On 13th December night (Wednesday), an attempt was made on the life of Mahesh, the younger brother of Hindu activist Bittu Bajrangi, in Dabua Colony, Faridabad.
The accused tried to burn Mahesh Panchal alive. He remains in a critical condition and has been transferred to a third hospital for treatment.
35-year-old Mahesh, who has suffered 60% burns, is the father of a daughter. The daughter is the only successor of Bittu’s family.
Bittu Bajrangi family’s survives with hand-to-mouth earnings by selling vegetables. OpIndia team met Bittu Bajrangi’s family on Thursday (14 December 2023).
Bittu Bajrangi’s entire family was present in Prachi Hospital in Faridabad where we met them. Bittu’s father and mother have died a long time ago. Bittu is not married.
The reason for this, he says, is to dedicate himself to the service of Hindu dharma. Bittu’s brother Mahesh, who was set on fire by pouring thinner, is admitted in the burn ward of the hospital.
Policemen were seen deployed at the gate. Apart from administrative officials, no one is allowed to meet Mahesh except doctors.
We saw a girl of about 5 years playing at the gate of the hospital. When we asked her name, the girl introduced herself as Deepika.
Deepika said her father’s name is Mahesh. Deepika is too young to realise the seriousness of what has happened to her father.
She says she is student of class KG. She identifies her father as Kariya too, which is Mahesh’s nickname at home. She also recited ABCD to us.
Her mother, Mahesh’s wife, could not hold back her tears while we tried speaking to her.
When we asked Deepika what she wants to become when she grows up, she said, ‘a doctor’. When we asked her the reason for becoming a doctor, she said she wants to cure sick people.
Deepika may be too young to ascertain the seriousness of the situation, but she knows that something has happened to her father. This was clear to us when she said that the first person she will give injection to when she becomes a doctor is her father.
Deepika’s mother told us that her daughter is a bright student but due to incidents like Bittu’s arrest and now the attack on her husband, her daughter’s studies are getting affected a lot.
The family has spent all their money on Mahesh’s treatment and is now facing a financial crisis.
OpIndia spoke to Bittu about his family background. Bittu said that his late father had built a small house in Faridabad by doing small jobs.
Their family lives in the same house. After the death of their father, Bittu and his brother Mahesh started supporting the family by selling vegetables.
Due to Bittu’s involvement with Hindu organizations, the responsibility of running the family fell on his brother Mahesh. Mahesh was married in a village near Palwal. Five years ago he became the father of a girl. This girl is now the only light in Bittu Bajrangi’s house.
On the day of the incident, Mahesh was selling vegetable at his shop. A group of men threw thinner on him and set him on fire. Mahesh’s in-laws were also present at the hospital.
Speaking to OpIndia on the evening of 16th December, Bittu Bajrangi said that his brother’s condition has improved by about 10%. He also told that due to the calamity at home, his niece’s education has stopped.
In one of his Facebook posts, Bittu Bajrangi has also accused local leaders of ignoring him. Apart from Arman Khan, no other name has come to light among the accused till now. SIT is investigating the case.
On 18th December (Monday), the Times of India commemorated the birth anniversary of Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin describing him as ‘The Man of Steel’. Shared as a Trivia factoid, the post eulogised him with a poster listing key facets of his “leadership”. The portrait depicts him in an all-colour pallet of revolution.
Here are the bullet points that the media house noted about the Communist Dictator –
Joseph Stalin, the dictator who “transformed” the Soviet Union into a “superpower”, was born on this day in 1878
Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed
Born as loseb Dzhugashvili, he wasn’t a native Russian, but hailed from Georgia
A “skilled but ruthless organiser” was the chief architect of Soviet totalitarianism and ruled for a quarter of century
Industrialised the USSR and forcibly collectivised its agriculture
Was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice in 1945 and 1948 for his role in World War II
Further, the caption, “You share your #birhday (sic) with…The Man of Steel – Joseph Stalin”, insinuates that sharing a birthday with the ‘Steel Man’ is some kind of an achievement.
Meanwhile, apart from the TOI post, some other users also praised Joseph Stalin on his birth anniversary. CPI(M)’s Puducherry unit praising the Communist dictator wrote, “Comrade Joseph Stalin, born on December 18, 1878, a revolutionary Bolshevik who led the victorious Antifascist war and laid the foundation for a strong working-class state of the planet. His universal contributions live on, shaping history. Long live the legacy of.”
