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As Maldives politicians abuse India over PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, read how India had prevented a coup attempt by handful of militants in Maldives in 1988

Paurush Gupta
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As Maldives politicians abuse India over PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, read how India had prevented a coup attempt by handful of militants in Maldives in 1988

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lakshadweep visit on 4th January triggered outrage among some Maldivian social media users and certain politicians. PM Modi shared some images of his trip on social media, after which several Indians commented that Lakshadweep could be a rival of Maldives in tourism, and Indians could visit the islands instead of Maldives. Many people from Maldives, including politicians and ministers, have started an online, abusing India and Indians. In response, several Indian social media users have highlighted the 1988 episode where India prevented a coup attempt in the Island nation. 

The article recalls the events that transpired in the first week of November 1988, when Indian troops intervened and saved the democratic setup in the neighbouring Island nation. They thwarted a coup attempt on the archipelago within hours of receiving an SOS message from the then President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Notably, the coup attempt was done with the help of just around 400 armed men including militants from Sri Lanka, and the Maldives president had gone into hiding before he was rescued by Indian commandos.

Swift Operation Cactus saved Maldivian democracy

Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who served for 30 years, assumed office in 1978 at a time when the Island nation was gripped in economic troubles and political instability. His government suffered three coup d’état attempts in 1980, 1983, and 1988. However, the last one could have sealed the fate of Maldivian democracy if India hadn’t intervened swiftly. 

On 3rd November, around four hundred gunmen of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), a militant Lankan Tamil organisation, along with a few Maldivian locals launched a predawn coup attempt against the Maldivian President. Additionally, some assailants had infiltrated Malé earlier in the disguise of visitors. As per the Indian Navy, the assailants who attempted the coup were around 300-500 strong in numbers. 

Later it was revealed that the 1988 attempted coup was the brainchild of Maldivian businessman Abdullah Luthufee and Ahmed “Sagaru” Nasir. They were supported by Uma Maheswaran, leader of PLOTE.  

After months of preparations, the PLOTE fighters and disgruntled Maldivian rebels arrived in Malé aboard a couple of Lankan freighters. They were armed with heavy machine guns, AK-47s, grenades, and mortars. They quickly launched a targeted attack on strategic buildings and with minimal losses gained control of the capital, including the major government buildings, airports, ports, television, and radio stations. They also gained control over the headquarters of the NSS, Maldives’ sole armed force. 

They also took the Maldivian Education Minister as hostage. However, by the time they reached the Presidential Palace where President Gayoom was residing with his family, he was escorted by the Maldivian National Security Advisor to the Defense Minister’s home and later to a safe house. By afternoon, the mercenaries had gained control over the entire Island nation. 

In the meantime, President Gayoom sent requests for military intervention to India, the UK and the US. After receiving the request, India responded affirmatively and sent Indian troops within hours of his request. After India sent the troops, the governments of the UK and the USA said that they would not be interfering as India had already started operations.

The Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Arun Bannerjee was informed about the development at around 6.30 am when he was at his New Delhi home. At around 9 am, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi chaired a crisis committee meeting in South Block while the Indian Army headquarters had already been informed of a possible operation. 

The 50th Independent Parachute Brigade camped in Agra was asked to carry out the operation under the leadership of Colonel Subhash C Joshi. At around 9.30 pm local time, the Air Force’s 44 Squadron, the vanguard of the Parachute Brigade, and the High Commissioner landed in Hulhulé, Maldives’ main airport in two Ilyushin IL-76s. At the same time, the Indian Navy also sent vessels towards Maldives. The Indian operation in the Maldives was named Operation Cactus, in which around 1,600 personnel including paratroopers participated.

The news of the arrival of Indian troops had an immediate chilling effect on the rebels who feared a resolute response from the Indian armed forces. They started fleeing to avoid their inevitable fate at the hands of Indian soldiers. The Indian soldiers immediately restored the Law and order situation upon their arrival on the Island nation and either neutralised or arrested the remaining rebels left on the Island. They secured President Gayoom by around 5 am on 4th November.

In his book Operation Cactus (2018), an Indian Air Force veteran involved in the operation, Ashok Chordia wrote, “The rebels — ignorant of the actual strength of the Indian troops — overestimated their numbers and were overwhelmed… they decided to abandon their mission and flee.” 

Fearing that the Indian forces would pursue them on the high seas, Luthufee and other armed mercenaries hijacked a merchant vessel and took seven hostages including Transport Minister Ahamed Mujuthaba. They started to move towards Sri Lanka.

On Brig Bulsara’s orders, the Indian paratroopers launched an attack on the fleeing rebel ship and caused substantive damage to slow it down. 

Afterwards, the Indian Navy took charge of intercepting the ship and executing the hostage rescue operation. Frigates INS Betwa (deployed from Kochi) and INS Godavari (returning from a friendly visit to Australia) were mobilised and assigned the mission of intercepting the escaping vessel before it entered the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. They caught the vessels ferrying rebels on 5th November. 

When negotiations yielded no result, the Indian ships opened fire. Realising that their escape was impossible, the mercenaries laid down their weapons and surrendered. They were taken aboard INS Godavari.

(The mercenaries arrested during Operation Cactus, Image Source – The Quint)
(Image Source – The Indian Express)

As per reports, around 19 people mostly mercenaries were killed in the attempted coups. Around a few tourists were killed by the mercenaries. Around seven Maldivians and 68 Sri Lankan gunmen were arrested, interrogated, and put to trial in Maldives.

Maldivian businessman Abdullah Luthufee who masterminded the coup attempt and three others were given death sentences. However, it was later commuted at the request of Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi.

