ordered the closure of all schools and colleges.

“Internet services suspended after violence in Banbhoolpura of Haldwani in which so far 4 people have died and more than 100 policemen were injured. The administration has also ordered the closure of all schools and colleges,” Nainital District Administration.

Uttarakhand government has put high alert in the state as a precaution after the violence.

Earlier, four companies of paramilitary forces were rushed to Haldwani in Nainital district after violence erupted on Thursday in Banbhoolpura during an anti-encroachment drive.

According to the Uttarakhand Police, two companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) from Udham Singh Nagar also reached Haldwani.

Speaking to ANI on Thursday (8th February), Inspector General Nilesh Anand Bharne, the spokesperson for Police Headquarters, said, “Four companies of paramilitary personnel have been sent to the violence-hit area of Haldwani. Two companies of PAC from Udham Singh Nagar have already reached Haldwani.”

A curfew has been enforced in Banbhoolpura on the orders of the District Magistrate and a shoot-at-sight order has also been issued against ‘rioters’.

Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar informed that a request was made to the Ministry of Home Affairs to send additional central paramilitary personnel.

“Around 4 pm today, a joint team from the district administration and police was conducting an anti-encroachment drive in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, as per the court’s order. Coming out against the drive, a few miscreants pelted stones at the officials and also indulged in arson. It was also alleged that they opened fire at the police using illegal firearms,” DGP Kumar said.

“The state government has also demanded that the MHA provide additional police forces. The MHA has, so far, made four companies of additional central forces available to us,” Kumar added.

He added, however, that the situation was under control.

A press briefing was held by District Magistrate (DM) Vandana Singh showing video of the violence to the media. Singh categorically said that the attack on the police forces were unprovoked. “You can see (in the video) that the Police force and the administration are not provoking or harming anybody,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urged people to maintain peace.

(With agency inputs)

‘Ukraine was ready to sign peace agreement, war would have stopped, Boris Johnson came and prevented it’: Vladimir Putin in Tucker Carlson interview

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ukraine was ready to sign peace agreement, war would have stopped, Boris Johnson came and prevented it’: Vladimir Putin in Tucker Carlson interview

In his first-ever interview with a Western journalist after the Russia-Ukraine war started, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that he was ready to negotiate with Ukraine and end the war, adding that the Ukrainian side made a mistake by rejecting his negotiations.

“We prepared a huge document in Istanbul that was initiated by the head of the Ukrainian delegation. He (Ukraine’s President) affixed his signature to some of the provisions, not to all of it. He put his signature and then he himself said we were ready to sign it and the war would have been over long ago. However, Prime Minister Johnson came, talked us (meaning Zelenskyy) out of it. And we missed that chance,” Putin said.

In an interview with the American news anchor Tucker Carlson released on Friday, President Putin said Ukraine made a mistake, adding. “Why do we have to bother ourselves and correct somebody else’s mistakes?”

“Well, you missed it. You made a mistake. Let them get back to that. That is all. Why do we have to bother ourselves and correct somebody else’s mistakes? I know one can say it is our mistake. It was us who intensified the situation and decided to put an end to the war that started in 2014 in Donbass. As I have already said, by means of weapons,” he added.

It is notable here that back in April 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine diplomatic talks were going on in Istanbul amid the rumors of a possible peace agreement, roughly 2 months into the war, the then British PM Boris Johnson dropped in Kyiv almost surprisingly to talk to Zelenskyy.

As per reports, Boris Johnson had told Zelenskyy 2 main things, that there should be no negotiations with Vladimir Putin, and that even if Zelenskyy agreed to a peace agreement, the West and (NATO) would not. The Ukrainska Pravda had reported that the Western powers, which just a few months previously had asked Zelenskyy to flee from Kyiv, were by then feeling that Russia and Putin were not as powerful as previously thought. They thought that Ukraine, with the help of Western nations, could have a military advantage against Russia.

The claims that Johnson prevented a peace negotiation between Russia and Ukraine were confirmed later by David Arahamiya, a leader of Zelenskyy’s party who was appointed by the Ukrainian President to lead the Ukrainian delegation of the Istanbul talks in its initial days.

