It was the 43rd over. I was at the stands with a mix of disappointment and admiration coursing through my veins. Disappointed with the impending Indian defeat and filled with admiration for the way Australia almost always manages to cross the finish line in crucial knockouts. Mohammad Siraj had just got the centurion, Travis Head, out and was running in to bowl to the new batsman Glenn Maxwell, with Australia just two runs away from yet another World Cup triumph.
Siraj bowled a menacing ball into Maxwell’s body but the Australian all-rounder was quick to pull it to the deep square leg for a comfortable two, registering 6th World Cup title for Australia. Before that, in the 33rd over, Travis Head scored a gritty hundred to a standing ovation from the Ahmedabad crowd, which was a sea of blue, with over 1 lakh 32 thousand in attendance.
While the crowd had expectedly gone silent as Australia coasted to victory and many left before the post-match presentation, there were thousands like me who waited in the stands, bewildered with the Indian loss and marvelling at the tenacity and mental toughness of Australians to win one ICC trophy after another.
But then there was a section of pathological Modi haters who exploited the World Cup loss to attack their bete noire, PM Modi, and the state he belongs from. A raft of leftists and the Congress IT ecosystem attacked the ‘Ahmedabad crowd’ and did not display the ‘spirit of the game’ by going silent and leaving early when the Indian team’s defeat seemed inevitable.
Rohini Singh, a ‘journalist’ with leftist propaganda portal The Wire, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to use the occasion to indulge in what has been catnip for the Left-leaning propagandists: attack people of Gujarat because they propelled Modi on the national stage.
A jingoist crowd that had mostly come to chant Modi, Modi or religious slogans instead of appreciating a sport would only demonstrate graceless conduct. https://t.co/aLeNGeBBTa
Parth MN, another leftist propaganda with little grey cells, too, attacked the ‘Ahmedabad crowd’ for not staying for the post-match presentation and closing ceremony of the World Cup 2023.
The Ahmedabad crowd not staying for the ceremony was abominable and still it was far from the worst thing they've done in this world cup.#WorldcupFinal#INDvsAUS
Atul Kasbekar, a fashion photographer and Bollywood producer, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to blame the Ahmedabad crowd for the Indian team’s defeat in the World Cup 2023 finals.
Last word
The Ahmedabad crowd was rubbish Need proper fans inside a stadium instead of fly by night pretenders
Like the amazing people at Wankhede Proper fans Cheered the team on and especially Shami post the dropped catch Chanted his name non stop
As is evident from the above tweets, the propagandists used the Indian team’s defeat to further their longstanding hate towards PM Modi and his home state, Gujarat. The outburst by the Left is, by no means, objective and is rooted in their pathological hatred for Gujaratis, which has manifested time and again.
The fact is that people from all over the country came to Ahmedabad to witness the historic finals. The spirit among the fans in the stadium was upbeat, thanks to the Indian team’s dominance in the World Cup, beating every other team in the competition. There were special trains run from Mumbai to Ahmedabad to facilitate the cricket fans to reach Ahmedabad.
The flight fares to Ahmedabad were 6-8 times the nominal rates because people from all over the country were flying into Ahmedabad to watch the epic contest. I sat beside a group of people who bought the tickets from the black market and drove to Ahmedabad all the way from Jaipur (Congress-ruled Rajasthan), just to watch the match. Then there were a group of 12 young men who had flown in all the way from San Francisco just to watch Rohit Sharma lift the coveted cup. These two groups had both left the stadium before Maxwell sealed the game for the Aussies.
I also got frantic calls from people in Ahmedabad for somehow getting them tickets to watch the match in the stadium. They were upset that only people from outside Gujarat got the tickets while folks in Ahmedabad ran pillar to post in their desperate attempt to watch the match in the stadium.
In a nutshell, the crowds at the stadium were cosmopolitan. People from all over the country, including Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Nagpur, Indore, Jaipur, and other big and small towns, travelled to Ahmedabad to witness what they thought would culminate into a historic victory for Team India.
As stated earlier, there were people who travelled from all over the country. When they saw their team losing in the finals, they decided to make up for the time it would take them to reach their hometowns by leaving early and not staying back for the post-match presentation. For instance, the travel from Ahmedabad to Jaipur takes 10-12 hours. People who drove all the way from Jaipur decided to leave early, at around 8 PM, so that they could make it in time to reach Jaipur at around 8-9 AM the other day. Others, too, left the stadium early sensing an imminent Indian defeat and getting to their hometowns early.
The San Francisco group sitting beside me left because they were jet lagged and they did not want to compromise on their sleep, just to witness the Australian team lift the World Cup for the sixth time.
But to blame just the ‘Ahmedabad crowd’ for not being gracious enough to stay at the stadium and cheer the rival team for their victory and politicise the occasion to further their deep-seated hatred for PM Modi and Gujaratis requires a special kind of depravity, which is endemic to the Left and the Congress-ecosystem.
Everyone who left the stadium may or may not have a reasonable reason for their early exit. Even if they don’t, it is downright pathetic of the Left and the Congress ecosystem to defame Ahmedabad and Gujaratis for several thousand spectators not staying back in the stadium to see Australians lift the World Cup. Remember, the Ahmedabad stadium is the world’s largest cricket stadium, with a capacity close to 1,32,000. If some thousand people left the stadium early, it should not be used to generalise bigotry against Gujaratis and Ahmedabad residents.
Moreover, the crowds who came to Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad were ‘Indians’ and not ‘Ahmedabad crowds’ or Gujaratis as the Left would have us believe. They came in to support the Indian team and were left shattered seeing their side capitulating to the mighty Aussies. People from all walks of life, different religions and castes, hailing from differing states, cities, and countries, were present in the stadium.
To just blame ‘Ahmedabad crowds’ reflects the Leftist hate for Gujaratis because a man whom they viscerally hate is the Prime Minister of the country and hails from Gujarat.
As millions of cricket fans were left in sorrow after India lost the ICC World Cup final match, the liberals of India had found a reason for being joyous – they found it an occasion to blame Gujaratis and berate Gujarati culture. Even as cricket fans were discussing what went wrong on the field, liberal eyes were fixed on one thing – identity, the Gujarati identity.
Thousands of tweets – some blatant while some subtle – were posted by social media accounts identifying themselves as liberals that targeted Gujaratis for lacking sportsmanship and lacking a ‘sporting culture’ because the crowd apparently failed to cheer the home side properly. At the same time, the crowd, which was assumed to be completely made up of Gujaratis, was also accused of being a ‘jingoist’ who failed to appreciate the rivals. It was trademark liberal behaviour – heads, I win, tails, you lose.
Source: X
Source: X
Gujaratis were declared as lesser people, and liberals demanded that no future big matches should be hosted in Ahmedabad. Most of this behaviour was displayed on X (formerly Twitter), where anti-Gujarati sentiments ran high. Lots of these comments went unchecked because the supposed custodians of the ‘moral compass’ of the society were in synch with them, however, some spoke up.
It wasn't Ahmedabad crowd. It was INDIA crowd. I know people who travelled 12-14 hours on road to come to Ahmedabad. People travelled all the way from Mumbai too. Indians staying abroad came to watch it too
Really? Let’s go back to the 1996 WC semi final. India Vs Sri Lanka in Kolkata? Did the crowd behave in the ‘spirit of the game’ .. they threw stuff on the field and the match was awarded to Sri Lanka. 1999 After the Sachin run out Kolkata didn’t applaud Pakistan’s fielding,… https://t.co/BFYY88f1cU
Bright sparks (these are former journos or top notch professionals) on twitter feel no point building stadia in the country because viewers show no enthusiasm to cheer rivals when their home team is losing. Blind hate towards Gujaratis because of one man having won elections
The preaching and hate against the Ahmedabad crowd – which indeed wasn’t all made up of Gujaratis or whose behaviour wasn’t out of sync with how an average emotional cricket fan would behave – is indeed a manifestation of hate against Gujaratis as well as against anyone supposedly ‘jingoist’ that has been on the rise since Narendra Modi won the general elections in 2014.