The majority of Indian paratroopers returned immediately after restoring the democratic setup in Maldives while some remained in Malé for over a fortnight. The operation deepened ties between the two neighbouring countries which however over the last few decades have seen ups and downs in the wake drop of some political forces leading the ‘India out’ campaign, in brazen pro-China bidding. 

Meanwhile, India garnered global praise for Operation Cactus. US President Ronald Reagan described it as “a valuable contribution to regional stability”. Additionally, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reportedly said, “Thank God for India: President Gayoom’s government has been saved”. 

What triggered the recent social media showdown against anti-India Maldivian users

On 4th January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared some pictures of his recent visit to Lakshadweep exhorting Indians to explore the scenic island in what could be seen as a push to his ‘vocal for local’ slogan. He also took part in some adventurous activities on the scenic islands and tried snorkelling. Taking to X, he also shared two underwater photographs of coral reefs and other marine life.

PM Modi’s effort to give a boost to tourism on the island is also seen as a snub to the Maldives, the island nation which under the new administration of Mohamed Muizzu has been cosying up with the Chinese regime. Soon after PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, the Google search engine showed a massive surge in hits on keywords like Lakshadweep and snorkelling. 

Evidently, Google searches for snorkelling jumped by over 2000%, while the searches for Lakshadweep increased by around 350%. However, the surge for Lakshadweep in Indian social media led to a racial outrage from the Maldivian side which has triggered a social media showdown. 

While PM Modi didn’t mention anything about Maldives and only posted photos of Lakshadweep, several Indian social media users commented that the union territory can be a rival to Maldives in tourism, given the similar landscape. However, a large number of Maldives citizens, including some politicians, didn’t like this comparison, and they ended up abusing and insulting Indians and PM Modi. Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), made racist comments towards Indians, saying that Indians are dirty, and can’t provide services as Maldives does.

After that a Deputy Minister in the Maldives govt named Mariyam Shiuna personally attacked PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’. She later deleted the tweet, which said, “What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives.” In yet another post, Shiuna tweeted that the Maldives does not need the Indian Military’s presence in the island nation. Both the politicians were responding to a tweet by popular X user Mr Sinha, where he shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep and hailed the islands as a viable option to Maldives.

Maldives minister insults PM Modi with ‘clown’, ‘puppet of Israel’ barbs in a now-deleted post after he shares pictures from his Lakshadweep visit

OpIndia Staff
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Maldives minister insults PM Modi with ‘clown’, ‘puppet of Israel’ barbs in a now-deleted post after he shares pictures from his Lakshadweep visit

Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, recently made insulting remarks against PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’ after he posted pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep Islands.

“What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna tweeted.

The post was deleted after backlash on X, formerly known as Twitter, where Indian social media users slammed the Maldives government officials, including Shiuna, for their crass remarks against the Indian Prime Minister for sharing pictures of his visit from the Lakshadweep Island. It is worth noting that PM Modi did not mention the Maldives anywhere in his tweets.

In yet another post, Shiuna tweeted that the Maldives does not need the Indian Military’s presence in the region.

Similarly, other officials and prominent personalities too have taken to social media, making obnoxious remarks against India and Indians. On Friday, January 5, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) took to the microblogging site X to mock Indians. The PPM member’s highly racist remark against Indians came in response to a post by popular X user Mr Sinha, where he shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep and hailed the islands as a viable option to Maldives.

Responding to a tweet posted by a user @MrSinha_, Zahid Rameez tweeted, “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”

On January 4, PM Narendra Modi shared some pictures of his recent visit to Lakshadweep as he exhorted people to explore the scenic island in what could be seen as a push to his ‘vocal for local’ slogan, and an effort to give a boost to tourism in the island.

Following PM Modi’s tweet posting stunning vistas from the Lakshadweep Islands, several social media users in India called for Indians to visit the place over foreign destinations, including the Maldives, which shares similar geographical characteristics as the Lakshadweep Islands. That touched off bitter reactions from Maldivian counterparts, including governmental functionaries and prominent citizens, many of whom resorted to making churlish remarks against India, Indians, and the Indian PM.

The discourteous outburst by Maldives ministers may likely have a bearing on the diplomatic relations between India and the Maldives, with the archipelago dependent heavily on India for tourism and the Indian military for its security requirements.

Unauthorized madrasa adjacent to Panhala Fort in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur removed at midnight under heavy police presence after OpIndia report

OpIndia Staff
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Unauthorized madrasa adjacent to Panhala Fort in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur removed at midnight under heavy police presence after OpIndia report

On 6th January, a 45-year-old illegal madrasa in Pavangad which lies next to Panhalagad was finally demolished by the state government amid a strong police presence. No one was permitted to go near the area during the demolition. OpIndia published a report on the illegal encroachment in July last year. Hindu organisations also complained about it to the administration which resulted in the action that was conducted extremely covertly at the administrative level for the past week. The actual procedure began under the direction of the senior officials and the facility was dismantled after midnight.

The operation began at around 2 in the night and was concluded at about 9 o’clock after seven hours. The District Police Chief and other high-ranking officials had been camped out in Pavangad Fort since the previous evening. All roads leading to the region were closed. The area comes under the jurisdiction of the Revenue Department.

A huge Muslim community now resides in Pavangad, a fort constructed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the year 1673. A madrasa was constructed taking advantage of this in 1979 by a man named Isma Sayed. At present 45 children from West Bengal and Bihar were studying there and all of them were moved to a madrasa in Shiroli on the 5th of January evening after which the major step was undertaken.