In the interview, President Putin also referred to the expansion of NATO and the declaration of Ukraine as a sovereign state saying that US and NATO bases began to appear in its neighbouring region and pose a threat to Russia.

“Let me get back to furthering history. I already told you this. We were just discussing. Let us go back to 1991, when we were promised that NATO would not expand to 2008, when the doors to NATO opened to the declaration of state sovereignty of Ukraine, declaring Ukraine a neutral state,” he said.

“Let us go back to the fact that NATO and US military bases started to appear on the territory of Ukraine, creating threats to us. Let us go back to coup d’eta in Ukraine in 2014. It is pointless, though, isn’t it? We may go back and forth endlessly, but they stop negotiations. Is it a mistake? Yes. Correct it. We are ready,” he added.

Ukrainian forces have, in recent weeks, been on the defensive after Russia launched fierce assaults along the front lines. Kyiv did receive a boost to its war effort last week when the European Union approved a USD 54 billion aid package that will help avert a near-term Ukrainian financial crisis.

However, US lawmakers this week were unable to forge an agreement that would provide another USD 60 billion in aid to Ukraine, assistance that Ukrainian officials and military analysts deem critical to Kyiv’s war effort.

Zelensky’s frustration with his top general burst into the public eye in early November, after General Zaluzhny published his essay calling the war a “stalemate.”

In a strong rebuke, the Ukrainian president said that the comment was helpful to the Russians. 

Started on February 24, 2022, with Russian tanks marching into Ukraine, the war will soon complete 2 years.

( With inputs from ANI)

PFI ran a dedicated group named “Reporters” tasked with identifying and assaulting members of BJP and RSS: ED supplementary charge sheet

OpIndia Staff
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PFI ran a dedicated group named “Reporters” tasked with identifying and assaulting members of BJP and RSS: ED supplementary charge sheet

The banned terror outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) formed an elite team named “Reporters” to attack Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders and activists. These “Reporters” were trained to carry out their nefarious designs as well as the manner to assault the BJP and RSS members. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made the shocking revelations in its supplementary charge sheet which was filed in Delhi’s Patiala House Court.

Aaj Tak reported that the agency stated in its supplementary charge sheet that the group designated as “Reporters” was created specifically to target members of the BJP-RSS. Those involved were engineered to locate and strike their targets.

The ED has filed a supplementary chargesheet in the court against 12 PFI members in a reported Rs 120 crore Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. According to the charge sheet, PFI generated Rs 120 crore from criminal activities. Sixty crore of this amount was deposited directly into PFI’s bank account.

The agency said that the outlawed extremist group was utilising the funds in illegal operations which included housing PFI members who had engaged in violence and providing financial support for their weddings. The ED further divulged that PFI prepared its members for combat and murder under the guise of training. Furthermore, those who underwent this training were urged to commit crimes.

ED’s chargesheet. (Source: The New Indian)

The primary focus of the ED investigation was rupee manipulation under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). However, the inquiry discovered that PFI used this money to encourage acts of violence among its members. PFI, however, has refuted these accusations. Anees Ahmed, the national general secretary of the organisation claimed that PFI is only active in India, but the charge sheet unveiled that hundreds of PFI members work in Gulf nations. They collect money and send it to the radical group in India.

ED has compiled this information on 14,428 individuals who live abroad.  The data was uncovered on a hard drive that was taken from Kozhikode’s Unity House. The names of the people who work there are from Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh,  Jeddah, Dammam, United Arab Emirates to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman as well as other countries in Asia which proves the vast network of PFI.

Notably, on 28th September 2022, the Government of India declared PFI an “unlawful association” and temporarily banned the organisation for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The government reasoned that the organisation was “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country” and cited the group’s connection with terror organisations like Students Islamic Movement of India, Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Maz Pathan and his minor friend killed 16-year-old Vaibhav Singhal for not removing a girl’s photo from phone, arrested after gunfight with cops

OpIndia Staff
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Maz Pathan and his minor friend killed 16-year-old Vaibhav Singhal for not removing a girl’s photo from phone, arrested after gunfight with cops

19-year-old Mohammad Maz Pathan murdered 16-year-old Vaibhav Singhal in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida and disposed of his body in the Khareli canal. He killed the victim after the two got into an argument over photographs of a female. The cops have taken him into custody following a gunfight in Dankaur area. A 15-year-old juvenile was the accomplice of Pathan in the murder.