Comrade Joseph Stalin, born on December 18, 1878, a revolutionary Bolshevik who led the victorious Antifascist war and laid the foundation for a strong working-class state of the planet. His universal contributions live on, shaping history. Long live the legacy of #JosephStalin. pic.twitter.com/5eEtBCodp7
However, the majority of the reactions on the post slammed the media house for eulogising a dictator, reminding that he killed millions.
Criticising the post, one X user wrote, “This colourful depiction and shameless admiration by Times of India of Joseph Stalin… A man who is responsible for the deaths of at least 20 million people..The man of steel… my foot… Cowards at best..”
This colourful depiction and shameless admiration by Times of India of Joseph Stalin.. A man who is responsible for the deaths of at least 20 million people..
One user highlighted that the post didn’t include the oppressive regime and actions of the communist dictator including hangings and famines under his regime.
The user wrote, “Should you not also add about the Stalinist purges, the gulags, the famines, etc that were the hallmark of his reign of terror? Looks like your newsroom is filled with Stalin fanbois from radical left universities.”
Should you not also add about the Stalinist purges, the gulags, the famines etc that were the hallmark of his reign of terror? Looks like your newsroom is filled with Stalin fanbois from radical left universities.
Historical antecedents of Joseph Stalin: Mass murderer and Genocide enabler
As per various Russian accounts, a whopping 20 million people are said to have perished under Joseph Stalin’s regime, after being at the receiving end of labour camps, forced collectivisation, famine and executions.
Besides these measures, Stalin had also initially colluded with the Nazis during the latter’s Polish invasion in 1939 and at the end of the war, the Communist soldiers under Stalin have been alleged to have raped at least 2 million German women.
In a century, communist states have killed approximately 100 million people, according to Ilya Somin’s articles. Joseph Stalin’s attempts to collectivise agriculture and production in Russia resulted in the deaths of 6 to 10 million people. Stalin imposed collective agriculture, prohibiting people from cultivating on their own, and imprisoning dissenters in Siberian labour camps.
In Russia and Ukraine, millions went hungry, and hundreds of thousands died in prison camps. When Ukrainian production fell short of Stalin’s quota, he punished them even more by taking away everything they had. In Ukraine, Stalin’s forced famine is termed ‘Holodomor’ by joining the words for hunger (holod) and mor (extermination or mass-murder).
Stalin’s atrocities were not restricted to the Soviet famine; he also carried out the ‘Great Purge,’ in which everyone he disapproved of was imprisoned, tortured, or executed. No one was spared, even wealthy peasants, politicians, military men, and ethnic minorities. The Purge alone is thought to have killed over 1.2 million people.
Teams of NDRF, SDRF and the Ghaziabad police have been deployed in the Ganga canal in Muradnagar area to search for the body of a teen named Sheeba. 17-18 year old Muslim girl named Sheeba was murdered by her brothers for being in a relationship with a Hindu boy.
Her brothers brought Sheeba to Ghaziabad on the pretext of taking her on a tour. They strangulated her to death and threw her body in Ganganahar of Muradnagar.
Sheeba was around 17-18-years-old. She lived with her family in Roorkee in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand. Sheeba was in love with a local Hindu boy. Her brothers – 21 year old Sufiyan and 24 year old Mahtab – did not like this. The family sent her to her cousin in Delhi. However, even here she was in touch with her lover over phone.
When the cousin, Mahtab, came to know about this, he informed Sheeba’s brother Sufiyan. Both of them then hatched a plan to murder Sheeba.
Mahtab and Sufiyan brought Sheeba to Muradnagar’s Ganganahar in Ghaziabad on the pretext of taking her for a ride. Here they strangled Sheeba to death and threw the body in the Ganganagar (canal).
DCP (Rural) Vivek Chandra Yadav said, “Both the accused were returning on foot after committing the crime. Meanwhile, the Phantom team of police patrolling there stopped them. Both became nervous during interrogation. Finding both of them suspicious, the police brought them to Muradnagar police station. Here they confessed to the murder of their sister.”
The DCP said that during interrogation, the accused told that due to their sister’s love affair, they were being insulted in the society and so, they murdered her.