About 400 police officers were stationed along the route from Budhwar Peth to Pavangad while the authorities maintained a high level of secrecy regarding the demolition. The individuals in attendance included the Deputy Superintendent of Police, the Tehsildar and the Sub-Divisional Officer of Panhala among others. The removal of the madrasa was completed the following noon.

The local Hindu community residing in Panhalgad town of the city complained that a madrasa named ‘Madrasa Arbiya Zinatul-Quran’ has been illegally built on the fort of Pavangad. It was established on government land and was reportedly registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. The students in the establishment were not local and came from various parts of Delhi, Bihar and West Bengal.

Bajrang Dal also wrote a letter to the District and the State Administration which read, “The madrasa on the historic fort of Pavangad is illegal and the students studying here are not from Maharashtra. The historic significance of the fort is being maligned by such illegal encroachments. Many Muslims have also constructed their residences on the fort. We demand strict action against such illegal encroachments and also demand the removal of these structures to maintain the sanctity of the historic fort.”

The district administration took cognizance of the incident and confirmed that the madrasa was constructed on government property. “It is govt wasteland (mulki pad jameen) which falls under the government’s control. We have begun the probe into the case. Action will be taken against any kind of illegality,” Panhalgad Tehsildar Manavi Shinde had then informed OpIndia.

How TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s political trajectory has taken her from being one of Rahul Gandhi’s trusted hands to being Mamata Banerjee’s loyalist

श्रवण शुक्ल
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How TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s political trajectory has taken her from being one of Rahul Gandhi’s trusted hands to being Mamata Banerjee’s loyalist

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has always been in the news, mostly for her abusive and unparliamentary behaviour and for spreading fake and misleading reports. Recently, she again grabbed the headlines when the cash-for-query scandal surfaced, where she was accused of taking cash and accepting expensive gifts in exchange for asking questions against Gautam Adani in Parliament. This had also led to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha.

However, what has maintained this drama at the top of the charts are her supposed love affairs—sometimes with a lawyer, sometimes with a businessman, sometimes with a politician, and sometimes with someone else. Though the TMC MP’s alleged love affairs have lately become the talk of the town, this is not a recent development. Be it Suhan Mukherjee or Jai Anant Dehdrai, the TMC leader is known for keeping a close watch over the influential people in her life.

Although this part of Mahua Moitra’s life is now public knowledge, not many people might be aware that the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s loyalist Mahua Moitra was formerly very close to the Congress scion Rahul Gandhi. Yes, Mahua Moitra was a member of the Congress Party until 2010 and was responsible for a lot of important work. Then something happened: Mahua Moitra sided with Mamata Banerjee and betrayed Rahul Gandhi.

Mahua Moitra’s close association with Rahul Gandhi

After graduating from Mount Holyoke College South Hadley in Massachusetts, United States, Mahua Moitra worked as an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase in New York City and London until in 2009 she quit her job to enter Indian politics. Subsequently, she joined the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Congress party where she was one of the trusted hands of Rahul Gandhi in the project “Aam Admi Ka Sipahi”.

He was tasked with overseeing nine blocks in the Nadia district. In an article published by India Today, Mahua Moitra discussed her reasons for quitting her job at JP Morgan and joining the Congress party. She claimed that the ideology of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress had influenced her significantly.

She went on to say that there are only two political parties in the country, and since the Congress Party is in power in the Center, she chose to join them. In West Bengal during the time, the Congress was in opposition.

Mahua Moitra changed her loyalties in 2010

Mahua Moitra has always prioritized her interests over those of others. After joining the Congress party, Moitra quickly realised that the grand old party had very little ground-level presence and could never rise to power in West Bengal. Hence, in 2010, she ditched the Congress to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party in the presence of the party head Mamata Banerjee. It may be recalled that at the time of her joining, Mamata Banerjee merely said, “Our young Mahua Moitra is joining Trinamool Congress.”

Mahua Moitra, however, justified her decision to jump ship from the Congress party and join the TMC, which was gaining prominence in West Bengal politics at the time, by claiming that it was vital to do so for the sake of West Bengal.

At that time Times of India had stated in one of its reports that the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had only brought Moitra into the party because she wanted to capitalize on the popularity of new politicians like Mahua Moitra and to establish relationships with capitalists, which is why she was not even offered any position in the party at first.

Mahua Moitra targets Rahul Gandhi over ‘TMC’s idea in Meghalaya’ barb

Mahua Moitra, who was once impressed by Rahul Gandhi’s ideologies, had last year in February come down hard at the Congress scion over his claim that the TMC was in cahoots with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Meghalaya. She claimed that the Mamata Banerjee-led party was the only national alternative to the saffron party.

Speaking at a public meeting in support of the TMC candidate from North Shillong Elgiva Gwyneth Rynjah, Moitra said, “Had the Congress been able to defeat the BJP, there would be no need for us (to contest the assembly polls). However, since the Congress failed to win the state, we had to step forward to provide an alternative to the people. The TMC is the only alternative (against the BJP).”

“Are we supposed to sit at home and watch the BJP win another general election while the Congress continues to lose state after state?” Moitra added.

Even while campaigning in North Shillong, Mahua Moitra had specifically targeted the Congress party. In that election, the BJP received two seats, while the Congress and Trinamool Congress each received five. It is a different story that neither the Congress nor the Trinamool Congress were able to secure the seat for which Mahua Moitra had campaigned. The seat was won by the VPP, a new party, with the BJP coming in second.