Vaibhav Singhal, a resident of Bilaspur in the Dankaur neighbourhood of Greater Noida reportedly disappeared from his house on 29th January this year.

His father Aruj Singhal who is a trader registered a complaint after family members were unable to locate Vaibhav despite their best efforts. After a week of initiatives, authorities failed to obtain any information regarding him. His phone was then placed under surveillance by them after which they came to know about two other youngsters. Shockingly, Vaibhav Singhal was assassinated by these two together. Afterwards, the duo dumped the corpse in the canal.

The complainant stated, “On January 30, my son left home around 7 pm without informing anyone. Despite calling him repeatedly and searching for him, we were unable to find him.” A First Information Report was filed at the Dankaur police station against unidentified suspects under the Indian Penal Code’s provisions on kidnapping in response to the complaint.

According to the police inquiry, Maz Pathan, the primary accused was previously acquainted with the deceased. A disagreement arose between him and Vaibhav Singhal concerning pictures of a girl on Vaibhav’s phone that Maz Pathan considered to be his girlfriend. He was pressuring Vaibhav to delete the photo, however, the victim refused after which the culprit invited him to a place where he committed the crime along with his minor associate and got rid of the body.

The police caught the duo after an encounter and revealed that they had received electronic surveillance as well as confidential information about the presence of the offenders somewhere on the Dhanauri to Sakka road in Noida. The cops observed two young people approaching on a bike as they continued down the route and when the former attempted to halt them, the pair began to flee towards a field and one of them opened fire.

During the confrontation, police retaliated and arrested them. The incident resulted in Maz Pathan being shot in the leg. Furthermore, the phone that belonged to the late Vaibhav Singhal has been found in his possession along with a pistol. Both have admitted to strangling the boy to death. Maz Pathan revealed that they ended the life of Vaibhav Singhal on 30th January, during interrogation. The police are currently trying to recover the dead body.

According to SM Khan, the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) for Greater Noida, authorities were tipped off that the victim’s associates were involved in his disappearance. He proclaimed, “On the basis of manual surveillance and intelligence, a local police team identified the suspects as 19-year-old Maz Pathan, a resident of Bilaspur, and a minor boy, whose name is being withheld to protect his identity. They were spotted near Sakka village and when asked to stop, but they tried to run and Maz fired at the police. In retaliation, he was shot in the leg by the personnel and taken into custody. The minor suspect was also nabbed.”

Additional DCP of Greater Noida Ashok Kumar divulged that Maz Pathan and Vaibhav Singhal had been at odds for several days and conveyed, “The juvenile managed to escape but was later held during a combing operation. The victim’s phone was recovered from his possession. During the investigation, the two confessed to killing him by strangulating him and then dumping his body into the Khareli canal.”

He added, “Divers are searching the canal for the body. Vaibhav Singhal’s iPhone was recovered from the suspects, along with a countrymade gun. Maz has been admitted to a hospital for treatment while the minor suspect will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.”

As former Congress Dy CM busts Rahul Gandhi’s lie that PM Modi was made OBC by BJP govt, Gandhi changes goalpost, read why ‘Kagzi OBC’ allegation makes no sense

Raju Das
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As former Congress Dy CM busts Rahul Gandhi’s lie that PM Modi was made OBC by BJP govt, Gandhi changes goalpost, read why ‘Kagzi OBC’ allegation makes no sense

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has opened a new front against PM Narendra Modi based on another lie, questioning the OBC status of the PM’s caste. Addressing the crowd during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Odisha, Rahul Gandhi said that Narendra Modi was a general caste at the time of his birth, as he belongs to the Teli community which was a general caste when he was born. The Congress leader then claimed that the Teli community was added to the OBC list by the Gujarat govt in 2000.