Initially, it was about ‘jingoism’ with intellectuals literally wishing that India wouldn’t win the 2015 ICC World Cup because that would aid the supposed ‘hyper-nationalism’ that had engulfed the nation under Modi.
Rahul Gandhi was among the first to target Gujarat and Gujaratis with hate. In 2021, during the run-up to the Assam elections, Rahul Gandhi said that if Congress came to power in the state, he would increase the wage rate of tea workers. That’s great. But while making the promise, he said that he would take money from Gujarati tea traders to fund that extra wage rate. What was the need for divisive politics? Was there a need to single out “Gujarati Tea Traders? While he makes promises of “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan” and a hate-free India with his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, these ghosts from the past are not going to get buried as the hate continues.
In September 2021, when authorities were busy busting drug rackets, which are often used for terror funding, Rahul Gandhi again attacked Gujaratis and cast aspersions that we are drug addicts. This hate against Gujaratis was spread by other politicians, too. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, in a statement, suggested that only Gujaratis could be fraudsters in the current scenario, as they would be forgiven for their actions due to the fact that both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are Gujaratis. In January 2022, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and MP Akhilesh Yadav spewed hatred on Gujaratis and accused them of ‘taking away everything’. Prior to that, Mamata Banerjee had led a hate campaign against Gujaratis and vowed not to let ‘Bengal turn into Gujarat’. In a blatant display of hatred against Gujaratis, she alleged, “Gujaratis are trying to capture Bengal by bringing goons from UP and Bihar.” The West Bengal CM had emphasised, “We will not allow Bengal to become like Gujarat.”
What makes it even sadder is that the hate for Gujarat and Gujaratis rooted in these politicians is in sync with the hate-filled in Khalistanis. A video surfaced from the UK where a pro-Khalistani goon can be seen threatening a man of Gujarat origins. The viral video shows a Gujarati Hindu man trying to have a conversation with the protesting pro-Khalistanis when one of them got agitated and started shouting at him.
Watch: In a viral video today, a radical Khalistan extremist can be seen threatening a Gujarati passerby in foreign country pic.twitter.com/H48rUYRtEH
One of the most recent examples of hate for Gujaratis was of Sujata Anandan – the editor of the fraud-accused Congress mouthpiece National Herald, who equated vegetarianism of Gujaratis and Jains living in Mumbai to “food terrorism”. Sharing her article on X, Sujata Anandan posted, “Go back to Gujarat if you don’t like the smell of fish and rice – Maharashtrians begin to reclaim their own state.” In her article titled ‘Dietary apartheid: Mumbai gets a taste of food terrorism’, Sujata Anandan wrote, “Fish and rice are the staple of Maharashtrians and they don’t see why they should give up their diet to please later settlers, like the Gujaratis who hate even the smell of fish.”
Go back to Gujarat if you don't like the smell of fish and rice – Maharashtrians begin to reclaim their own statehttps://t.co/UgXZMnU9q9
India didn’t win the World Cup Cricket 2023, and ‘nationalism’ continued to be decried by the liberal crowd. Celebrity journalist Rajdeep Sardesai even wrote an article titled “Yes, I Am An Anti-National” and went on to say he was proud to be one.
Despite all the shaming of ‘nationalism’ in the first term of Modi, the BJP, under Modi’s leadership, won the 2019 general election by an even bigger margin. Since then, this hate for Modi, which initially manifested as hate for ‘nationalism’, has now been transformed into hatred for Gujarat and Gujaratis.
This has been amply aided by politics, where hate for Gujaratis was used as a winning formula in the Bihar assembly elections of 2020 (as Biharis vs Baharis, i.e. outsiders) and then in West Bengal assembly elections of 2021, where ‘dhandha minded’ Modi-Shah were presented as evil Gujaratis trying to capture Bengal, the land of bhadraloks. This has been further helped by the political rhetoric of the Modi government favouring Adani-Ambani (incidentally both Gujarati businessmen) and being controlled by them.
The political opposition and the liberals are playing a very dangerous game where they are vilifying an Indian community just because it suits their political expediency. They have found a soft target in Gujaratis to unleash their hate just because Modi and Shah beat them politically twice. Tragically and ironically, all this hate is being dished out from ‘Mohabbat ki dukaan’. Will this hate help them grow and triumph, only citizens of India can decide.
On Monday (November 20), the Mumbai Police booked a case against Riyaz Bhati who is closely associated with underworld don Chhota Shakeel. The case against Bhati has been booked under sections 195 (A), 506 (2), and 34 of IPC (Fabricating of false evidence, Criminal intimidation, Criminal conduct with common intention) for threatening a witness in an extortion case.
Bhati is currently lodged in jail in another extortion case. He is believed to have threatened the witness from the jail.
The complainant asserted that from June 2022 to November 4, 2023, Bhati and his close associates threatened him and told him not to go to court to testify and that if he did, he should testify in favor of Bhati. The complainant stated that Bhati’s associates threatened to kill him.
Mumbai Police has registered a case of extortion and death threats against Riyaz Bhati, a close associate of underworld don Chhota Shakeel. The complainant alleged that Riyaz Bhati and his close associate threatened him to not go to court to testify and if he went, he should…
Based on the complaint, the Khar police filed a case against the accused Riyaz Bhati, his close relatives, and began an investigation.
Bhati is also believed to be a close aide to Mumbai underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim and the dreaded criminal Munna Yadav. However, he had denied being associated with Ibrahim in the year 2016. He was arrested in the Andheri area of Mumbai by the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell in connection with an extortion case filed at Mumbai’s Goregaon Police station.
According to the reports, Bhati was charged in an extortion case in the FIR filed against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. “Riyaz Bhati’s name is also mentioned in the same FIR which has been registered against Param Bir Singh in an extortion case”, the police had said.
Police maintained that Bhati used to collect money from bars, pubs, and restaurant owners and send it to suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze. Earlier, the estranged wife of Riyaz Bhati, Rehnuma had filed a complaint in Mumbai’s Santacruz police station alleging rape and molestation by Riyaz.
It is important to note that Bhati calls himself a businessman. However, he is a criminal and has connections with Mumbai underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim, the dreaded criminal Munna Yadav, and also underworld don Chhota Shakeel.
In 2021, NCP leader Nawab Malik made allegations against BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis saying that he had connections with Riyaz Bhati. However, the BJP leader had slammed Malik and termed the allegations as baseless.
Most Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh (UP) are drifting away from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and going to the Congress ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a report by The Sunday Guardian has reported quoting SP insiders.
“Our party’s recent survey has shown that more than 60% Muslims may turn their back on the SP and vote for the Congress, which, if it happens, will decimate the SP over a period of time as Muslims and Yadavs comprise the party’s core vote base,” the report quoted a party insider.
But SP spokesperson Kirti Nidhi Pandey reportedly said that only the SP can defeat the BJP in the state. “One thing is clear in Uttar Pradesh—if there is a party that can defeat the BJP in the state, it is the SP. We don’t think the minority vote is drifting away from us, because Muslims also know that we are the only party that can defeat the BJP, Congress doesn’t have that credibility,” Pandey said.
Muslims constitute around 19 per cent of voters in the state and dominate in around 30 Lok Sabha seats out of UP’s 80.