According to DCP Yadav, both the brothers had come from Delhi to Muradnagar town with Sheeba in an auto. After this, they walked on the track of Ganganahar (canal) for about one and a half kilometres. During this time, taking advantage of the opportunity, they killed Sheeba.
Sheeba’s real brother Sufiyan works as a laborer, while cousin Mahtab drives an auto in Delhi. DCP Yadav said that a case has been registered against both of them under murder and other sections and they have been arrested. On the information of both of them, the police have recovered the sandals, clothes, Aadhar card and towel of the deceased.
Due to the strong flow of water in Ganganahar, the body has not been recovered yet. For this, teams of NDRF, SDRF and police have been deployed. The police of nearby districts have also been informed about this.
Last month, OpIndia reported an exclusive case from the Pune district of Maharashtra where two minor girls were forcefully sent to an orphanage in Daund and were forcefully converted to Christianity. The girls were also forced to clean toilets, were influenced against Hinduism and Hindu Gods and Goddesses, and were beaten, and tortured after their mother’s death in the year 2020.
The Police have taken cognizance of the event and have filed an FIR against the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission and its three Matrons identified as Sakshi Bhalerao, Nisha More, and Vaishali Bhasker for assaulting and torturing the minor girls and converting them to Christianity.
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, all four accused have been booked under sections 354B (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 295A (Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class) and 298 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. FIR has been filed based on the complaint registered by one of the maternal aunts of the victims.
It has come to the fore that the two minor girls aged 9 and 11 respectively were confined to the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission orphanage which is located in the Daund region of the Pune district. The girls were forced to clean public toilets and were not provided with good food and clothes in the orphanage. They also were forced to take baths in public by the authorities at the orphanage.
FIR copy obtained by OpIndia
The girls were converted to Christianity and baptized by the authorities at the orphanage. They were also forced to go to church on Sundays and were barred from wearing Bindi, bangles, and any Hindu religious symbol in jewellery form on their body. They were brain-fed that “Hindu Gods are dead. They don’t exist. People only apply haldi kumkum on idols unnecessarily.” The girls were also made to believe that Jesus is the only existing God.
The aunt of the girl mentioned in the complaint that she was rarely allowed to meet the girls for 1 and a half years and was not allowed to take them at home for vacations. The aunt of the girls also said that the orphanage refused to hand over the girls to the family saying that they were receiving foreign funds from every girl confined in the orphanage and that they could not afford to lose the girls for money. “However, they kept on trying to convince us that the girls were being taken care of and that they would be sent to foreign countries for education. But we were being cheated,” the complainant said.
How did the two minor girls land in the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission?
The two victim minor girls are from the Shivajinagar area of Pune. They had been staying with their maternal aunt in the Bhavani Peth area after their mother died. The girls’ father shared minimal bond with them given that they were girls. “My sister and her husband shared no relation after these two girls were born. She had been staying with our mother in Pune. And after she died in 2021, I took responsibility for her daughters (two victims of this case),” said the maternal aunt of the two minor girls.
As per the information obtained by OpIndia, the girls had been studying at the Bapusaheb Pawar Prathmik School in Bhavani Peth. Some of the NGOs like the Bharatiya Samajseva Kendra were associated with the school ensuring the welfare of the students. In the year 2021, one of the social workers from the NGO called the aunt of the girls and said that the father of the girls wouldn’t take proper care of the girls. She suggested the woman admit the girls into a good hostel for better education and lifestyle. Despite several refusals from the aunt, the social worker convinced the family and contacted the Bal Kalyan Samiti in Yerwada through which she got the girls admitted to Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission in Daund.
The aunt of the girls was assured that they would be allowed to meet the girls and talk to them over the phone whenever they wanted. The aunt and the other family members of the girls were also assured that all the financial needs of the girls would be taken care of and that they would be sent to foreign for further education. The authorities at the orphanage also reportedly told the family that the marriage expenses of the women would also be taken care of.
Earlier, the aunt of the girls was told that they would be kept at the hostel. However, they were deceptively kept at the orphanage and were confined for almost two years. The girls were not allowed to meet their aunts and were not allowed to communicate with them openly.
Representative Image (The Federal)
What happened to the girls in the orphanage; force-fed ‘wine, bread ‘grape juice’, bread
The two minor girls in their confession to the police said that they were tortured at the orphanage and were not provided with proper clothes, food, and other basic needs. The girls also said that they were made to clean public toilets and wash vessels at the orphanage.