“PM Modi was not born in the OBC category. He was born Teli caste in Gujarat. The community was given the tag of OBC in the year 2000 by the BJP. He was born in the General caste…This man is lying before the whole world that he is OBC Do you know how I know this? I don’t need a birth certificate…He never hugs any OBC person. He never holds the hands of farmers and labourers. He only holds the hand of [Gautam] Adani ji. He will not allow caste census to be conducted in his entire life because he was not born in OBC, he was born in General caste,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Later the Congress party posted a tweet claiming that PM Modi is not OBC  by birth, and he was made OBC by the BJP govt of Gujarat.

It has already been reported how Rahul Gandhi and his party are lying, as Narendra Modi’s caste was included in the OBC list by a Congress govt in Gujarat, not BJP. It was done in 1994, not 2000, and there were Congress governments both in Gujarat and in centre in 1994.

It is notable that no OBC person born before 1991 was OBC at the time of birth, because the OBC category for reservation was created in 1990 after the Mandal Commission report. The VP Singh’s decision to grant reservation for Other Backward Class was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1992. And in just two years later in 1994, PM Modi’s Modh-Ghanchi caste was included in the OBC list by the Gujarat govt under Chhabildas Mehta of the Congress party.

Now a former Congress deputy CM of Gujarat has come forward to bust the lies of Rahul Gandhi. Rajya Sabha MP Narhari Amin, currently a BJP leader, was the Deputy CM of Chhabildas Mehta govt in Gujarat when the notification adding communities to OBC list was issued by the state govt. Narhari Amin asserted that Modi’s community was made OBC by Congress in 1994, not in 2000 by BJP govt, urging Rahul Gandhi withdraw the statement.

Narhari Amin tweeted, “I was serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat in the Congress Government when GoG notified Modh-Ghanchi as OBC on 25th July 1994. This is the same caste our respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi belongs to Mr. @RahulGandhi is insulting the OBC communities by cooking up mindless lies on this issue. This decision, and the subsequent GoI notification came when Shri @narendramodi was not even MP/MLA forget being CM.”

The current BJP MP then added, “I demand Shri @RahulGandhi immediately withdraw his lies. He should stop defaming OBCs and also apologise to the people of Gujarat for being filled with hate towards our popular Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi”.

Social media users have posted the 25th July 1994 notification by the Gujarat govt, which busts the lies by Rahul Gandhi that PM Modi was made OBC by the BJP govt.

Notably, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya earlier posted that PM Modi’s caste Modh-Ghanchi was notified as OBC in 1999, 2 years before he became the CM of Gujarat. He also posted a gazette notification from the govt of India, which said that the old entry of ‘Ghanchi (Muslim)’, has been replaced with three new entries in the OBC list, Ghanchi (Muslim), Teli, and Modh Ghanchi.

Although at first glance it seems that two years are being mentioned for inclusion of the Modh Ghanchi community in the OBC, actually there is no contradiction here. This is because, the 1994 notification was issued by the Gujarat state govt, while the 1999 notification was from the central govt.

Therefore, the Gujarat Congress in 1994 had notified the Modh-Ghanchi as OBC, and the notification in Gujarati is available in the public domain. Before that in 1993, the central govt had issued a notification including a large number of communities in the OBC list. This included Ghanchi (Muslim) for Gujarat. Then Later in 1999, the central govt amended the list to add Teli and Modh Ghanchi communities along with Ghanchi (Muslim) in Sl Number 23 for Gujarat.

Clarifying the matter, Amit Malviya later tweeted citing Narhari Amin, “Govt of Gujarat, led by the Congress, notified Modi-Ghanchi as OBC in July 1994. Central Govt, following on the recommendations of GoG, notified it as OBC on Oct 27, 1999, a full 2 years BEFORE PM Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat.”

After widespread fact-checking of Rahul Gandhi’s claims, he later tried to shit the goalpost by saying that BJP has confirmed that PM Modi was not OBC at the time of his birth. He tweeted, “Modiji is not by birth, but an OBC only on papers. He was not an OBC until five decades after his birth. Thanks to the BJP government for confirming this truth of mine”.

However, this claim makes no sense because it applies not only to PM Modi but to everyone in the OBC category born before 1991. Before the Mandal Commission recommendations were implemented, there was no OBC in the country. Therefore, there is no way PM Modi could be OBC from birth. Just like PM Modi was not OBC for the first 50 years of his life, everyone in the OBC category was not OBC before their communities were notified as OBCs.