According to the report, there are echoes within the SP about growing resentment among Muslims over Akhilesh Yadav’s public assertion of “PDA”, which means “pichre” (backward), Dalit and “alpasankhak” (minority), where Muslims have been put under an umbrella term.
The report cites party leaders indicating that the recent course of events showed Akhilesh as “less responsive” about Muslims, which has not left a good impression on the voter base in the state.
A senior leader reportedly admitted to the same saying, “That Muslims are drifting away from SP doesn’t need any research. It is obvious. One can see it, hear it and feel it. The management of Muslims by the top leadership (Akhilesh Yadav) has been poor. He is no longer a leader with whom Muslims can connect like they used to with Mulayam Singh Yadav. One notable reason is that our party chief has stopped connecting with the grassroots. Voters have become more mature and have realised that he steps out just months before elections. He is nowhere to be seen on the other days.”
“More than 80% Muslims voted for the SP in the last Assembly elections and yet there was no conclusive result (as SP was unable to form government in the state). So, they will eventually start thinking that we have voted inconsequentially to SP so why not vote for a party that is more accommodative of us like Congress. If they vote for Congress this time, Congress will try to make ground for itself. It will start preparing to revive itself and this will directly hurt SP in the Assembly elections in 2027,” said another party leader.
According to the report, the Muslim voter base now votes with the aim to defeat the BJP leading to a significant change in voting behaviour ever since the saffron party came to power in 2014. Unlike before, when the Muslim votes got fragmented and were cast to different candidates, now their votes go to the candidate with the highest capability to defeat the BJP candidate.
A political analyst quoted by The Sunday Guardian said, “They vote to defeat the BJP candidates. And such a trend has become more clear after Karnataka elections where a chunk of Muslims who were traditional voters of Janata Dal Secular left them and voted for the Congress. UP could see a similar trend.”
The development has led to a power tussle between the INDI Alliance block partners Congress and SP. The report claims that the Congress leadership has drawn a strategy where they could form an alliance without the SP, which has been holding on to 60 Lok Sabha seats.
The SP reportedly wants to give only 20 seats to other parties, which has become a point of contention between the bloc. “If you obstinately hold on to 60 seats out of 80, how is this being accommodative? How does it send a message that SP wants to have an alliance? It doesn’t send any such message,” the report quoted a senior SP leader.
Recently, Akhilesh Yadav had expressed hope that the grand old party would be defeated by a coalition of smaller parties under the PDA umbrella in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While addressing rallies in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Former UP CM trained guns at the grand old party accusing it of acting as a “B-team of the BJP”.
On 11th November, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad confirmed that they had apprehended four members of the Aligarh module of the jihadi terrorist organisation ISIS. The arrested terrorists were identified as Rakib Imam Ansari, Naved Ansari, Mohammad Noman, and Mohammad Nazim. Three others were apprehended in the case, identified as Abdullah Arshlan, Maz Bin Tariq and Wajihuddin, making a total of seven arrests. The arrests were made based on ATS obtaining critical leads during interrogation. So far, the arrests have been made from UP, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.
The ongoing investigation in the Aligarh ISIS Module case has shed light on the potential ties of ISIS operatives to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). It has raised serious concerns about the security of the University and the possible radicalisation of the students studying at the institute. Reportedly, these ISIS operatives not only indulged in distributing Jihadist literature but also provided mental and physical training to recruits. ATS conducted several raids in Aligarh, Sambhal and nearby districts and detained around half a dozen suspects. Later, four of them, Rakib, Naved, Noman and Nazim, were officially arrested by the investigating agency for further questioning.
The Pune ISIS Module
Interestingly, the Aligarh ISIS Module was busted by the investigation agencies on the sidelines of arrests that were made in connection to the Pune ISIS module. In July 2023, the NIA busted an ISIS module in the state of Maharashtra. Four accused, identified as Tabish Nasser Siddiqui, Zubair Noor Mohammed Shaikh, Sharjeel Shaikh and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, were arrested during raids in Pune, Mumbai and Thane. The central investigation agency received credible intelligence that these accused and their associates were recruiting youth and training them to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and weapons. They also shared Do It Yourself (DIY) kits and other relevant materials among themselves for creating IEDs and manufacturing small weapons, pistols and more.
Notably, the accused were also involved in creating content for the pro-ISIS magazine ‘Voice of Hind’. The online magazine led to several raids by the NIA in October 2021 in Kashmir. NIA registered a case in June 2023 and raided several locations linked to the accused. The official press release of NIA read, “Preliminary investigations by the NIA have established that the accused had hatched a conspiracy to further the terrorist activities of ISIS, known by different names, such as Islamic State (IS)/ Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)/Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daish/ Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP)/ISIS Wilayat Khorasan/Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K).”
On 18th July, Mohammed Imran Mohammed Yusuf Khan and Mohammed Yunus Mohammed Yakub Saki were arrested by Pune Police. They were arrested while attempting to steal a motorcycle. However, later, it was found they were connected to the Al-Sufa terror group. They had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on their arrest. According to the police, the accused stayed in an apartment in Chetna Garden, Mitha Nagar, Kondhwa. Khan and Saki are graphic artists from Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, and Alam from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. Police teams searched their Pune residence and found a number of suspicious items, including a box containing “drone material,” a pistol pouch, a live cartridge, some “white coloured pills,” fake Aadhaar cards, and various other documents. Later, it was found that they were linked to the Pune ISIS module.
On 27th July, NIA made another arrest in the matter. A doctor identified as Adnan Ali Sarkar was arrested in Pune for promoting violent activities of the Islamic terror outfit ISIS. The accused worked as an anesthesiologist. According to the NIA press release, various incriminating evidence, including electronic devices and documents pertaining to ISIS, were discovered at Sarkar’s Kondhwa residence during the search. NIA alleged that the accused doctor was involved in furthering ISIS’s violent ideology by recruiting vulnerable youths. Furthermore, the agency said Sarkar hatched a conspiracy to advance ISIS terrorist activities.
On 5th August, the five accused were sent to ATS custody by a Pune court. ATS informed the court they found incriminating material from the accused, including an Indian map with several cities marked, laptops containing material to study the modus operandi of terror attacks and more. The initial probe revealed they have links to the Al Sufa module. However, a later investigation revealed they all were part of ISIS.
ATS also submitted an Indian map to the court with several cities marked as evidence. The investigation agency informed the court that Mohammad Imran Khan and Mohammad Yunus Saki were trained to make bombs by Zulfikar Ali and others among the five arrested by the Pune ATS in the case linked to the ISIS module.
So far, the accused arrested in the matter were Tabish Nasser Siddiqui, Zubair Noor Mohammed Shaikh alias Abu Nusaiba, Sharjeel Shaikh, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Mohammad Imran Khan, Mohammad Yunus Saki, Simab Nasaruddin Qazi, and Aakif Ateeque Nachan. Qazi was arrested for helping Shahanawaaz Alam, who was absconding then. Reportedly, Khan and Saki were taught how to make bombs by Zulfikar. In 2022, they shifted to Pune. They used Aadhaar cards to buy drones, acids and explosives. Furthermore, it was found that they had downloaded and studied literature linked to terror attacks by different organisations.
On 11th August, NIA said in a press statement that they arrested Shamil Nachan in connection with the Pune ISIS module case. Shamil was involved in fabricating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and collaborating with other accused in the matter.
Pune ISIS Module Chargesheet
A 2,700-page charge sheet was filed by the National Investigating Agency in Pune ISIS Module. The charge sheet revealed details about their activities and plans. NIA revealed that The accused, including Zulfikar Ali Barodawala and Zubair Shaikh, were involved in radicalising Muslim youth, promoting ISIS ideology, and planning attacks against non-Muslims.