Mahua Moitra’s political journey

  • In 2009, Mahua Moitra quit her lucrative position as the vice president of JPMorgan Chase in London to join the Congress party. She was posted in West Bengal.
  • Led Congress’s ‘Aam Aadmi Ka Sipahi’ program in the Nadia district in West Bengal.
  • She moved to the All India Trinamool Congress in 2010. 
  • TMC won the state elections in West Bengal in 2011.
  • Mahua Moitra became the party spokesperson during Mamata’s first government.
  • Contested and won the West Bengal assembly elections in 2016 from Nadia district’s Karimpur constituency.
  • Three years later in 2019, Mahua Moitra became an MP after she won the Lok Sabha elections from Krishnagar, West Bengal.
  • In 2023, the Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha, weeks after Parliament’s Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion over the cash-for-query scandal.

Mahua betrayed everyone for her benefit 

Mahua Moitra had no godfather when she entered politics. Congress backed her up and gave her a political identity. Despite this, she ditched the Congress to join Mamata Banerjee, since she had emerged as the biggest challenger to Bengal’s incumbent communist government at that time and continued to climb the political ladder.

Mahua is in problems these days because of her ‘jilted-ex’ advocate Jai Anant Dehdrai. Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai had written a letter to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey. In this letter, Dehadrai made some startling revelations about TMC MP Mahua Moitra, claiming that she was paid to ask questions in Lok Sabha targetting the Adani Group. Based on this letter, the BJP MP sent a formal complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an inquiry against Moitra and urging the Speaker for her immediate suspension.

In what turned out to be a huge blow to the TMC MP, Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of Hiranandani Group, turned approver in the ‘cash for query’ scandal (also called ‘MahuaGate’), issued a statement on 19th October, wherein the billionaire businessman accepted paying for most of the questions asked by Mahua Moitra in the Lok Sabha in the form of cash and gifts. He also acknowledged that the TMC MP provided him with her Parliamentary login credentials which he used to ask questions to the central government on her behalf.

Hiranandani also said that Mahua Moitra was getting unverified information to target Gautam Adani from various people, including journalist Sucheta Dalal and lawyers Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff.

Later, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha, weeks after Parliament’s Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion over the cash-for-query scandal.

Whether or not her party gives Mahua Moitra a ticket to the Lok Sabha elections this year, she has shown her leadership skills throughout the course of her 15-year political career. That is why, when it was in her best interests, she supported Rahul Gandhi, and when things did not go her way, she swiftly sided with Abhishek Banerjee to gain Mamata Banerjee’s trust. And, being the shrewd opportunist that she is, she expertly used billionaire businessman Darshan Hiranandani and went after Gautam Adani for financial gain. Here, all one can say is, Mahua Moitra, you are a genius!

Gujarat: Bharuch Police arrest married Adil who posed as bachelor Arya Patel to lure a Hindu girl into a relationship

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Bharuch Police arrest married Adil who posed as bachelor Arya Patel to lure a Hindu girl into a relationship

Bharuch police in Gujarat have arrested a man named Adil Abdul Patel of Chavaj village for luring a Hindu girl using a fake social media ID. Adil, using the name ‘Arya Patel’, trapped a Hindu girl through social media. When the girl came to know about it, she reached the house of the accused and slapped him. Later Hindu organisations also came to the aid and the girl lodged a police complaint.

After a complaint was lodged against Adil Abdul Patel, the police registered a case based on it and launched a manhunt to arrest him. After a three-day search, the police arrested the accused Adil Abdul Patel from Chavaj village. Then, the accused was brought to Bharuch Rural police station and interrogated.

According to the complaint, Adil had created an Instagram ID in the name of Arya Patel, through which he had lured a Hindu girl into a love trap. The Muslim man concealed his marital status and religion, misleading the girl into a four-year relationship under the pretence of being a single Hindu person.

When the Hindu girl came to know about his real identity, she reached the house of the accused and slapped him. Meanwhile, local Hindu organisations also stood by the Hindu girl and gave courage to her and presented the matter to the district police chief.

Adil Patel also went to temples to assure the victim of being a Hindu

The girl alleged that Adil visited different temples with her to prove that he was a Hindu by giving her a false identity. He also had Darshan of various Hindu gods and goddesses with the girl. The girl said she also had photographs of the temple visits.

Not only this, Adil also asked the girl for Rs 50,000 during his sweet talks. However, before she could give him the money, Adil’s wife exposed him. The complaint also stated that Adil had threatened to kill the girl.

Adil deceived the girl under the garb of gaining sympathy

Adil Patel not only assumed a Hindu identity to lure this girl but he also made preparations to marry her. He visited the girl’s house to talk about marriage. When the girl’s family asked him about his parents, he said that his parents had died long back. He told this lie to encash sympathy from the girl’s family.

When Adil Patel knew that the Hindu girl had come to know about his real identity, he shot a video of himself apologising to the girl and sent it to her. After watching this video, the girl went to his house and slapped him. Currently, the police have locked Adil in jail in this case and have started legal action as per the norms.

2 sex videos of rape-accused former Rajasthan Congress MLA Mewaram Jain go viral, the FIR in rape case mentioned 2 videos

OpIndia Staff
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2 sex videos of rape-accused former Rajasthan Congress MLA Mewaram Jain go viral, the FIR in rape case mentioned 2 videos

Two videos of former Rajasthan MLA and Congress leader Mewaram Jain have gone viral on social media. In the videos, he is seen doing an obscene act with a woman. The video was shot by the woman herself.