As per the FIR-
The girls were made to eat white bread and drink Grape Juice (Red wine).
They were barred from praying to Hindu Gods and Goddesses and were made to believe that “Jesus is the only existent God and all Hindu Gods and Goddesses are dead.”
The girls were baptized and were forcefully converted to Christianity.
They were asked to attend Sunday churches and read Christian prayers failing which they would not be provided with proper food.
The girls were also asked to take an open bath (with no clothes on the body) in front of the public.
They had also attained infection in their fingers given they were forced to clean toilets using chemicals and acids.
The girls were frequently tortured, assaulted, and beaten by the Matron Nisha More and Vaishali Bhasker
They were abused over their low caste
They were given weird, shapeless haircuts and were made to wear torn clothes deliberately. Photographs of the girls would be shot in such weird attire.
The two minors were also barred from wearing Bindi and bangles.
Matron Sakshi Bhalerao would confine the girls into the bathroom for hours if her orders were not followed.
Girls were not allowed to talk to the aunt
The aunt of the girls maintained in the complaint that the girls would not be allowed to talk properly to them. They would be kept watch on continuously when we would visit them. “After the admission of the girls to the hostel (orphanage), me and my two other sisters went to meet the girls. The first time we were treated very nicely. But as I demanded to take the girls home for a few days or vacations they would not allow. Slowly slowly they began keeping us away from the girls. Someone from the orphanage authorities would always be present with the girls ensuring that they don’t reveal the atrocities faced by them,” the aunt said.
The orphanage receives foreign funds for every child confined
On 3rd May 2023, after the mistreatment came to the fore, the father of the girls submitted a letter to the orphanage saying that he wanted his kids back and that he was capable enough to take care of them. Nisha More from the orphanage then rejected the proposal and said that the girls now belonged to the orphanage and that ‘the father now had no relation with the girls.’
Accused Nisha More also replied to the father saying that the orphanage received specific amounts from the foreign countries behind every child in the orphanage and that they would not lose the girls. She further convinced the father saying that the orphanage would take all the financial responsibility of his kids and need not worry about them now.
FIR copy obtained by OpIndia
The girl’s aunt learned about the orphanage’s response and found it scary. She sought help from the Bal Kalyan Samiti to get custody of the kids. However, the authorities at the Samiti, Wasim Sheikh, and other women officials abused her and hurled caste-related abuse. “You low-caste, illiterate people will never change,” the authorities said.
About Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission
The Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission in Kedgaon, Daund, was established in the year 1889. As per its official website, the missionary is ‘committed to the empowerment of destitute women and children since 1889’.
It is a Christ-centered home where destitute women and children irrespective of their background are ‘cared for’, transformed, and empowered as per the vision statement mentioned on its website. “We seek, in the Spirit of Christ, to sow seeds of change in the lives of every individual under the care of Mukti Mission, skillfully counselling them to Deal with the issues of life, Initiating varied opportunities of healing and shaping them prayerfully as models of God’s kingdom for the society at large,” the NGO’s mission statement reads.
Screengrab from the website
The basis and operation of the Mission are based on Isaiah 61: 1 & 4 of the Bible which reads, “The spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
In the given case, the two minor girls have been forcefully converted by the Missionary.
NCPCR demanded action based on a complaint by IHRC
As reported earlier, the entire incident got exposed when one of the aunts got associated with a Pune-based NGO named the Indian Human Rights Council (IHRC) and local Hindu organizations. The complaint was then sent to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which issued a notice seeking severe action in the case.
The Commission also noted that the details of the two minors had not been uploaded on the Commission’s Bal Swaraj Portal- Covid Care given the reason for the death of the minor’s mother was suspicion of COVID-19.
The girls were finally released by the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission on 11th November 2023 and were safely handed over to the aunts by the local Hindu organizations.
Team OpIndia tried to contact the orphanage for a comment but to no avail.
A complaint has been filed against the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission and its three Matrons identified as Sakshi Bhalerao, Nisha More, and Vaishali Bhasker for assaulting and torturing the minor girls and converting them to Christianity.
All four accused have been booked under sections 354B (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 295A (Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class) and 298 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 based on the complaint registered by one of the maternal aunts of the victims.