A protected witness told NIA that the accused used WhatsApp groups to propagate ISIS ideology and lured Muslims to pledge alliance with the terrorist organisation. He disclosed that the discussions revolved around shirk, Khalifah, jihad, and the establishment of Sharia in India.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the accused tried to convince members, including himself, to join ISIS and commit terrorist attacks. They advocated against democratic participation, deemed the Indian Constitution as non-binding for Muslims, and expressed hostility toward other Muslim groups. Their ultimate goal was to ensure Muslims joined ISIS for the establishment of Islamic State in India. The witness also highlighted the group’s discussions on killing non-Muslims, with statements suggesting a readiness to carry out violent actions against them.
The Pune ISIS Module and Aligarh ISIS Module connection
During interrogation, Arshlan and Tariq told the investigation agency about a person named Wajiuddin. They pointed out that he played a crucial role in recruiting and planning terrorist activities. The revelation led to several raids and arrests in the Aligarh ISIS Module case.
Aligarh ISIS Module
It has been found that these ISIS terrorists aimed at establishing an ISIS module in and around Aligarh. The main focus of these operatives was to recruit and train new operatives for Jihadist activities in India. ATS seized material, including Jihadist literature, electronic devices and other documents. The forensic examination of the electronic devices is underway.
Following the arrests, ATS has intensified efforts to locate two operatives of the module, identified as Abdul Samad Malik and Faizan Bakhtiyar, who remain at large. National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Delhi Police Special Cell are looking into another suspect, Harish Farukhi, in the matter. Farukhi is a former AMU student and associated with the SAMU group. He has been on the run since the investigating agencies in the Pune ISIS Module case arrested Shahnavaz. OpIndia’s sources revealed that Farukhi played a vital role in forming Students of Aligarh Muslim University (SAMU).
Furthermore, ATS is also looking into an MSW student at AMU named Abdul Samad Malik. As per the investigating agencies, Malik is the most radical among the group. On the other hand, Bakhtiyar allegedly used social media to lure youth towards extremist ideology. Following ATS’s crackdown on the module, Malik and Bakhtiyar closed their communication channels.
Two self-radicalised individuals, Abdullah Arslan and Maaz Bin Tariq, were arrested in the matter in connection to the Pune ISIS Module. Shockingly, both of them were married to Hindu girls, hinting towards possible cases of Grooming Jihad. The investigation into how these marriages took place is also underway.
Who is Wajihuddin?
On 8th November, it was reported that ATS detained Wajihuddin in the Aligarh ISIS module case. He was arrested from Durg, Chhattisgarh. Wajihuddin, who is a PhD student at AMU, was arrested by ATS on the charges of radicalising youth. Reportedly, he was teaching social science students, including Hindus, in Aligarh. ATS recovered inflammatory content on his phone.
In a press release, UP ATS said that Shahnawaz and Rizwan, previously arrested in the Pune ISIS module, were closely associated with students from the Students of AMU (SAMU) group. This connection highlights a disturbing trend of ISIS recruiting within educational institutions.
Further investigation revealed that Wajiuddin was, in fact, the mastermind behind the recruitment of Arshlan and Tariq in the ISIS module. ATS recovered ISIS literature, and the sharing of extremist ideologies among the arrested individuals underscored the magnitude of the threat. These arrests further led to the arrest of other operatives, including Shahnawaz, Rizwan, and Arshad Warsi, in the Pune ISIS Module.
Reportedly, they were planning attacks in Ayodhya, Akshardham Temple, and Chabar House. Warsi, who holds a BTech degree from AMU and is pursuing a PhD at Jamia Millia Islamia, was intricately involved in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots in 2020.
Furthermore, connections to Pakistan’s ISI were also revealed. Shahnawaz, Rizwan, and Warsi had pledged allegiance to ISIS, with their handlers having connections to both ISIS and the ISI, operating discreetly to avoid international scrutiny. Upon further investigation, it was revealed Warsi played a crucial role in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots alongside Sharjeel Imam. He sheltered Shahnawaz and showcased a broader connection between the Pune ISIS module, the Delhi riots, and the involvement of ISI.
Wajihuddin Ali Khan, the recently arrested ISIS terrorist, was associated with the Al Haya Min Allah campaign at AMU, promoting extremist ideologies against democracy, nationalism, and other religions. His connection with Arshad Warsi and their joint involvement in the anti-CAA protests further deepens the web of ISIS influence within educational institutions.
Radicalisation, relatives and how they worked
Interestingly, the mother-in-law of Wajihuddin works as a staff nurse at AMU. Wazihuddin held the position of an “Amir” in the Aligarh ISIS Module. Around ten years ago, he shifted to Aligarh from Durg. After shifting to Aligarh, he came in contact with radical elements at AMU and joined SAMU.
Sources revealed that the information about his links to radical elements dates back to 2010. At that time, Faruqi was trying to establish a terror module in Aligarh. He was also an ‘Amir’ in his group. Wajihuddin quickly gained ranks in SAMU and started making provocative speeches. He not only radicalised his followers against India but also against other religions. He also participated in violent protests against CAA-NRC.
Wajihuddin’s wife hails from Aligarh, and her mother-in-law works as a staff nurse at AMU. Wajihuddin’s religious views significantly influenced his wife. He has two children. One of them is in class 12th, while the other reportedly often falls in. Three months before his arrest, he was living in his mother-in-law’s house, which ATS subsequently searched.
Wajihuddin and Arshlan operated a YouTube channel where they uploaded provocative speeches. When they learned about the arrest of their associates, they tried to escape. Initially, Wajihuddin fled to Mathura and then went to Durg, where ATS arrested him.
The M-Tech terrorist
Another ISIS operative arrested in the case is Raqib, who is an engineer and did M Tech in Mechanical Engineering from AMU in 2020. Following his PG, he started teaching students. During that period, he also taught at Islamic Mission School in Aligarh as a teacher. This is the same school where a parent filed a complaint that his daughter was tortured for speaking Hindi. Furthermore, it was reported that the National Anthem was not played in the school. Initially from district Bhadohi in UP, Raqib also worked as a faculty member at Avanti Learning Center for JEE/NEET.
Along with Raqib, Nomani was arrested by ATS, who works as a fisherman. He is originally from district Sambhal and works at a fish farm in Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand.
ATS recovered a video of Abu Bakr Fazili where he was heard declaring acceptance of the rule not of any human but of God. The speech was given in the Kennedy Auditorium at AMU in 2015. He called for crushing those who come in the way of Islamic rule. Several other videos were recovered by the investigating agencies that included provocative speeches against Hinduism. Wazihuddin can also be seen on the stage in these videos.
The Pune ISIS Module and Delhi Anti-Hindu Riots Connection
The charge sheet further shed light on connections between the Pune ISIS module and the Delhi anti-Hindu riots as Warsi, an ISIS terrorist, was in contact with Sharjeel Imam, one of the masterminds of the riots. He played a significant role in orchestrating the conspiracy behind the communal violence during the CAA-NRC protests in Delhi and setting up the protest site at Shaheen Bagh.
It also revealed how the conspiracy was brewed in December 2019, a day after the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Bill. It talked about the formation of the Muslim Students of the JNU group by Sharjeel Imam and their role in distributing communal pamphlets. The pamphlets aimed to incite hate in the Muslim community by invoking the Supreme Court decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case.
Our detailed report on the ISIS module’s link to the Delhi Riots can be checked here.
On 19th November, while the Indian Cricket Team and fans were heartbroken, the Congress leader found a way to use the loss in the ICC World Cup to target PM Modi. Congress’s Social Media and Digital Platforms chairperson Supriya Shrinate posted a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah sitting at the stadium during the match and insinuated if they were “smiling widely” over India’s loss in the Cricket World Cup 2023.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Shrinate wrote, “Our team is in tears, the nation is heartbroken — what is he smiling so widely about?”