In the video, it can be seen that as soon as Mewaram Jain enters the room, a woman keeps her mobile camera in the rack of the cupboard. The former MLA then enters the room, talks a bit, drinks water and then starts indulging in obscene acts with the woman.

Two videos of Mewaram Jain are viral on social media. One is 7 minutes 11 seconds and the other is 18 minutes 45 seconds. His name is trending with screenshots of his video.

Last month, a case was registered against 9 including Mewaram under the POCSO Act. The victim had complained that not only she and her friend were raped but her minor daughter was also sexually abused. The victim alleged that Jain had been raping her since 2021, while one of the accused, Ram Swaroop Acharya, was harassing her for the last 5 years. Ram Swaroop Acharya had introduced her to the politician.

In her complaint, the victim had said that when Mewaram Jain and his accomplice Ramswaroop got tired of raping her, they asked her to bring the girls, aged 15-16 years. When the police questioned the victim’s friend in this case, the story turned out to be more frightening. She said that she was tortured by inserting a stick in her private parts.

Following the woman’s allegations, a medical examination was conducted and statements were also recorded. At the same time, Mewaram had approached the court, after which his arrest was stayed till 25th January. However, before any further hearing in the court, these videos of Mewaram went viral, due to which he was exposed in front of society.

In the year 2022, three screenshots related to the same video went viral. After this, a case of sextortion was registered at Barmer Kotwali police station by Ram Swaroop Acharya, co-accused in the rape case. After that, two women, a lawyer and others were arrested. It was alleged that by showing these obscene videos, Mewaram’s associate Ram Swaroop was demanded Rs 5 crore. The case was allegedly settled at Rs 50 lakh but then Rs 1 crore was demanded from him. After this, 5 accused, including 2 women, were arrested by giving a complaint to the police.

It is notable that in the FIR filed against Jain, the victim woman had mentioned the two videos, which were submitted to the police in a pen drive. Therefore, it is a mystery how the video submitted to police appeared on social media.

Mevaram Jain has been a three-time Congress MLA but lost the last election to BJP rebel Priyanka Chaudhary. He was a minister in the previous government.

Lord Ram was our ancestor: Muslim women set to bring ‘Ramjyoti’ from Ayodhya to Kashi to spread the message of communal harmony

OpIndia Staff
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Lord Ram was our ancestor: Muslim women set to bring ‘Ramjyoti’ from Ayodhya to Kashi to spread the message of communal harmony

Two Muslim women in saffron outfits and holding Hindu flags from Varanasi named Nazneen Ansari and Najma Parvin are going to bring the ‘Ramjyoti’ (light/flame of Lord Ram) from Ayodhya ahead of the inauguration ceremony of the temple on 22nd January and carry it across the Muslim communities to convey the message that the deity is their ancestor and all Indians share the same DNA. On 6th January, they departed for Ayodhya and the mahant of Patalpuri Math Balak Das along with Domraj Om Chaudhary of Kashi flagged off their journey to the temple town.

The pair will receive Ramjyoti from Mahant Shambhu Devacharya at Ayodhya and on 7th January, the duo will return with it. They will also bring the holy water of the Saryu and the soil of Ayodhya to Kashi. Ramjyoti will be distributed beginning 21st January. They revealed that they decided to do this after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal and through this sacred initiative will also encourage the Muslims of Kashi to celebrate on 22nd January. Muslims will also light the lamps in their homes with Ramjyoti on the auspicious occasion.

Nazneen Ansari studied conflict management at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and translated Ramcharit Manas and Hanuman Chalisa into Urdu. She has dedicated her life to promoting harmony and peace. Her teacher is Mahant Balak Das of Patalpuri Math and she has joined the Rampanth which is a Hindu movement focused on social service and Ram Bhakti (devotion to Ram) to promote love and dedication towards the beloved God. She conveyed, “We are happy that Ram temple has been constructed in Ayodhya. Ram is our ancestor. A person can change his religion but not the ancestor. Just as Mecca is for Muslims, Ayodhya is a holy place for Hindus and those who believe in Indian culture.”

Najma Parvin completed her doctorate at the aforementioned varsity on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She has been indulged in Ram Bhakti for the last seventeen years. She has been in contact with Muslims and Hindus all over the nation via the Hindu-Muslim Dialogue Centre situated in Varanasi. Notably, the two females struggled against the triple talaq and garnered the support of several women from their community. 

Nazneen Ansari, the president of the Muslim Women Foundation and Najma Parvin of Vishal Bharat Sansthan went to the temple with seventy Muslim women and recited the Hanuman Chalisa to restore peace to the community after terrorists bombed the Sankat Mochan temple in 2006 and left the entire country in a state of hostility. They have been doing the Shri Ram Aarti (devotional chant) with hundreds of Muslim ladies on Ram Navami and Diwali ever since.

The women will travel to Ayodhya on the 6th of January to present the Ramjyoti, according to Sriguruji. Ramjyoti will be received at several locations in Varanasi and Jaunpur on its way back. On 7th January, the Muslim community in Varanasi will welcome Ramjyoti to Subhash Bhawan in Lamahi village. Roza, Afroz and Tazeem have also accompanied the two women on their journey.

On the other hand, Muslim women of Bareilly have prepared clothes for Lord Ram. Muslim women under the leadership of Farhat Naqvi, president of Mera Haq Foundation also collected donations for the construction of Ram Temple. They declared that they would go to Ayodhya with the money and the clothes and spread the message of brotherhood. Meanwhile, a Muslim girl from Mumbai has set out on foot to visit Ram Mandir. Shabnam Sheikh conveyed that she would reach Ayodhya by covering a distance of 1425 km. She travels 25 to 30 kilometres in a day. She started the long journey on 21st December and stressed that one doesn’t have to be a Hindu to worship Lord Ram.