On 18th December, while Indian social media was abuzz with the unconfirmed reports of notorious terrorist Dawood Ibrahim being poisoned and in critical condition, Republic TV confirmed that those were just rumours. In a report, Republic TV noted that a relative of Dawood Ibrahim dismissed the claims made in social media reports that Dawood was admitted to a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, due to health complications.
There were reports that unknown persons poisoned the most wanted Indian terrorist. Speaking to Republic TV, the relative claimed that Dawood was not poisoned. The relative said, “News of poisoning is not correct. Also, we are unaware of his whereabouts”.
How reports of Dawood Ibrahim’ dying surfaced’s death keep surfacing over the years
Dawood Ibrahim is one of the most notorious and dreaded gangsters/terrorists that India has ever seen. A criminal mobster and drug dealer from Mumbai, it is believed that Dawood Ibrahim now resides in Karachi, Pakistan. He was designated as a global terrorist in 2003 by India and the United States, with a reward of US$25 million for his capture for his role in the 1993 Bombay bombings. In 2011, the FBI and Forbes named him number three on The World’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives. While Dawood’s death rumours are all over social media, it has to be noted that such rumours find their place on social media platforms once or twice every year. It is a fact that Dawood Ibrahim is hiding in Pakistan, and the hostile neighbour categorically refuses to accept his presence in the country.
Various ’causes’ of Dawood Ibrahim’s death
On 17th December 2023, there was a rumour on social media that some unknown assailants poisoned Dawood Ibrahim, and he was admitted to hospital in critical condition. The rumour surfaced after the internet went kaput in Pakistan to curb the circulation of videos of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s virtual rally. Fake screenshots of Pakistan PM’s posts, and fanning of the rumours by journalists fed fuel to the rumours.
In 2020, there were reports that Dawood Ibrahim and his wife contracted Coronavirus. It was one of the “silver lining” reports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, it was reported that he died of the infection. However, the reports were proven wrong, and Dawood lived. However, his nephew Siraj Kaskar, the son of Dawood’s elder brother Sabir Kaskar, did die of COVID-19 in Pakistan.
In 2017, there were reports that Dawood died of a heart attack. Some reports suggested he had a brain tumour that led to his worsening health. However, the reports later proved to be fake. Chota Shakeel, Dawood’s right hand man, said in a statement, “Listening to my voice, do you think any such thing has happened? These are all rumours, Bhai is fit and fine.”
In 2016, there was another rumour on social media that Dawood got gangrene on his legs, and doctors might have had to amputate them. In April 2016, CNN News18 reported that Dawood Ibrahim was suffering from an advanced stage of gangrene, and soon, doctors would not have any option but to cut off his legs. The report further claimed that if his situation worsened and he died, it would be a big blow to India’s efforts to bring him to justice. NDTV put the terrorist on death bed and reported there was a hunt for his successor. Times of India busted the rumour quoting Chota Shakeel who said, “Your agencies have the wrong information. Dawood is perfectly fit.”
While Dawood Ibrahim is still alive, several wanted terrorists and their associates have been killed by unknown assailants in Pakistan. OpIndia’s detailed report on terrorists being killed by unnamed assailants in Pakistan can be checked here.
On Friday (15th December) night, about 10 idols of deities kept in three Hindu temples were vandalised in Alfadanga upazila in Faridpur district in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.
As per a report in Prothom Alo, the three desecrated temples were identified as Kendriya Hari Mandir, Sri Sri Vishnu Pagal Mandir and Sri Sri Damodar Akhara. The places of worship are located within 1 km of the Alfadanga municipality.
According to the Bengali daily, four idols of Goddess Manasa, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and one idol of Lord Shiva were vandalised at the Kendriya Hari Mandir. Similarly, two idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Manasa were destroyed at the Sri Sri Vishnu Pagal Mandir.
Hindus stage protest against temple desecration, image via Prothom Alo
The unidentified miscreants also vandalised a Shivling and idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Narayana, which were kept at the Sri Sri Damodar Akhara. In total, they attacked 10 idols belonging to Hindu gods and Goddesses.
After the matter came to light, the locals informed the police. While speaking about the incident, Officer-in-Charge of the (Alfadanga) police station Salim Reza said that the cops reached the crime spot immediately after receiving information.
He said that a case would be filed and that the CCTV footage of the temple premises was collected.