Our team is in tears, the nation is heart broken — what is he smiling so widely about? pic.twitter.com/hp88TQlWbI
Interestingly, the video clip was shot after the completion of 32 overs. At that time, Australia was at 172 runs with a loss of three wickets. At that time, there was still hope for the Indian Cricket team to make a comeback. The fans were also laughing in the row below where PM Modi and HM Shah were seated. If Shrinate was to be believed, did she mean that even the fans laughed at India’s loss?
Srinate was not the only Congress leader or fan who pointed finders at PM Modi. Vijay Thottathil, who calls himself an “Indian National Congress Soldier forever” in his X bio, posted a screenshot of the same time and questioned why PM Modi was waving when India was on the verge of defeat.
Source: X
X user Rohiit Jain, who often shares pro-Congress posts on social media, wrote, “When ur country is losing and ur #PM is laughing !! Shamelessness at its peak. What a hypocrite he is !! #INDvAUS”.
Source: X
The Vice President of Rajasthan Congress‘s social media and digital platform department, Vinita Jain, also shared the video and wrote, “Shame on you Modi ji. He is literally laughing at our feelings and emotions..”
Source: X
Overseas Congress published videos from entirely different moments from the match to insinuate that PM Modi was laughing at the exact time when Indian players were crying after losing the match. They wrote, “Why Narendra Modi was shamelessly smiling at India’s loss? Look at the faces of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and see the laugh of Modi.”
Why Narendra Modi was shamelessly smiling at India’s loss?
Congress supporter Ankit Mayank wrote, “While India was on the verge of losing the WC’23 final, the Indian PM was laughing & enjoying. History will never forgive this shameless man.”
Source: X
As Congress was using the match for political brownie points, how could other parties fall behind? General Secretary and Core Committee Member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Pritish Roy, called PM Modi “panauti” and wrote, “Here’s the #Panauti laughing at the defeat of the country! Shame.”
Pro-Congress and fake news peddler X user Cryptic Miind wrote, “Such is the hatred for word INDIA now that Modi ji seems to be happy while Team India is losing.”
Source: X
While the sadness of Indian cricket fans is understandable, winning and losing are a part of the game. That is the whole point of sports and the unifying power of cricket matches. The same sad Indian fans will soon be cheering for Australian players in the IPL. PM Modi was there to witness a great cricket match and he was also hosting the Australian Deputy Prime Minister. It is not expected that the PM of the hosting nation will put up a sad and sulking face and convey negative feelings towards his guests.
The final match of the ICC Men’s World Cup was played between India and Australia. The latter won the toss and chose to field. India scored 240 runs in 50 overs. Australia won the finals with 6 wickets in hand in the 42nd over. South Africa and Zimbabwe are scheduled to host the next ICC World Cup in 2027.
Hours after Pat Cummins-led-Australian cricket team won the 2023 edition of the Men’s World Cup final on Sunday (19th November), a tweet by the Australian skipper quitting the Indian Premier League (IPL) to prepare for Ashes and World Cup is going viral on social media.
In a tweet (archive) on 15th November, 2022, Pat Cummins had informed, “I’ve made the difficult decision to miss next years IPL.” He further added, “The international schedule is packed with Tests and ODI’s for the next 12 months, so will take some rest ahead of an Ashes series and World Cup.”
The Australian skipper is now being hailed on social media for voluntarily withdrawing from ‘money-making’ league cricket in favour of crucial cricket tournaments for the Australian side.
I’ve made the difficult decision to miss next years IPL. The international schedule is packed with Tests and ODI’s for the next 12 months, so will take some rest ahead of an Ashes series and World Cup. pic.twitter.com/Iu0dF73zOW
ESPNcricinfo tweeted, “Pat Cummins withdrew from the IPL this year and his sacrifice paid off! He led Australia to the WTC title, Ashes urn and a World Cup trophy in 2023.”
Pat Cummins withdrew from the IPL this year and his sacrifice paid off!
Another popular X handle ‘Johns’ wrote, “Pat Cummins decided to take a break from IPL 2023 due to hectic cricket season in International cricket then; – Won the WTC as captain. – Retained Ashes as captain. – Won the WC as captain. Captain, Leader, Legend, Cummins.”
Pat Cummins decided to take a break from IPL 2023 due to hectic cricket season in International cricket then;
– Won the WTC as captain. – Retained Ashes as captain. – Won the WC as captain.
“Pat Cummins Skipped IPL took rest won World Test Championship-> Ashes -> #CWC23. This is an example for putting Country ahead of money…Note: Indian players cannot skip IPL even if they want to,as BCCI & Franchises ll expect big players to participate,” another X user commented.
Pat Cummins Skipped IPL took rest won World Test Championship-> Ashes -> #CWC23 This is an example for putting Country ahead of money….. Note: Indian players cannot skip IPL even if they want to,as BCCI & Franchises ll expect big players to participate. https://t.co/Mo6yxA9k9u
“Pat Cummins on 15th November 2022 decided to skip the IPL for Ashes and World Cup. Pat Cummins on 19th November 2023 – Won the World Cup after drawing the Ashes,” tweeted popular handle ‘Mufaddal Vohra.’
Pat Cummins on 15th November 2022 decided to skip the IPL for Ashes and World Cup.
Pat Cummins on 19th November 2023 – Won the World Cup after drawing the Ashes. pic.twitter.com/JRX8wQ96tT
“This type of commitment is needed for becoming a champion. Pat Cummins was willing to lose millions of dollars in ipl to do extra preparation for ashes and world cup. Even though it hurts as an Indian to lose today, but we can still learn from him. #INDvAUS #CWC2023Final #Kohli” tweeted one Ayush Bhatt.
This type of commitment is needed for becoming a champion. Pat Cummins was willing to lose millions of dollars in ipl to do extra preparation for ashes and world cup. Even though it hurts as an Indian to lose today, but we can still learn from him. #INDvAUS#CWC2023Final#Kohlipic.twitter.com/kE0aey8f2j
“Mitchell starc does not play IPL. Hardly plays it. And Pat Cummis sacrificed his IPL. Ipl gives you money for sure, but you prepare great players only though tests and 4 day games. On big day today. Starc and Cummins took 5 wickets,” wrote another X user.
Mitchel starc does not play IPL. Hardly plays it. And Pat Cummis sacrificed his IPL. Ipl gives you money for sure, but you prepare great players only though tests and 4 day games. On big day today. Starc and Cummins took 5 wickets. pic.twitter.com/ogK27gFeYb
Pat Cummins played for the Indian Premier League in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022. His last appearance in the IPL was for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Australia has managed to win 6 editions of the Men’s World Cup – 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 and 2023.
In June 2023, Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised concerns over irregularities in executing the central Jal Jeevan Mission in Rajasthan. The allegations raised by Meena led to an investigation that slowly unfolded what happened with the scheme in Rajasthan. In the last few weeks, the investigation gained momentum, revealing details of the alleged scam.
The heart of the allegations lies with the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). The agency is responsible for implementing the Central Jal Jeevan Mission across the state. The scheme aims at providing safe drinking water through household tap connections across the state.
Multiple raids led to the seizure of cash, gold and devices
In August this year, a First Investigation Report (FIR) was filed on the matter by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), leading to an investigation. Following the FIR, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took over the investigation. The central investigating agency conducted a series of raids at 25 locations, including the properties and offices of a high-ranking bureaucrat, earlier this month.