‘Hamas attackers laughed as they raped and killed Israeli woman on October 7’: Eyewitness narrates the tale of Hamas’s horror

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hamas attackers laughed as they raped and killed Israeli woman on October 7’: Eyewitness narrates the tale of Hamas’s horror

Months have passed since the horrific massacre of Israeli civilians by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on 7th October 2023. However, the chilling tales of the horror unleashed by the Hamas terrorists on Israelis, especially women continue to emerge.

In an interview with CNN, one of the hostages, identified as Raz Cohen, recalled the sequence of events leading up to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. Five men emerged from a van and surrounded a woman, ripping her clothes off as they encircled her. One of them raped her and then murdered her with a knife. The Hamas terrorist raped her again, Cohen said in an interview with CNN. He claimed that the other men around the victim did not appear to be angry.

He narrated how a white van pulled up about 30 meters from his hiding spot and five men in civilian clothes got out. “They catch a girl and they started to pull her clothes off. After they pulled the clothes off, one of them started to rape her. It was something like 40 seconds. After he raped her, he take a knife and kill her, murder her. After he did it, he continued to rape the dead body. They always laugh. I think it was for fun. They murdered a lot of people for fun,” Cohen said.

Cohen had gone to the Nova music festival in southern Israel to see his girlfriend Maya when Hamas terrorists carried out one of Israel’s bloodiest attacks, killing over 1,200 people. He went on to say that after raping and murdering the woman, the group went after another man and woman and stabbed them with knives and an axe.

Cohen also claimed that in an attempt to save his life, he ran across the open desert, feeling trapped on a firing range with nowhere to hide and bullets coming from the left, right, and behind him.

“I ran in the open field, and I was very close to some girl. When I passed her, I heard that she fell on the ground. I looked back and I saw that she got shot in the head. I looked at the girl, but I couldn’t help her so I kept running away until I got to the bush,” he recalled.

A combat paramedic told CNN that he saw the bodies of two teenage girls in Kibbutz Be’eri and was certain at least one of them had been raped.

“Her pants are pulled down toward her knees and there’s a bullet wound on the back side of her neck near her head,” he recounted. “There’s a puddle of blood around her head and there’s remains of semen on the lower part of her back,” the combat paramedic said.

The need to form a Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Women to document cases of using sexual violence as a weapon against Israel demonstrates the scale of Hamas’s crimes against Israeli women. Israeli authorities collected over 60,000 video clips and over 1,000 statements about the assault, including accounts from witnesses who claimed to have seen women raped.

The horrific humiliation suffered by Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli citizen, exemplifies Hamas terrorists’ hatred for non-Muslims, particularly Jews. She was abducted and taken to Gaza, where she was paraded naked with Hamas terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar” during Hamas’ 7th October terror attack. She was later found dead in Gaza. Another incident occurred when a Hamas terrorist dragged 19-year-old Israeli soldier Na’ama Levy from the back of a jeep, her hands bound behind her back and copious blood spots between her legs, while Palestinian men mocked her.

Even after committing such horrific crimes, Hamas enjoys the support of Islamists and delusional liberals including lawmakers in various countries. Other than this, Pallywood actors are also operating relentlessly to garner sympathy for Palestine and fueling hatred against Israel for retaliating against Hamas.

In November last year, Israel released a document that showed that the Hamas terrorists had systematically planned to rape the Israeli women. The document contained an Arabic-Hebrew glossary with sexual terminology including “take your pants off”.

After much effort at evading an unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’s crimes against women, the United Nations finally on December 1 last year issued a statement denouncing Hamas’s crimes. “We unequivocally condemn the brutal attacks by Hamas on Israel on 7 October. We are alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities and sexual violence during those attacks,” the UN Women statement reads.

The widespread outrage over the UN body’s refusal to condemn rape and killings of Israeli women did compel it to issue a statement denouncing the same. However, the website highlights its efforts to gather funds “to protect and support women and their families in the Gaza crisis.” On their homepage, there is no mention of Israeli women, however, “the conflict in Gaza” and donation appeal for Palestinian women show up.

UN Women’s donation appeal for Palestinian women and families in Gaza (Source: UN Women website)

“UN Women has been supporting Palestinian women since 1997 to achieve their social, economic, and political rights. We remain present on the ground to provide support and assistance and will do so for as long as it takes,” the UN body’s “Gaza Crisis Appeal reads. Ironically, UN has always been there for Palestinian women since 1997, however, it took them more than a month to ‘realise’ that the brutal rape and killings of Israeli women warrant unequivocal condemnation.

ISRO successfully injects Aditya-L1 spacecraft in final Halo orbit to study the sun, PM Modi says India created another landmark

ANI
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ISRO successfully injects Aditya-L1 spacecraft in final Halo orbit to study the sun, PM Modi says India created another landmark

In a significant scientific milestone, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday injected Aditya-L1 spacecraft – the first dedicated solar mission – into its final destination orbit.

Prime Minister Narenendra Modi and Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh were among leaders who hailed the achievement.

Aditya-L1 has reached Lagrange Point L1, about 1.5 million km from earth.

The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in September.

The successful launch of the maiden solar mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) came on the heels of the historic lunar landing mission — Chandrayaan-3.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.

“India creates yet another landmark. India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches it’s destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this extraordinary feat. We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity,” he said in post on X.