Moreover, the reserved categories of SC, ST and OBC are in paper only. Governments keep adding new communities to these categories. Many communities are still making such demands now, which could be accepted by the govt in future. As and when a community is included in SC, ST or OBC list, people from those communities get included in the respective category. PM Modi’s community was also thus included in the OBC category. It is not clear what wrongdoing or scam Rahul Gandhi is finding here.

For example, last year it was reported that 80 more castes had been approved for inclusion in the OBC list. Therefore, if someone from such a caste was born in 1950, such a person will become OBC 74 years after the birth. There are no irregularities or scams here, that is how the caste-based reservation system has been working in India. Nobody can be denied inclusion in reserved categories just because that person’s caste was not on the list at the time of birth and was included later.

Uttarakhand: Mob resort to arson and stone pelting as authorities demolish madarsa built on illegally encroached govt land in Haldwani

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: Mob resort to arson and stone pelting as authorities demolish madarsa built on illegally encroached govt land in Haldwani

On Thursday, February 8, an incident of stone pelting and arson was reported in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani area. According to reports, the mob attacked authorities who went there to demolish a madarsa built on illegally encroached govt land near the Banbhulpura police station under the ongoing drive against illegal encroachments.

The irate mob reportedly 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.

A few policemen, Municipal corporation workers including SDM were reportedly injured in the incident.

The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and prevent the situation from escalating.

Videos of the violent clash surfaced on X (formerly known as Twitter) showing how the frenzied mob indulged in arson and stone pelting leaving several police officers injured and police vehicles gutted in fire.

Presently, an additional police force has been deployed in the area and senior officials of police and administration have reached the spot.

According to news agency ANI, DM Nainital has imposed a curfew in Banbhulpura and ordered a shoot-on-sight order for rioters.

The incident occurred when the 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.

Officials said that they had sent a notice to the management of the madarsa-mosque informing them that the structure had been illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madarsa 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 madrasa and namaz place, which they now demolished.

Reports suggest that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is conducting a meeting with top authorities to assess the situation. 

Uttarakhand government launches crackdown on illegal madarsas and mazars

It may be recalled how in March last year, the Uttarakhand government rolled bulldozers over illegal mazars which were built by encroachment on the reserved forest land. The authorities conducted a survey and identified around 1400 religious structures built illegally on government land.

Prior to this, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated his government’s unsparing stance on illegally constructed mazars on designated forest land that are mushrooming all over the state, including the Jim Corbett National Park, one of the oldest and one of the most famous forested wildlife sanctuaries set amidst the foothills of the Himalayas in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.

In September 2021, we reported a case of land jihad in Uttrakhand near Tehri Dam. We reported about an illegal mosque that was built during the early 2000s at a site in Khand-Khala Koti Colony, which was in close proximity to the dam, and since then, Hindu organizations have tried multiple times to get it removed. Recently, in the first week of September 2021, a group of local Hindus started fresh protests against the mosque and paced up the efforts to get over 150 square meters of land freed from illegal possession.

In May 2022, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced action against the mazars mushrooming everywhere in the state calling them encroachments.

In June 2022, our team visited various parts of the state, including Jim Corbett National Park, to delve into this issue further. To our horror, there were several mazars that mushroomed up inside Jim Corbett National Park, one of the oldest and one of the most famous forested wildlife sanctuaries set amidst the foothills of the Himalayas in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.

OpIndia also spoke to Swami Darshan Bharti, a veteran saint working against illegal mazars and drug addicts, who raised concerns about this radical problem plaguing the state of Uttarakhand.

Swami Darshan Bharati told OpIndia that the biggest boost to the Muslim population in Uttarakhand came during the Congress government led by ND Tiwari. He stated that it was not the BJP government, but the previous Congress regime that helped illegal Roginyas settle here by preparing their official documents.

Months after OpIndia brought the demographic imbalance in Uttarakhand to the fore, the state government took cognisance of this impending issue and directed the state authorities to clear forest land of encroachment. The authorities, in turn, launched a major crackdown, rolling bulldozers over illegal mazars which were built by encroachment on the reserved forest land.

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