The allegations implicate state Cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi, who oversees the groundwater portfolio and Additional Chief Secretary Subodh Agarwal. It has been alleged the scam is worth Rs 20,000. In his allegations laid by Meena, he alleged that the tenders worth Rs 900 crores were awarded to two companies who presented fake experience certificates. Around 48 Jal Jeevan Mission projects were handed over to these companies, leading to unwarranted delays in the project’s completion.
Responding to the ACB’s FIR, the ED investigated the proprietors of two tubewell companies and others accused of bribing public servants to secure illegal protection, manipulate tender processes, obtain bill sanctions, and conceal irregularities in projects under the PHED.
In September this year, the investigating agency conducted more raids in several locations in the state, including Jaipur, Alwar, Neemrana, Behror, and Shahpura. The ED seized unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 2.32 crores. During the raid, the agency also found gold worth Rs 64 lakh, several documents, digital evidence, hard drives and mobile phones.
Another raid was conducted in November 2023, leading to the seizure of 9.6 KG of gold, amounting to Rs 5.83 crore, and 6.4 KG of silver, amounting to Rs 3.9 lakh. The November raids targeted properties linked to ACS Agarwal. He holds several positions at the PHED, Ground Water Department, Water Resources Department, and State Water Resources Planning Department. The raids led to an investigation into several individuals connected to a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On the political front, the Chief Minister of Congress-led Rajasthan accused the central agencies, including the ED of targeting the Opposition. Gehlot claimed the Congress party was being targeted at the behest of BJP-led central government. He questioned the timing of the actions, and the investigation paced up just ahead of the state elections. He criticised the working methodology of the investigating agencies and claimed there was a need to target the corrupt individuals and not the political parties.
Furthermore, Gehlot claimed the credibility of the ED comes under the radar with such actions countrywide. He claimed the actions taken by the ED in recent times were “politically motivated” and called for a “re-evaluation of ED’s credibility”.
On the other hand, BJP capitalised on the situation and opened a strategic line of attack on Congress. The attack forced Congress to drop sitting Hawa Mahal MLA Mahesh Joshi from the election lineup. Notably, Joshi is confident of Gehlot. He was among the leaders who boycotted a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting last year.
PM Modi attacked Congress over alleged scam
During his rallies in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has actively targeted the Congress-led Rajasthan government over the alleged scam. On 15th November, he highlighted the Central Government’s efforts to provide tap water to nearly 50 lakh houses in Rajasthan. However, the project was delayed due to the alleged scam. He added that despite sending ample funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission, the money was misused, with commissions being taken even for this essential service. Citing the feedback from Barmar and Jaisalmer villages, where payments were reportedly misused, he attacked the Congress leaders for alleged corruption.
HM Amit Shah attacked Congress govt
Union Home Minister Amit Shah opened an attack on Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ahead of elections, alleging corruption documented in the “Laal Diary”. He alleged that the diary contained Gehlot’s financial improprieties that surpassed all previous state governments’ corruptions since independence. He listed scams in mining and secretariat offices, including the water supply scam, and urged the voters to choose the “double-engine” government for prosperity under Narendra Modi’s leadership. The ‘Laal Diary’ controversy became prominent after a former minister suggested it held incriminating information about Gehlot’s financial transactions.
What is the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme?
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, drinking water was to be provided in rural areas. In this, 50 per cent of the expense was to be borne by Rajasthan and 50 per cent expense was to be borne by the Central Government. Under this, the DI duct iron pipeline was to be laid, but with the connivance of water supply department officers and contractors, the HDPE pipeline was laid.
A scam worth crores of rupees has come to light in this work. The pipes that were stolen from Haryana were passed off as new and laid. Money was taken by claiming that the pipeline was new. Moreover, many kilometres of pipeline were not laid. In lieu of this, payment worth crores of rupees was taken.
Rajasthan Congress minister Mahesh Joshi’s son accused of rape and torture
Last year in May, a 23-year-old woman filed a rape complaint against Rohit Joshi, the son of Dr Mahesh Joshi, the Rajasthan government’s water supply minister. The young woman working for a Rajasthan-based news channel had filed a rape case with Delhi’s Sadar Bazar police station. A zero FIR had been filed in Sadar Bazar police station and forwarded to Sawai Madhopur.
The FIR stated that Rohit repeatedly threatened the victim in the name of his father. Rohit further stated that he has had contacts with miscreants and the mafia and that he is not frightened of the cops. He warned her about being treated like Bhanwari Devi. The woman claimed that the father-son duo posed a threat to her and her family’s lives, after which the Rajasthan High Court had granted police protection to the woman.
Despite the complaint, the son of the Rajasthan Congress leader was not arrested. In fact, within a month, a court in Delhi granted anticipatory bail to cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi’s son Rohit in a rape case filed against him by a 24-year-old woman.
Rajasthan Assembly Elections
Voting for the Rajasthan Assembly Elections is scheduled for 25th November. The result will be announced on 3rd December.
In a massive disappointment for over a lakh spectators in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and crores of cricket fans in the country, India lost the final in the ICC World Cup against Australia, the first loss in the tournament. Australia won the match by 6 wickets, easily chasing a target of 240 runs in 43 overs.
Travis Head led the victory with 137 runs in 120 balls, aided by Marnus Labuschagne. Head was out with just one needed to win, and they scored 241 in 43 overs after the loss of 4 wickets.
After a brief moment of scare, the Australian batters Travis Head and Marnus Labuschange steaded the ship to the finish line prompting the Pat Cummins-led side to lift their sixth World Cup trophy. The duo stitched a 192-run partnership when the Aussies were rocked by three quick back-to-back wickets and were in shaky waters at 47-3 inside the first powerplay.
While Head maintained a near run-a-ball strike rate throughout his innings and scored an impactful ton, Labuschange upped his game when it mattered the most. In a low-scoring game, he held the one end despite pitch spitting odds balls at times.
Strikingly, right from the toss, Australians demonstrated the hunger to stretch their record of the most number of World Cup titles and choked runs for the Indian batters once Indian skipper Rohit Sharma departed courtesy of Travis Head’s spectacular running catch. The boundaries were hard to come by, at one time, cautious Indian batters could only manage to strike just a boundary in around 30-odd overs. Notably, the odd bad balls were backed by precise field settings and fired-up Australian fielders throwing themselves around.
On the other hand, Indian batters particularly opener Shubhman Gill and Shreyas Iyer allowed nerves to get the better of them and knicked at all the wrong times. In their less-than-over innings, they looked shaky and added pressure to toll up on the Indian squad.
However, the old adage that it is the middle overs game that decides the fate of any close encounter again manifested in the much-awaited finals. The biggest difference between both sides and one that ended India’s hope is how India and Australia played through the middle overs. While India, rocked by back-to-back two wickets of Rohit and Iyer, struggled to score at more than 2-3 per over even against Australia’s sixth balling option.
Additionally, whenever Indian batters were on the brink of putting their foot down on the accelerator after consolidation they suffered major blows. Virat Kohli, who has been in stellar form and ended as the leading run scorer in this World Cup 2023 tournament, chopped on Cummin’s delivery.
Australia, on the other hand, despite being under pressure after three wickets, churned runs at will in the middle overs, and with an odd boundary here and there, they kept narrowing the gap till the time ensuring a convincing victory.
After negating the moving ball by Indian pacers Shami and Bumrah who had their tail up, Head and Labuschange stitched 192 the record run-partnership in any World Cup final.
‘The People’s Forum’, which has been at the helm of anti-Israeli protests in the United States, has now come under the scanner over its financing by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) supporter Neville Roy Singham.
As per a report by The Free Press, Singham and his wife Jodie Evans have donated over $20.4 million to the organisation between 2017 and 2022. The American tech entrepreneur and his Chinese connections were exposed in a report published by The New York Times on August 5 this year.