Hindus protest against idol vandalism in Alfadanga upazila
On Sunday (17th December), members of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (HBCUC) staged a demonstration at Alfadanga Chowrastra, demanding rapid action against those involved in idol vandalism.
A human chain was formed by the protestors seeking justice against religious persecution. A day earlier, another protest march was organised jointly by the Upazila Puja Udayapan Committee and HBCUC.
Idol vandalism in Shalikupa Upazila
Earlier on 6th November, a case of temple desecration and idol vandalism came to light in the Bijulia village of Shailkupa upazila of Bangladesh. After learning about the incident, the local Hindus alerted the police.
A similar case of idol vandalism took place in the area in October 2022. Islamists orchestrated it under the supervision of a Chhatra League (student wing of Bangladesh Awami League) leader.
“Last year, they broke the idol of Goddess Kali and discarded the head of the deity. There is an upcoming election in the country. I hope such incidents are not repeated this time…I hope we can live in peace,” a local Hindu woman said.
In February this year, OpIndia reported about a series of planned attacks on at least 14 Hindu temples across the Islamic country.
Update: According to a report by Dhaka Mail, one miscreant by the name of Sanatan Malo/ Sonai Malo was arrested by the police in connection to idol vandalism. He claimed that he would have nightmares featuring snakes and hence destroyed the idol of Goddess Manasa and Lord Shiva.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at 19 locations in South India by busting a “highly radicalised jihadi terror group,” sources said.
The raids have been underway since this morning. The anti-terror agency is conducting these raids in close coordination with the state police forces.
The sources, privy to the development, did not share the inputs about the exact location and about the jihadi group due to some operational reasons.
Of the 19 places being searched by the NIA, the majority of them are linked to suspects affiliated with the jihadi group.
As per inputs, the terror group is engaged in anti-India activities and has learned to plan attacks, recruiting youths, said the sources.
The move comes days after the NIA raided multiple locations across Bengaluru, Karnataka, in a case relating to the radicalization of prisoners by a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist.
A total of six locations, including the houses of four accused, one of whom is still absconding, were extensively searched in the case on December 13 as part of the NIA’s continuing investigations into the case (RC-28/2023/NIA/DLI). The other locations that were searched were premises connected with two other suspects.
In that raid, the NIA teams seized a host of digital devices, various incriminating documents, and cash amounting to Rs 7.3 lakhs during the raids, conducted at the premises of Mohammed Umar, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, Tanveer Ahmed and Mohammed Farooq, as well as absconder Junaid Ahmed. Three accused are currently absconding in the case, registered under various sections of IPC, the UA(P) Act, 1967 and the Explosive Substances Act, 1884.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Slain gangster Atiq Ahmed’s financer and aide Nafees Biryani died on Monday (18th December) morning. Nafees’s death comes a day after he suffered a cardiac arrest in the Naini Central Jail and was admitted to the ICU at the Swarooprani Nehru Hospital.
According to authorities, Nafees was admitted to the SRN Hospital but while undergoing treatment on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, he passed away owing to a heart attack.
Nafees Biryani was one of the accused in the Umesh Pal murder case in Prayagraj. He was arrested by the police on 22nd November from Anapur in the Nawabganj police station area. There was a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head.
Nafees was shot in the leg during the encounter after which he was arrested and admitted to a hospital. He was shifted to jail on 9th December.
Reports quoting sources cliam that Nafees used to run a paan shop in Prayagraj’s Civil Lines area. During this time, he came into contact with Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf after which he opened a Biryani shop.
According to the police, Nafees earned Rs 2 crore in a month and a big chunk of this amount was sent to Atiq’s wife Shaista Parveen.
on 17th and 18th December, a video of Italian PM Giorgia Meloni went viral on social media. As per the subtitles in the video, she was seen saying that Islam is not compatible with European values and culture. Islam is being perpetrated (in Italy) through Saudi Arabia’s funding and Saudi Arabia has Sharia law. Meloni further says that the Sharia law is not compatible with Europian values and culture.
The whole of Europe is being Islamised.
There is no similarity between our culture and Islam.
Islam is being spread by Saudi in Italy.
There is Sharia law in Saudi, which we will not allow to be implemented in Italy.
Many media portals reported that her statement came after the recent political festival held in Italy by her party, The Brothers of Italy party, where UK PM Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk were also in attendance.
Meloni’s statement reported as recent in WION
A number of Indian media houses including WION, Hindustan Times, Mint, NDTV, and Times Now reported the same claims.