Jitendra Singh said Aditya L1 will discover the mysteries of sun-earth connection

“From Moon walk to Sun Dance! What a glorious turn of year for Bharat! Under the visionary leadership of PM @narendramodi, yet another success story scripted by Team #ISRO. #AdityaL1 reaches its final orbit to discover the mysteries of Sun-Earth connection,” he said in a post on X.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also congratulated the scientists and said India’s space journey is unstoppable.

“Wings of Fire! Congratulations to the dedicated scientists at @ISRO for successfully inserting Bharat’s first solar observatory #AdityaL1 into its intended destination. First the moon, now the sun… our space journey is unstoppable!

Aditya L1 has seven different payloads on board, to conduct a detailed study of the sun, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC. VELC was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus in Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO.

This strategic location will enable Aditya-L1 to continuously observe the sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real-time.

Also, the spacecraft’s data will help identify the sequence of processes that lead to solar eruptive events and contribute to a deeper understanding of space weather drivers.

Major objectives of India’s solar mission include the study of the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the solar wind acceleration, coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares and near-earth space weather. 

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

Mumbai Tarun Bharat editor Kiran Shelar refuses to receive journalism award from Deshonnati editor Prakash Pohare for questioning existence of Lord Ram, audience chants Jai Shri Ram

Gopal Tiwari
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Mumbai Tarun Bharat editor Kiran Shelar refuses to receive journalism award from Deshonnati editor Prakash Pohare for questioning existence of Lord Ram, audience chants Jai Shri Ram

On Friday (5th January) Kiran Shelar – the editor of Mumbai Tarun Bharat – refused to receive the Darpankar Balshastri Jambhekar Memorial Award for Journalism (दर्पणकार बाळशास्त्री जांभेकर पत्रकारिता पुरस्कार) from Prakash Pohare – the editor of Marathi daily newspaper Deshonnati – who during his speech in this program questioned the existence of Lord Shri Ram and criticised the Ram Mandir to be consecrated on the upcoming 22nd January. Shelar then received the award from Sukrut Khandekar – the editor of the Marathi daily newspaper Prahar – who was also present as a guest in the program.

In Maharashtra 6th of January is celebrated as Journalists’ Day to commemorate the first publication of the English and Marathi periodical ‘Darpan’ started by Balshastri Jambhekar who is also called the pioneer of new Marathi journalism. He started ‘Darpan’ on 6th January 1832. The Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association (Established in 2001) celebrates its foundation day and gives an award to a journalist every year in memory of Balshastri Jambhekar on 5th January. This year the award was being presented to Kiran Shelar.

Balshastri Jambhekar is the pioneer of the Marathi journalism. Image Source: Nation Now

According to a report by Maha MTB, the program was organised in the Surendra Gavaskar Memorial Hall of the Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya. A lit-fest of journalists and writers was also held on this occasion. Mumbai University’s former vice-chancellor Dr Bhalchandra Munagekar was chief guest of the program. Ciciliya Carvalho and Sukrut Khandekar were among the other dignitaries on the dais. Prakash Pohare was the president of this program. Chairman of the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association Eknath Birwadkar and other office bearers of the association and many journalists, writers, and others were present for this program in the Dadar area of Mumbai.

Prakash Pohare. Image Source: Facebook handle of Prakash Pohare

All the guests presented their thoughts before the award ceremony. Prakasha Pohare also expressed his views. During his speech, he questioned the existence of Lord Ram and criticised the Ram Mandir as well as the grand preparations going on for the upcoming consecration ceremony of the temple in Ayodhya. Prakash Pohare then detailed the problems of Dalits, tribals, ‘have-nots’ etc.

Reacting to this, Kiran Shelar stood up and said, “The problems of this country raised by the earlier speakers are real and the existence of Lord Shri Ram is also real. So I don’t want awards from those who believe that Shri Ram is an imagination, I will not accept it. However, I don’t want to insult the pioneer of Marathi journalism Balshastri Jambhekar. Therefore, the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association should decide whether to give the award or not.”

Kiran Shelar speaking at the award ceremony. Image Source: Maha MTB

Kiran Shelar’s stand on not accepting the award was greeted with a grand welcome from the audience, with a unified chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ from the people present in the auditorium. The audience also congratulated him for this stand rather than for the award. Finally, honouring the organisers’ request. Kiran Shelar received the award from Sukrut Khandekar – the editor of ‘Prahar’.

Kiran Shelar, while replying to the award, refuted many of the issues raised by Prakash Pohare. At the same time, he made his point by showing alternative ways, not just protesting the propositions by earlier speakers. Kiran Shelar said, “There are many ways of enlightenment in society today. A conscious society must reach out before the wrong tendencies reach the paths we haven’t seen so far. You have to look at those paths, you have to do your job honestly. There are obstacles to moving forward with your loyalty, but I’ve learned a lot from my 24 years of journalism experience. This is an award for my journey.”

He added, “As long as meaningful content is produced by writers and journalists, society’s appetite for better quality will not be quenched. Mumbai Tarun Bharat is a daily newspaper run by RSS volunteers. But all kinds of ideologies are for human welfare only. No one should discard them. Continuity in quality content creation must be maintained. The platform of the literary festivals is nowadays used for non-literary things. It should not happen with such a stage associated with journalism. The new generation should also be given a place on the platform.”

Kiran Shelar later detailed this incident in his Facebook post

Kiran Shelar informed about the whole sequence of events from his Facebook account later. He wrote in his post, “A month ago, Eknath Birwatkar, president of the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association, came to the Office of Mumbai Tarun Bharat and asked me if I would accept the award given in the name of Balshastri Jambhekar. Late Yashwant Padhya started the Mumbai Marathi Journalistic Writers’ Association and ‘Mumbai Tarun Bharat’ and our editor at that time had a good relationship with the organisation. There was nothing to say no to. I was told this award was for new experiments in journalism. I agreed, too.”