Neville Roy Singham had financed the likes of NewsClick and disseminated pro-Chinese propaganda through the Indian leftist news outlet. OpIndia has found that ‘The People’s Forum’, funded almost wholly by the American entrepreneur, has been peddling anti-India narratives since 2019.
Neville Roy Singham, who funds China intelligence operations, including Newsclick, has also been funding pro-Palestine protests in USA pic.twitter.com/9jOUI94dR0
The People’s Forum and its role in fuelling ‘Kahsmiri seperatism’
‘The People’s Forum’ has been organising teach-in sessions, seminars and movie screenings to disseminate a distorted idea of Jammu and Kashmir to its global audience.
It has openly called for the secession of the integral part of the Indian territory and extended support to extremist elements, calling for ‘Azadi.‘ On March 18, 2019, the organisation conducted a 1 hour 50 minute 50-minute-long session, presenting India as an ‘occupying’ force in Jammu and Kashmir.
‘The People’s Forum’ reiterated pro-Pakistani talking points about Kashmir, referring to the region as ‘Indian Occupied.’ The event synopsis made its nefarious agenda crystal clear –
“Indian Occupied Kashmir is the world’s most militarized zone. Since 2008, a generation of Kashmiri youth has protested against Indian rule, demanding azadi, or freedom. Nonetheless, despite a mass movement for self-determination, the international community has largely remained silent on Kashmir and India is able to leverage its soft power to silence Kashmiris. During this teach-in, the instructors will present a brief historical overview of the Kashmir issue, and discuss the contemporary context of state violence and repression and youth resistance.“
Screengrab of ‘The People’s Forum’ event
One of the instructors of the pro-Pakistani indoctrination programme was Hafsa Kanjwal, who had earlier downplayed the Pulwama terror attack in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.
As per a report by OSINT handle ‘DisinfoLab’, Hafsa Kanjwal has maintained close ties with convicted ISI agent Ghulam Nabi Fai through her organisation ‘Stand With Kashmir (SWK)’. She is an Assistant Professor at Lafayette College and featured prominently in several events of ‘The People’s Forum.’
On September 14, 2019, the Neville Roy Singham-funded organisation conducted another ‘teach-in session’ dubbed ‘Self-Determination and Solidarity in Kashmir.’ The anti-India event was sponsored by the likes of ‘Codepink’, founded by Neville Roy Singham’s wife Jodie Evans.
The synopsis of the programme read, “This teach-in is geared towards building solidarity between the Kashmiri and Palestinian anti-occupation movements. The instructors will give a history of the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination, provide an analysis of the Indian occupation of Kashmir, and reflect on the ties between India and Israel, as well as the need for greater mobilization between the Palestinian and Kashmiri solidarity movements.“
Screengrab of the tweet by Suchitra Vijayan of The Polis Project
Besides Hafsa Kanjwal, ‘journalist’ Azad Essa was also included as the instructor for the pro-Pakistani indoctrination. Essa is the same scribe who passed off the Islamic terrorist organisation, ‘Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),’ as a ‘Pakistan-based group’ in December 2022.
While trying to cast aspersions on the role of LeT in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he had claimed, “Saturday marked the first day of the (Mumbai) attack, 14 years ago, which India blamed on the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba.”
In March this year, the same dubious ‘journalist’ was invited by ‘The People’s Forum’ to promote his book ‘Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel.’ The People’s Forum also promoted his propaganda film on the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, titled ‘Out of Sight.’
Screengrab of the banner of the event hosted by The People’s Forum
Hafsa Kanjwal too was invited by ‘The People’s Forum’ to the screening of a propaganda film titled ‘Khoon Diy Baarav’ on March 29, 2019. The unknown movie was directed by one Iffat Fatima about the supposedly ‘abject plight’ of Kashmiris in the Valley.
Despite all-out efforts by the Neville Roy Singham-financed organisation to spread the word about the film, it failed to make an impact. As such, another screening of the same propaganda movie was held by ‘The People’s Forum’ on March 20, 2020.
As recently as August this year, the organisation was seen endorsing a book written by ‘ISI operative’ Hafsa Kanjwal titled ‘Colonising Kashmir: State Building under Indian Occupation.’
August 5 marks 4 years since India’s complete annexation of Kashmir—Author Hafsa Kanjwal & @mjunaidr will also discuss recent developments in the region.
— The People's Forum (@PeoplesForumNYC) July 21, 2023
“August 5 marks 4 years since India’s complete annexation of Kashmir—Author Hafsa Kanjwal & Mohamad Junaid will also discuss recent developments in the region,”The People’s Forum lamented the abrogation of Article 370.
The People’s Forum, anti-India events and targeting of Hinduism
In October 2019, the Neville Roy Singham-financed organisation held a seminar on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and seized the opportunity to attack Hinduism under the pretext of condemning ‘Hindutva’.
“Gandhi, a practicing Hindu, also believed in love as a fundamental human emotion and practice and he was able to weave this love of everyone and all creation into all his beliefs, principles and practices. Gandhi’s Hinduism was not exclusive and excluding and did not identify an ‘other’. It is important to differentiate Gandhi’s Hinduism from today’s Hindutva.“
It is a classical trope used by Hinduphobes who claim ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Hindutva’ are different. In reality, they do not make any such distinction. Interestingly, the event was co-sponsored by‘Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR).
HfHR was also seen endorsing the Hinduphobic event titled, ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference. As per OSINT handle ‘Disinfo Lab’, HfHR was formed in the year 2019 by Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI).
HfHR’s cofounder, Sunita Vishwanath, ex-Associate Director of Soros Reproductive Health fellowship is a member of Foundation London Story (FLS). #FLS comprises IAMC's Rasheed Ahmed, who was also Head of IMANA that duped Indians millions of $ during COVID crisis in 2021.
Interestingly, the three organisations had formed another outfit called the Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA). As per an article in The Hindu, the Alliance for Justice and Accountability had been at the forefront of leading demonstrations against the visit of PM Modi to Houston on September 22, 2019.
Sunita Vishwanath, the co-founder of ‘Hindus for Human Rights’ had also tried to create hysteria and panic among Indian Muslims about the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2019.
“We are especially appalled by the most recent nightmare of the Kashmiri people, and the situation of 1.9 million people in India who are rendered stateless due to the imposition of the travesty called the National Register of Citizens,” she claimed.
Sunita Vishwanath is also the co-founder of an organisation named ‘Women for Afghan Women’, which is funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF)/ Open Society Institute (OSI). In October 2023, the X (formerly Twitter) account of HfHr was withheld in India.
The People’s Forum had been trying to exploit fault lines between the incumbent Indian government and the farming community in the country. Amid the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it conducted a seminar by a Communist party-affiliated Student Federation of India (SFI) leader V Srinivasa Rao.
The event titled ‘Make the land proud: India’s Peasant Struggles and the 2019 Election’ hoped to capitalise on the growing resentment of farmers towards the Modi government and impact the outcome of the polls.
The description of the seminar made its nefarious intention clear –
“Earlier this year (2019) more than 160 million peasants and workers went on strike in India. In the last few years, India has seen an upsurge of peasant struggles across the country as the Indian politics have moved to the far right under Modi’s rule.This has been one of the largest general strikes in the world. The workers, exhausted by almost three decades of neoliberal policies and by the attack on their rights, came onto the streets to make their case for better livelihoods and workplace democracy.Because of India’s government policies, agrarian distress is acute: An average of 12,000 farmers committed suicide every year of this government’s rule.“
When the Modi government introduced three historic farm laws to alleviate concerns among the farming community, The People’s Forum came out with all guns blazing and lent credence to the politically motivated farmer’s protest and the eventual repeal of the landmark legislation.