NDTV used a X post embed of a handle named Geopolitical Kid and wrote that Meloni’s statement was given during the political event organised by her party.
NDTV report
However, Meloni’s statement regarding Islam’s alleged incompatibility wasn’t found in any international publications in the last 24-hour window.
Radio Genoa, a popular handle on X, seemed to have first posted the video.
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni: “I believe that there is a problem of compatibility between Islamic culture and the values and rights of our civilization. The Islamic cultural centers in Italy are financed by Saudi Arabia where Sharia is in force. In Europe there is a very… pic.twitter.com/wEn8Fl4JC2
However, Radio Genoa has not cited a time frame, and has not written that Meloni’s statement was recent.
Upon searching with the keywords and comparing it with Meloni’s video clip going viral, we found that the original video was posted on YouTube back in 2018.
2018 video by alanews
The video was posted by the YouTube channel alanews in 2018.
In the video, Meloni is seen saying, “Salvini says that Islam is incompatible with the constitution? Ask him for clarification, but I believe that Islam certainly presents incompatibility with our values and our civilization, and what happens in Islamic centers demonstrates this. This does not mean generalizing, but there is an incompatibility with our culture.”
In that video, Meloni was referring to a previous statement by another conservative leader Matteo Salvini. Salvini, referring to the Cologne mass sexual attacks and Berlin terrorist attack, had said that Islam is incompatible with European values. Salvni is a leader of Italy’s Lega Nord party.
Conclusion: While the viral video of Giorgia Meloni is mostly correct in rough translation, the video, or the statement, are not recent. They are from 5 years ago, and not from the recent political event organised by Meloni’s party.
In a press release issued by the Department of Education of Manipur, the government has stated that it has not issued any no objection certificate (NOC) for the affiliation of any schools since May 2023.
This press release issued by the state was in response to a post on X by a Dr Lamtingthang Haokip claiming that 20 educational institutes in Churachandpur and 16 from Kangpokpi were recently affiliated with the CBSE.
Alarming ‼️
Manipur: 30+ illegitimate CBSE schools found, distorting history and furthering identity politics.
The institutes got fake NOCs by forging signatures of the Zonal Education Officer, who are nevertheless allowed to issue NOC certificates.
The press release dated 14th December read, “Apropos the post of Dr. Lamtingthang Haokip on X dated 14.12.2023 claiming that 20 Educational Institutions from Churachandpur and 16 from Kangpokpi respectively are affiliated to the CBSE, it is to clarify for general information that the State Government has not issued any NOC for affiliation with CBSE to any of the educational institutions in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi Districts since May 2023.”
? Forgery to get CBSE affiliation❓️
❗️ 20 educational institutions from Churachandpur and 16 from Kangpokpi gets CBSE affiliation, without mandatory state NOC. #Manipur Education Minister @thbasantasingh clarifies State Govt has not issued any NOC since May 3, 2023. Yet… pic.twitter.com/I3UphmHVzY
According to reports, an initial probe into the report of several schools getting NOC revealed that fake NOCs with forged signatures of Zonal Education Officers (ZEO). Reports quoting sources said that an official team led by state education minister Th Basanta Kumar looked into the issue.
The team found that some schools from Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts were found processing affiliation with the CBSE. Of these, 10 schools received affiliation a few months ago before violence broke out and 15 schools during the violence period.
The official team inquired with the ZEOs about the matter over the phone. The ZEOs responded saying that they had not issued any NOC for any school and added that the NOC must be fake and signatures forged.
Sources reportedly said that further probe is underway to find the persons responsible for the forging of signatures on the fake NOCs.
Moreover, ZEOs are not authorised to issue NOCs as approval of the minister and concerned commissioner is mandatory. The government is also probing the ZEOs to establish whether they are lying or not.
Meanwhile, Haokip in his X post after the press release stated that this is a “diversionary tactic orchestrated by the N Biren Singh government”.
He said that he along with two more people namely Th. Brindan and JNIMS are being made easy targets in order to avoid backlash for the 60 Kuki-Zo and 4 Meitei victims of violence in the state.
“Regarding the social media post about CBSE School Affiliations, it is available on the official website of CBSE for verification. There is no mention of NOC in my social media post yet my name is being taken to create confusion and enmity.+,” he said in his post.