Kiran Shelar added, “When the invitation letter was received, it was learnt that the award would be presented by Prakash Pohare, Sukrit Khandekar and Bhalchandra Munagekar. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that at all. Munagekar gave his usual speech which was boring but at least he did not mock anyone. Prakash Pohare, however, slipped unceremoniously on Lord Shri Ram. The speech was completely contradictory and bizarre. Later, the comments he made on Lord Ram and Ram Mandir made me angry.”

Kiran Shelar further said in his Facebook post, “Sukrut Khandekar was sitting next to me. I told him that I did not think it was right to accept the award from him. I’m not going to accept it. Khandekar said ‘It was his personal stand. Not of the organising committee. This is an award named after Balashastri, you should not insult him.’ In fact, I am a system-abiding person and it is not in my nature to flare up just because I don’t like things that are going in a certain manner. Then I got up straight and took the mic and made my point.”

Describing what happened next, Kiran Shelar further wrote, “Our faith about Lord Ram is as real as the problems in this country presented by the speakers. So I don’t want an award from such a person. I said this straight away. Chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ started from the people sitting in the audience and there was an unprecidented ruckus. It was Khandekar who saved the face of the organisers at that time and gave me the award. I left the award there itself and got off the stage in a fit of rage and walked through the crowd. Some people were congratulating me, some were shouting slogans. My seven-year-old son Adamya Kiran Shelar clenched his fists and raised both his hands and chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram’. I smiled. We got out of there. The program ended too late.”

‘Questioning the existence of Lord Ram won’t work in front of me’, says Kiran Shelar

Kiran Shelar further clarified his stand about Lord Ram while he recalled the making of a journalist over the past 24 years of his working experience. He wrote in his Facebook post, “In fact, twenty-four years ago, I had decided not to leave ‘Mumbai Tarun Bharat’, no matter how big a package I got. That’s where I found my Ram. The respectful pay that the organization gives me, the support I get from colleagues and the freedom I get from my seniors are enough for this job. I don’t expect any award and it’s not in my nature to apply for it.”

He added, “In fact, I am a complete believer. But I am a man who seeks Ram in work (duty) rather than any ritual. I still believe that there are some good people even in the ideology I don’t believe in, and that they do a good job too. They should think about why people are no longer rallying behind them. Being a ‘Hedgewarite’, I have a lot of work to do and I can’t get over it.”

In the end he said, “I was so angry. Because we, as Hindus, respect everyone’s beliefs and faiths and you still question about the existence of Lord Ram. It won’t work. It’s not at all going to work in front of me.”

The leftist-liberal anti-Hindu bias of Marathi media and importance of Kiran Shelar

Notably, like every established national and regional media in India, the Marathi media brags and boasts a leftist-liberal anti-Hindu bias for the past so many years. It started with social reformers during the ninteenth century when it was aimed at bringing a so-called modern approach to the Marathi people. However, it went on to become more of an agency disseminating anti-Hindu thoughts on a regular basis over the last more than 100 years.

Stalwarts in the late ninteenth and early twentieth century like Lokmanya Tilak and Veer Savarkar are long forgotten by those in the Marathi media who claim to be progressive liberals. Having an essentially leftist bias they do not mention these names. Even if they do, they do so to demean, discredit, defame and misquote them in a way suitable to the narrative they want to peddle.

Questioning the existence of Lord Ram, criticising Ram Mandir, taking dirty jibes spit slurs at a Prime Minister who carries his Hindu identity on his sleeves, guilt tripping Hindus for demolition of disputed structure at Ram Janmbhoomi, abusing Hindu festivals, disrespecting Hindu traditions, and distorting the meanings assigned to various Hindu rituals is their standard operating procedure before these journalists resort to abuse Brahmins – the so-called traditional custodians of Dharma and worship rituals.

Girish Kuber once questioned the Christian way of assigning sainthood to Mother Teresa. He immediately withdrew the Loksatta editorial and furnished unconditional apology. Mukesh Machkar incited people to burn women from upper Hindu castes. Vishwambhar Choudhari and Nikhil Wagle‘s ‘Nirbhay Bano’ campaign against Narendra Modi has become a platform for anti-Hindu propaganda.

Asim Sarode‘s willful advocacy for the accused in the parliament security breach depicts the urban naxalism under the garb of constitutional activism. Niranjan Takle wrote a book on Justice Loya’s death wherein the only basis of arguments given to accuse Union Home Minister Amit Shah of conspiring the alleged murder of the late justice is hearsay and insinuation.

In fact, the inner core of the Marathi media is so intolerant towards Lord Ram that no other media gave the news of this incident as detailed as Kiran Shelar’s Mumbai Tarun Bharat and its web portal Maha MTB. Mruga Vartak who was also present for the ceremony reported this event for Maha MTB. OpIndia confirmed from her that representatives of many other media were also present there.

Against this backdrop, Kiran Shelar taking a firm stand and refusing to accept the award from the hands of a journalist who doubted the existence of Lord Ram is a ray of hope in Marathi journalism. Increasing the number of such journalists who vocally advocate the civilisational interests, respect others without compromising one’s own pride and faith and widespread reach, attention, and support of people to such journalists is the only way to turn this exception of being a Kiran Shelar into a norm in contemporary Marathi media.

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