This became evident when it promoted the propaganda-laden book ‘When Farmers Stood Up’, celebrating the repeal of a law due to the ‘street veto’. One of the speakers invited to the panel discussion was Aishe Ghosh, who was involved in the infamous JNU riots of 2020.
Screengrab of the event
Since early 2020, The People’s Forum began targeting Indian businesses and fostering ant-capitalistic sentiments in the country. A 4-day seminar was organised to this effect in January of that year.
On October 26, 2022, the Neville Roy Singham-led organisation partnered with ‘The Polis Project’ for an anti-India event dubbed ‘Plunder as Politics: Economic Inequality and Political Power in Modi’s India.’ As expected, it targeted Indian businessman Gautam Adani and accused the ruling BJP of ‘crony capitalism.’
“The rise of Adani and his peers are symptomatic of a deep polarization of wealth and income in Indian society, where the poorest 50% of the population earns a mere 13% of all national income and owns as little as 6% of all wealth in the country. Despite these perverse inequalities, Modi and the BJP appear to have a firm hold on political power and even enjoy support among poor and marginalized groups. How do we explain this conundrum? In this talk, Alf Nilsen will discuss the relationship between economic inequality and political power in Modi’s India, focusing on how the politics of Hindu nationalism deflects popular discontent and nurtures both the hegemony of the ruling party and the wealth of the country’s corporate tycoons,” read the event description.
The Polis Project eulogises terrorists Afzal Guru, Burhan Wani and Yasin Malik. 4/9 pic.twitter.com/5SwyCvBd0b
— Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) (@HinduHate) October 2, 2022
The Polis Project has extensively published content claiming Muslims are single-handedly facing atrocities in India. The organisation’s reports described the anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in 2020 as a “pogrom against the Muslim community”.
The organisation also propagated separatist views on Kashmir and shared content favouring terrorists such as Burhan Wani, Yasin Malik and others. It has also been at the helm of fear-mongering its audience about an ‘impending genocide’ in Kashmir and the rest of India.
The Polis Project gave a clean chit to Pakistan in the Pulwama attack and called Indian media “BJP’s propaganda machine”. The Banned organisation Jamaat-e-Islami has their content in their course material on “Stand With Kashmir (SWK)”.
Uncanny obsession with Kerala and Communists
The Neville Roy Singham-funded organisation was also seen disseminating the myth of the ‘Kerala Model’ in one of its events, organised on April 11, 2020.
The People’s Forum claimed, “While Indian PM Modi follows the example of fellow neoliberal strongmen around the world, and fails to protect lives from this pandemic while downplaying the crisis, Kerala offers a different example. The state of Kerala, led by a coalition of leftist and communist parties, has set the standard in successful testing, containment, and socialized care for the well-being of its people. How has this been achieved in Kerala, and what can we learn from this experience? Join researcher Subin Dennis and journalist Prasanth R for the discussion.“
Screengrab of the event
A year later on August 7, 2021, ‘The People’s Forum’ held another event, promoting a book titled ‘Local Democracy and Development: The Kerala People’s Campaign for Decentralized Planning’. Interestingly, the book is written by a Communist Party of India (Marxist) politician Thomas Isaac.
A panel discussion was organised by the Singham-financed outfit, claiming that Kerala “mobilised over 3 million of Kerala’s 30 million people and resulted in bottom-up development planning in all of its 1,052 villages and urban neighbourhoods.”
Screengrab of the event
The uncanny obsession with Kerala did not end with praising the Communist Party of India’s make-believe governance model. Along with the Tricontental Institute, ‘The People’s Froum’ appeared fascinated with Communist hardliners such as EMS Namboodiripad.
Namboodiripad, who was the first Chief Minister of the State of Kerala, had infamously called Mahatma Gandhi a ‘Hindu fundamentalist.’
‘The People’s Forum’ chose to organise a presentation on his life to further disseminate his “insights on Marxist theory, the international communist movement, caste, women’s struggle, and national liberation.”
Screengrab of the event
‘The People’s Forum’ also endorsed a book on rabid Communist leader Ramchandra Babaji More, who organised the public burning of the Hindu religious text ‘Manusmriti’ on December 25, 2027 at Mahad city in Raigad district of Maharashtra.
Interestingly, Chinese-funded NewsClick also published eulogies about RB More in May 2020.
On Dec 25 same year BabaSaheb led the first known public burning of Manusmriti at Mahad. Com. RB More was one of the main organisers of this protest. https://t.co/a35PgUKEkG
In August this year, OpIndia reported in detail about Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of a leftist think tank named ‘Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.’ His organisation has been one of the beneficiaries of the riches of Neville Roy Singham.
Those funds – now largely in non-profits – were the original source for @tri_continental's endowment, & other projects, which we hope will last for at least a generation. We are building on Archie's legacy, that unique intellectual who accompanied movements of social liberation. pic.twitter.com/SnLBpIBY65
The pro-China Vijay Prashad has been invited as a speaker on multiple occasions by ‘The People’s Forum’, funded wholly by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) supporter Neville Roy Singham. He is an ‘expert’ on every geopolitical issue, involving the US’
Be it the intervention of the United States in Haiti (archive) or America’s supposed ‘anti-communist crusade’ (archive), Vijay Prashad finds himself in events hosted by ‘The People’s Forum’ to hail Chinese socialism and oppose Western imperialism.
Screengrab of the event
Screengrab of the event
Occasionally, Prashad is invited to events hosted by the organisation, funded by Neville Roy Singham, to discuss his books.
Screengrab of the event
Screengrab of the event
The pro-China Executive Director of Tricontinental has recently been on a panel discussion about a book titled ‘The anti-Capitalist Chronicles,’ written by one David Harvey.
Screengrab of the event
Neville Roy Singham, NewsClick funding and the aftermath
On August 5 this year, The New York Timespublished a detailed article, revealing the ties of Neville Roy Singham with the Chinese government and his financial support to an Indian leftist propaganda outlet NewsClick.
“What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr. Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” the article stated.
The New York Times pointed out that Singham has been successful in disseminating Chinese government talking points under the pretext of ‘progressive advocacy’ in countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States.
Screengrab of the news report by The New York Times
Neville Roy Singham, who holds strong ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is at the forefront of China’s smokeless war. In its article, The New York Times stated, “Under the rule of Xi Jinping, China has expanded state media operations, teamed up with overseas outlets and cultivated foreign influencers. The goal is to disguise propaganda as independent content.”
It further added, “The result is a seemingly organic bloom of far-left groups that echo Chinese government talking points, echo one another, and are echoed in turn by the Chinese state media.” During its investigation, the American newspaper found that Neville Roy Singham had financed an India-based leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick.
It noted that the news outlet had repeated the talking points of the CCP in the past. “In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Mr. Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. “China’s history continues to inspire the working classes,” one video said,” noted The New York Times.
BREAKING Neville Roy Singham’s email exchanges with Prabir Purkayastha, various journalists and CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat. Mails focus on 1. Defending China’s position on COVID 2. Supporting Farmers Protests in India 3. Collaborating with Indian communists 4. Promoting… pic.twitter.com/7ZrZYXGIap
After the funding details of NewsClick and its Chinese connection came to light, it was revealed that Neville Roy Singham had close ties with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Prakash Karat.
We have mail transcripts, which clearly suggest that NewsClick owner Prabir Purkayastha was instructed to praise China’s handling of COVID-19 by Neville Roy Singham. Emails exchanged between Prabir Purkayastha and Neville Roy Singham also revealed discussions on how to report the India-China border dispute.
